Marty Brown Memorial Open Defensive Rifle/Shotgun/Pistol — One Day (Seelyville, IN)

Marty Brown Memorial Open Overview

The Marty Brown Memorial Open™ event honors Marty Brown, an instructor with Revere’s Riders who lost a 40-month battle with ovarian cancer in 2017. You can read more about Marty as well as Ovar’coming Together on the Marty Brown Memorial™ page of our website.

50% of ticket revenue (after deduction of range fees and lunch costs) will be donated to Ovar’coming Together to assist in their programs to support women diagnosed with ovarian cancer as well as funding ovarian cancer research. If you would like to make an additional donation, please visit the Donation page on the Ovar’coming Together website.

Swag Bags, Give Aways, Prizes, Auctions

We are just beginning our solicitation for products that will be available as part of swag bags, give aways, prizes and silent auction. Details will be posted to the 2026 Marty Brown Memorial Open™ Defensive Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun Swag Bags, Give Aways, Prizes, Auctions page as they are finalized.

Sign up for our email newsletter using the form in the website footer to be notified of items as we receive them.

Event Overview

This event is moderately physically demanding. We will be on our feet much of the day, moving between various positions on the range. We will be shooting from different positions throughout the day. The event will be setup as a two hot range event with groups rotating between stations.

Prerequisites: Basic Defensive Rifle is recommended.

Estimated Ammunition Required: About 300 rounds rifle ammunition, 200 rounds of pistol ammunition and 50rounds birdshot, 10 rounds 00 Buck, 10 slugs.

General Required Equipment: You should plan to bring the following to the event:

• hearing protection
• eye protection
• plenty of your preferred method of hydration (both plain water and something to replace electrolytes you will lose via sweating is ideal)
• clothing appropriate for the weather (loose fitting clothing, especially around the neck, is discouraged as hot brass can lodge against the skin and cause a burn)

General Optional Equipment: The following equipment is not required but may come in handy at the event:

• magazine dump pouch
• case for your rifle
• case for your pistol
• hat with a brim (to deflect flying hot brass)
• folding chair
• lunch
• snacks
• sunscreen and/or bug spray

Rifle Requirements: the AR-15 is an ideal rifle to bring. However, any safe semi-automatic rifle/carbine can be used (Mini-14, AK-47, Tavor, etc.).

Required Rifle Equipment: Please review our suggestions for appropriate Basic Rifle equipment and plan to bring the following:

• at least four (4) magazines for your rifle/carbine
• two (2) mag pouches to hold your spare rifle magazines (chest rig or gun belt)
• sling for your rifle (a 2-point adjustable sling is recommended although a 1-point sling will work fine if that is your preference; the US GI sling is probably not ideal for this event)

If you have any questions concerning the suitability of your rifle/carbine for this course, please contact the Event Director.

Pistol Requirements: Pistols should be of a modern, drop safe design. The following are a good set of guidelines for an appropriate pistol for this event:

• a medium-frame or large-frame pistol (e.g., Glock 19/Glock 17 or similar)
• make sure your pistol is in good working order; if in doubt, have it checked by a qualified gunsmith or armorer. A pistol that malfunctions constantly will get you plenty of practice addressing malfunctions but not much practice with the drills
  leave the brand new pistol you bought the day before the event at home

Older single action pistols manufactured before the 1980s and lacking a transfer bar safety are the most common type of pistol that lack drop safe design features, as do some military surplus imports from Eastern bloc countries and Taurus PT-series pistols not fixed during an international safety recall in 2015. These pistols may discharge if dropped and pose a potential safety hazard to our volunteers and students, and are not permitted. If you have concerns about the safety features of your pistol you should have it inspected by an armorer or gunsmith before class.

If you have any questions concerning the suitability of your pistol for this course, please contact the Event Director.

Required Pistol Equipment: Please review our suggestions on appropriate Defensive Pistol equipment and plan to bring the following:

• magazines or speed loaders: bring at least THREE (more is better, especially if you are using a pistol with a capacity of less than 10 rounds)
• holster: a strong side holster that does not collapse when your pistol is drawn (no appendix, ankle, shoulder or small-of-back holsters). Either IWB (“inside the waistband”) or OWB (“outside the waistband”) are fine, but the holster you intend to use for concealed carry would be preferred. An OWB holster is often easier to use if you have never drawn from a holster before but will still allow you to participate fully in the drills we will conduct. The crucial aspect is that your holster MUST hold your firearm securely without letting it move around on your hip; this will necessitate a holster that attaches at TWO POINTS to your gun belt; your holster should have sufficient retention to keep your firearm secure if you are rolling around on the ground.
• gun belt: you will have your pistol on your hip for the entire day. It will seem heavier as the day goes on and a good, sturdy gun belt will minimize that feeling. A standard belt isn’t going to cut it here; spend a couple of dollars on a quality gun belt if you don’t already have one.
• two (2) mag pouches to hold your spare pistol magazines

Shotgun Requirements: semi-automatic or pump-action. If you have any questions concerning the suitability of your shotgun for this course, please contact the Event Director.

Loaner Firearms: loaner firearms suitable for use at this event are generally available but limited. Please contact the Event Director prior to the event if you would like to request a loaner firearm.

Skills Contests: several skills contests will be run at this event:

• Sand Dummy Drag
  • drag a 150 lb sand dummy approximately 200 yards during which you will be required to stop and perform buddy aid
  • complete sand dummy drag, drop rucksack
  • engage paper targets with a pistol from various positions/angles
  • engage 10 steel targets with a rifle and 10 rounds (1 point per hit)
  • scoring via hits and overall elapsed time
• Pistol Pick Up
  • from a table of 5 different pistols, pick up each and fire two rounds on paper targets (one sighter plus one additional shot)
  • scoring via closest to the bullseye on all five targets
• Battlefield Pick Up
  • pick up a random rifle from a table
  • engage steel targets with two rounds
  • scoring via combined hit and overall elapsed time
• Additional “surprise” skills contests

Entries into the Skills Contests will be available for purchase at the event; see the 2026 Marty Brown Memorial Open™ Defensive Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun Swag Bags, Give Aways, Prizes, Auctions page for prize list.

Additional Event Information

Spectators are welcome but will be asked to remain a safe distance from the firing line (ear protection is required for all spectators; eye protection is optional).

Your ticket price includes range fees and lunch.

Event Sponsors