Posted: 4/11/2010 8:36:37 AM EDT
I'm considering trying out the 3 Gun events but I'm not sure what type of Shotgun to use since I don't own one. I have an AR and another AR in the early stages of a build. I also have several pistols in 9mm and 40 S&W. But nothing in the way of a shotgun and don't know alot about them like I do the AR's and AK's. I've done some looking on the internet but haven't come with an answer yet. Any help and recommendations would be greatly appreciated from the HTF .
James |
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Just about any auto loading shotgun that will RUN and hold 9 rounds is good.
That is the key to shotgun shooting is that you have to be able to load em fast, and they have to run. If they wont run you might as well have a club. Im running a Mossberg 930, a lot of guys like the Benelli M1's and M2's, some guys are running the winchester SX2 or 3 I cant remember what it is, some guys run Remingtons. Right now there is a Remington 1100 for sale by one of the local guys thats never been fired ... I think he only wants 650 for it. |
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Just about any auto loading shotgun that will RUN and hold 9 rounds is good. That is the key to shotgun shooting is that you have to be able to load em fast, and they have to run. If they wont run you might as well have a club. Im running a Mossberg 930, a lot of guys like the Benelli M1's and M2's, some guys are running the winchester SX2 or 3 I cant remember what it is, some guys run Remingtons. Right now there is a Remington 1100 for sale by one of the local guys thats never been fired ... I think he only wants 650 for it. I still can't believe I haven't gotten any bites at that price :/ |
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Some people like the FN SLP, others like the Benelli M4. Can't go wrong with either. -Mike Whoa! Those cost as much as one of my ARs, heck maybe even a little more. Looks like I'm going to have to save up a little before getting into the 3 Gun ring. Anyone know if there's a good 20 autoloader out there that won't cost me the price of a new AR? |
| the M4 is not a good choice for a 3 gun shotgun. The Benelli M1 and M2's Super 90'srule the roost. the runner up is the FN SLP MkI platform which is basically the Winchester SX2 and SX3. I currently run a winchester SX3 but ran a Benelli M1S90 for about 2 years with great results. Key factores like Outsy said....it must run all the time.....and YOU must be able to feed it as fast as you possibly can. |
| I just got through watching some 3 Gun at Fort Benning from December. That looks like a real blast. Almost reminds me of the days back in the Army doing our Fire and Manuver training except with pistols and shotgun. What's Creeksides 3 gun like and when is the next one? |
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The Benelli M1 and M2's Super 90'srule the roost. I've been looking at an M2 real close lately. Is the factory bbl with a +2 tube good to go or do you recommend a longer bbl ? ETA: The one I've been eying is the M2 tactical....bbl just seemed too short to fit the bill for 3 gun application. |
| The best barrel to get for the Benelli to use in 3 Gun is the 21" vent rib. Not easy to find but an awesome shotty. Couple that with the Nordic +5 extension tube and you have an 8+1+1 tactical shotgun. The tactical barrels really are not optimal for 3 gun but they will work. 21-22" is the best barrel length for the game and it serves well for bird hunting and home defense use. The +5 Nordic Components extension will be flush with the end of the barrel. And the extra plus one is for the ghost load. A cool feature in the Benelli when modded. |
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Does it make a diff if it's a 12 guage or 20 gauge? NOPE ..... 20gauge is just as effective and considdered major power factor. I use a Mossberg 500 20 gauge with a 18.5 barrel/cyl bore/flash hider compensator. With the flash hider compensator and running 20 gauge 3/4 shells with 1 oz. of #6 shot it has the recoil of an AR and stays on target with littel muzzel rise. This the leased $$. Mike |
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I too have been eyeing the Benelli's lately. Saw a used M1S90 and M2 locally for $700 -$800 iirc, had the 24" and 26" barrells though. I think I'd prefer the shorter 21" so it would be more home defense friendly. I will probably hold out until I have the funds for that. Ideally I'd like to purchase the pistol grip stock as well.
If I did get the longer 24" barrel w/ a longer magazine tube than the 21" barrel, will it put you in a different class for USPSA? |
| You can only run a max of 9 rounds to stay out of Open class ..... You can do a longer tube but just plug it so it only holds 8.... Tod has suggested if you get a tube that would hold 9 rounds to take a spent shell and slide it over the spring then into the tube ..... it would then allow only 8 in the tube. |
| Army85, I think your getting bad advice. Not saying that anything said before is wrong it just isn't great for someone getting started. I have no idea what your budget is or what you want to get out of 3 gun. But if you are letting the fact that you don't have a top of the line shotgun prevent you from coming out and giving it a try, your missing out on a lot of fun. Just go out to a match, Riverbend or Creekside depending on where you live and someone will let you shoot with their shotgun. You can always upgrade later. Oh, and when you see several of those top of the lines guns not work, hear people complaining about finicky ammo, you may just stick with old reliable! |
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Quoted: Hey! I said something like that! Army85, I think your getting bad advice. Not saying that anything said before is wrong it just isn't great for someone getting started. I have no idea what your budget is or what you want to get out of 3 gun. But if you are letting the fact that you don't have a top of the line shotgun prevent you from coming out and giving it a try, your missing out on a lot of fun. Just go out to a match, Riverbend or Creekside depending on where you live and someone will let you shoot with their shotgun. You can always upgrade later. Oh, and when you see several of those top of the lines guns not work, hear people complaining about finicky ammo, you may just stick with old reliable!  ANOTHER idea is just make friends with someone who has a shotgun and go with them to the match. That's even cheaper and let's you know what you like. |
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Army85, I think your getting bad advice. Not saying that anything said before is wrong it just isn't great for someone getting started. I have no idea what your budget is or what you want to get out of 3 gun. But if you are letting the fact that you don't have a top of the line shotgun prevent you from coming out and giving it a try, your missing out on a lot of fun. Just go out to a match, Riverbend or Creekside depending on where you live and someone will let you shoot with their shotgun. You can always upgrade later. Oh, and when you see several of those top of the lines guns not work, hear people complaining about finicky ammo, you may just stick with old reliable! This is probably the truest statement here. There is no one that I shoot with who would not lend out their shotgun to you to try out. Think about how much money you could save by being able to test drive the gun before you buy one. |
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Army85, I think your getting bad advice. Not saying that anything said before is wrong it just isn't great for someone getting started. I have no idea what your budget is or what you want to get out of 3 gun. But if you are letting the fact that you don't have a top of the line shotgun prevent you from coming out and giving it a try, your missing out on a lot of fun. Just go out to a match, Riverbend or Creekside depending on where you live and someone will let you shoot with their shotgun. You can always upgrade later. Oh, and when you see several of those top of the lines guns not work, hear people complaining about finicky ammo, you may just stick with old reliable! I appreciate all the advice. I have definately seen I've been missing out on a lot of fun. I was just looking to get an idea on where to start in regards to purchasing a shotgun that would be suitable for the 3 gun since I don't own a shotgun at the moment. What I was hoping to find out was if a pump action would work or if a Semi was a must and if a 12 gauge was preferred or a 20 gauge would work just starting out. I'm looking foward to getting my feet wet at some of the matches at Creekside. |
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Get a used 870 or moss 500, pratice reloads and you'll beat or be just as competitive at the local level. Most important bring what you have and borrow gear if need be and find out what works for you. How hard is it to add an extension to the moss 500? Short of buying a new barrel, an extension cannot be added to a 500 due to the design. see pics here 
Mossberg 500 pictured on the top, 590 on bottom. The barrel ring (or whatever the correct term is) blocks the path of an extension. It does not go around the magazine tube. |
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Army85, I think your getting bad advice. Not saying that anything said before is wrong it just isn't great for someone getting started. I have no idea what your budget is or what you want to get out of 3 gun. But if you are letting the fact that you don't have a top of the line shotgun prevent you from coming out and giving it a try, your missing out on a lot of fun. Just go out to a match, Riverbend or Creekside depending on where you live and someone will let you shoot with their shotgun. You can always upgrade later. Oh, and when you see several of those top of the lines guns not work, hear people complaining about finicky ammo, you may just stick with old reliable! I appreciate all the advice. I have definately seen I've been missing out on a lot of fun. I was just looking to get an idea on where to start in regards to purchasing a shotgun that would be suitable for the 3 gun since I don't own a shotgun at the moment. What I was hoping to find out was if a pump action would work or if a Semi was a must and if a 12 gauge was preferred or a 20 gauge would work just starting out. I'm looking foward to getting my feet wet at some of the matches at Creekside. A pump will work and certainly get you shooting matches. Best thing to do... like Zarboe said, borrow a shotgun for your first match or at least get some trigger time with different models (pump and semi) before you buy. Pump vs semi is kinda like the 9mm vs. 45 debate.... you can read articles/ debates on them for days on end, but you just have to try it out for yourself and see what works for you and your budget. I just shot my Mossberg 500 at the South River 3 gun last month. Mine is limited to 5+1 although all 500's are not. Would I have been faster with a semi? Sure, but I think being limited to 5+1 was more of a hindrance than having a pump. Starting off with less rounds in the gun, plus having to stop and reload more often definitely hurts times. I have been shooting a pump since I was a kid, but have wanted a semi for a long time. After taking the shotgun class USSA-1 and 00bullit put on in January, I definitely saw the advantages of a semi. Pretty sure the pumps had more malfunctions during the class than the semi's too  . After shooting that 3 gun at south river, the advantages of a semi w/ an extension tube were even more apparent to me... hence, why I'm saving for a Benelli.
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Rem 100's are great in 12 oe 20 here is a couple links for under $400
http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=524924&highlight=1100 http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=524162&highlight=1100 I started shooting IPSC with the 12, then after a few incidents right shoulder went gimp and had to downsize to a 20 but with Eotech and self made 11 round tube and large tact latch it runs like a corvette and the 20's will do anything a 12 will do, got the gun at Wally World for $399, addedc about $200 in time & for the old style Eotech the original Bushnell Holosight, $100 off a used gun at local pawnshop. The Bushnlees are longer and take "N" batteries but you get the same excat sight picture as todays $5-600 Eotech's. Not right shoulder has been replaced so 20 is still going strong just me learning to use weak side is a bit slowing till I get used to it, right side ain't bionic and even a 223 takes extra recoil pad or no shooty from righty. 
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