Hey guys I'm new to the 3 gun world and I'm starting a custom build that I plan on shooting for 3 gun. Right now I have a base model DMPS AR15 with a 16 inch barrel and the standard DPMS gas block. It's my first AR also and it's brand new (yesterday 4/6/14). I was able to get a good deal with a quad rail and a houge pistol grip.

I'm wanting to do the following things but I need some help/advice on what to do.
Free floating full rail
Magpul Stock (solid 1 piece rifle stock)
Low profile gas block
Mag pul sights
Charging handle, full bolt from black rain
Black rain 3lb trigger
Combat sight or scope.

It will be a slow build but those are the things I want to do to my rifle. Any and a help is appreciated!
Thanks guys!

Don't do any of that. Just go shoot it for a while and then figure it out later.

Spend that money on ammo then figure out what you need, equipment doesn't make a better shooter !

If I had your set up and were tailoring it to a 3 gun rifle, I would:

12-15" free float rail like the Samson or Rainier Evo series (easy to install and decent price)
Comp like the battle comp, Grifin M4-SD, or Spikes Dynacomp (will soften recoil and make for faster follow up shots)
Gieselle G2S or SSA trigger
1-4x scope and GOOD mount like the LaRue or ADM
Stock of your choice with a H or H2 buffer

 

3 GUN
get a round ff tube (dpms) rifle length
A1 stock length (I would go adjustable magpul)
Jerry comp
jp trigger (or sim quailty)
a true 1x-4 or 1x-6 scope in a RRA mount.

Will save you thousands on gear and will not hold you back.

Excellent advice.

I am lazy....

bought 3 G upper from Stag.

stripped 3 lower

SSA

Mtac

A2 stock

magpul grip.

This for sure. No two stage triggers in 3 gun, the JP is the way to go. Either the jerry comp or the sjc (the jerry costs less and IMO just as good). Full rail setups just weigh more and you dont need many accessories.

If you're in or around Tulsa go see the guys at Fat Boy Tactical. They will have everything that you might want to consider in stock. It always helps me to be able to put my hands on parts before I buy. Oh, and a CMC trigger is a good choice.

I was able to get about 300 plus rounds when ever i bought the rifle. I'm going to put at least 100 rounds through it before i buy any type of upgrades for it minus a different set of iron sights

Ill try and find it this weekend. I am a Tulsa Local and I'm going shooting Easter afternoon as long as a range is open

agreed, shoot it then add a good optic.  If you want to free float and add a quality trigger, easy to do down the road.

How do the timney, Geissele, ALG and CMC compare to one another. I'm looking for a nice 3 lbs drop in trigger, i can take it to a buddy of mine who is a gun smith if it requires a little bit of install that i can't handle

Since you are new to the AR, your money would be better spent right now in learning the system, that means ammo, and magazines, a sighting system because it sounds like your rifle is what as billed as optics ready, the Weaver 1x3 is a good place to start if money is tight, if not then there are lots of options and a trigger upgrade though not essential will make it easier to advance your skill level.  I would advise against any other mods until you have shot the rifle enough to decide what you need to change for your style, it is easy to spend a bunch of money for something that in 2 weeks you decide you doesn't work for you.  Go slow use the crawl, walk, then run philosophy of training, have a training plan each time you shoot otherwise you are just burning ammo which is fun but not necessarily productive, whatever the skill remember that speed is nothing more than efficiency of motion so do it by the numbers until you build muscle memory and then the speed will come.  Good luck and enjoy your rifle.

I just put an sjc titan compensator on my build. I would highly recommend it. Even if your choice at first is between a trigger and a comp I would hands down go with a good quality comp. I have the sjc but the rolling thunder and Jerry comp are very good also.
my build

I recently shot my first 3 gun
I used a 14.5" mid Spikes AR , magpul furniture ( no free float tube ) this rifle has a 1-4 Burris XTR.
Before the event , I was convinced I needed an upper geared towards 3 gun , but I did pretty well on the rifle stages with my setup including an all rifle stage with steel plates at 150 yards. I shot better than a few people on my squad that had much more expensive AR "3 gun" set ups.

After the event , I am going to spend my extra money on better gear ( holster system , mag carriers )  
Shotgun oriented stages gave me an important lesson - you must be able to reload your shotgun quickly , plus have a gun that holds 8-10 shells in the tube.  I was using my 25 year old Mossberg 500 pump that held only 5 shells.

You might want to look into the Mossberg upgrade kit Brownells sells, it has a tube that replaces your existing one that holds 8 rnds, and comes with a 18.5" barrel, comes with a few other odds and ends. I got mine for $149.00 with 10% off and free shipping on black friday last year

Sunday:  I'm a 3-gun wannabe too, and I've been lurking at brianenos.com for a while to pick up on what other competitors are using.  Based on what I've learned, here are a few comments for your parts list:  

Magpul makes an excellent fixed stock.  Most 3G competitors use rifle-length stock/extension/buffer/springs.  They seem to prefer longer FF handguards and 18" barrels with rifle gas.  If you compete with a scope, you won't need backup iron sights, there isn't time to switch during a stage.  The best scopes are 1-4x and 1-6x variables with true 1x power at the low end.  Vortex Razor scopes are preferred.  Check out the new Hiperfire 24C trigger, I have one on my 5.56 rifle which I'm getting ready for 3G, its optimized for fast double taps and in a class by itself.  good luck - CW

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showforum=48

http://www.hiperfire.com/hipertouch24.html

Best advice given so far. Your goal should be to spend as little as possible before going to your first match. You will learn more in a few hours at that match, than you will spending a month surfing the web. Trouble with internet advice is you never know who it's coming from. Even in this thread there has been both good and questionable advice. Has the person giving the advice just started shooting 3-gun themselves, a club level shooter or a veteran shooter that attends several major matches a year. If you are not an experienced shooter you won't be able to tell by their posts alone. To get the best advise possible I would say re-start this thread on the the 3 Gun Nation Sub-Forum or on the Enos forum.

Here is what my advice is. Get ahold of someone involved in 3-gun at your local club. Explain to them you are new and want to get into the game. Here's the thing about most 3-gunners.....most of them are damn good folks that will go out of their way to promote the sport, and are always willing to help out the new guy. We want you to be successful and to enjoy your first match. Most will even help you out with loaner gear.

After that first match you will have a way better idea on what and where you need to spend money. It might not even be on your rifle at all. You might find your shotgun, or pistol, or most likely your shotgun loading is holding you back way more than your rifle.

The one thing you will need is some type of optic and that will depend on what division you want to shoot. In Tac-limited you will want some sort of 1X optic or red-dot. The Leupold Prismatic is probably the most popular, but any quality red-dot sight will work. look for one with a smaller dot size. In tac optics you will want a low power variable scope that starts at a true 1X. Don't do like so many others before you have done and go with like a 2-7X scope thinking that the extra power on the top end will out weight the benefits of having a true 1X, cuz it won't and a month down the road you will be shopping for a new scope. Most will say the best is the Swarvoski Z6i, but it's about $2300, The Vortex Razor HD 1-6 is a great optic for about $1k less. These are both very serious optics and way over the top of what you need to get started. IMHO the best bang for the buck optic is the Burris MTAC or Tac30 1-4X, they can be found for less than $300.

Good luck on getting started in the most awesome shooting sport out there.

I agree.  If you already have an AR, shoot it as is for at least a few matches.  See what other guys are using, and take your time figuring out what you want.  You won't be held back by your equipment for a while, so by the time your skill level catches up to your equipment you'll know what you want and you'll have the cash saved up for it.


 

Thanks for all the input guys! I will shoot the gun for sure before I do anything to it. I just know from my experience shooting that triggers wig creep in them before they fire are not my thing. Unless it's like my SKS where I can pull the trigger all the way back and hold it before it engages because of the trigger lbs I don't shoot well with them. I plan on putting a few hundred rounds through it before I buy the trigger. The first thing I buy will be a new set of iron sights, because I want a different style than what came with it. I may be new to the AR world but not the shooting or Assault rifle world.

The input has for sure been a big help. Keep it coming, the more the marrier

What I have looked at doing is an Eotech Holographic with a flip over magnifier for tonight around 1 large, would that be a good way to start? I want more of a true combat optic than a hunting style scope. I've even thought of like the aim point 4x32 acog style optic with the iron sights on top. Are either of those good ways to go? Those will both be a few hundred rounds away but since I'm on a budget I would like to have a rough idea of how much I will need to spend on optics. Also ammo won't be a huge deal, I have a Hornady progressive reloaded coming in and I will be making custom loads for my rifle.(yes I do know what I'm doing, I've done several thousands rounds on a single stage)

A 1-4 or 1-6 scope is better suited to 3 gun than a red dot with magnifier.  You won't see too many people running magnifiers - typically if they are using a dot they'll use it unmagnified in Limited class.

Okay. is there a brand you recommend?

I agree with Shooter115, the Burris MTAC and TAC30 are pretty good for the money.  I have the TAC30.



You can certainly spend more, but to be honest it's not like you need super clear glass for 3 gun.  Forgiving eye relief and a good reticle are more important.

+1 to what shooter112 said:  "In tac optics you will want a low power variable scope that starts at a true 1X. Don't do like so many others before you have done and go with like a 2-7X scope thinking that the extra power on the top end will out weight the benefits of having a true 1X, cuz it won't and a month down the road you will be shopping for a new scope. Most will say the best is the Swarvoski Z6i, but it's about $2300, The Vortex Razor HD 1-6 is a great optic for about $1k less. These are both very serious optics and way over the top of what you need to get started. IMHO the best bang for the buck optic is the Burris MTAC or Tac30 1-4X, they can be found for less than $300". - CW

Really good deal on an MTAC here.  Can't make it hot from my potatophone.

I will take a look at the options you guys have said. i know first after shooting it for the first time today the first thing that has to be done is a new set of low profile iron sights. the stock sights that come with my DPMS absolutely suck. do any of you guys have the magpul? or another brand similar style that you like?

Magpul's MBUS folding sights are excellent.  One of my rifles has Daniel Defense detachable iron sights, very nicely made, rugged and light, but they don't fold. - CW

Okay I've shot it several times and I'm ready to start throwing my upgrades on my AR. I'm having problems deciding which rail system i should go with. I've talked personally with 3 gun shooters and they all say the samson with just the top rail. since I'm wanting to do more than 3 gun with my rifle I'm leaning towards a quad rail like the ones troy makes. if anyone has any suggestions i will gladly listen!