New to 3 gun this year.  Understanding that requirements may vary based on the competition, but what would the required "basic standard load" of rifle, pistol, and shotgun mags/rounds be for someone getting started?

Current setup would be a Glock, JP rifle, and Versamax with 4 shell caddies.

Thanks for the help

4 or 5 pistol mags and belt pouchs or magazine holder for them.
1 Ar mag pouch or holder, you can always stick an extra mag in you back pocket.
if you already have some shotshell caddies your ahead of the game, fill you pockets or have a side saddle too.

Thanks for the reply.

How many 4 Rd shell caddies are typically needed?

I typically run 2 Glock mags on belt (17 rd), one in pistol (17 rd). One day I will get some extensions....
Then I carry 1 AR mag on belt (30 rd), one in gun (40 rd).
I also carry a dual quad load shotshell holder. I have had to borrow a L2/6 for one stage, but we run small shotgun stages around here....although they are growing.

Anything above that is gravy and keeps you from having to reload or allows you to replace a bad mag or something.

I think you are already on the right track with what you have. make sure you can fit at least 8+1 in the shotgun or 10/12+1. The more it holds the be more flexible you can be with the timing of your reloads.

Good luck and have fun!

2 or 3 of the 4 shell holders should do you well for a while. Look into Load 2's or quads before you invest too much into shotshell holders. Dueces and quads are much faster to get good at for a beginner.

Would probably vary by the matches you shoot at, but here you need to carry no more than 2 handgun mags, 1 rifle mag, and 12 shells on your belt.  Second the notion that you might want to jump into the Load 4 technique from the start.  

Good rule of thumb is to have enough ammo on ur belt to complete the stage. Anything in the gun is added bonus. I've gone a long time with just 16 shotshells on my belt.  If there's a jungle run or a long stage someone will have a chest rig u can borrow.  Just be friendly.

3 rifle and 3 pistol mags will be plenty.

Have a good zero on your rifle.  Don't just zero at 50 and expect to be good at 200.  Zero at 200 (with most optics), and check your hits out at 3-400 and 5-600 if you can get that far.


Ideally your shotgun will hold at least 9 rounds.  Mine has a tube that holds 12 just to simplify loading plans right from the buzzer but 9 is enough.  Every once in a while you will come across a big shotgun stage that will need 40+ rounds but those are not an every match occurrence and someone will lend you a spare caddy or two if you need it.  Check out the quad load caddies and/or vests from Invictus Practical, Carbon Arms, Taccom, etc.  Most of the time 9 in the gun and 20-24 in caddies is more than plenty.

It is helpful to have a couple of extended mags for your pistol but not necessary.  1 or 2 TTI basepads are nice but you do not NEED them.


Practice.  Practice offhand rifle to 50-75, practice hitting little targets with your handgun, practice NOT MISSING with your shotgun and practice loading your shotgun.  Get some dummy rounds and you can practice loading your shotgun in your living room.  

2 pistol mag carriers is almost always enough.  1 rifle mag carrier is plenty and honestly a back pocket won't slow you down much on rifle reloads.


Get a decent optic.  You don't have to break the bank but you don't want your optic taking a crap on you.  In my opinion, reticle design is just as important as glass quality and reliable zero.  There are some decent scopes out there that are total deal-breakers for me because the reticle is so bad.  The Burris XTR II 1-5x is a great value.  I have a Vortex Razor and it is superb but a decent chunk of change.  If your optics budget is big a lot of guys swear by Swarovski and Kahles and they are fabulous optics.  I just got a Steiner T5Xi for another rifle and with about half an hour of trigger time it appears to be very good but it needs a lot more vetting before I will know for sure.