How to get started in 3 gun?

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  • erwos

    The Hebrew Hammer
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 25, 2009
    13,866
    Rockville, MD
    I totally understand the urge to be budget friendly when starting out. That said, a $400 shotgun just is not going to work for and you WILL end up regretting it. This is a fact and not my opinion. Personally, I subscribe to the buy once / cry one theory when it comes to firearms, but it is understood that not everyone is able to do that, nor do they want to when first starting out.

    That said, if you want to be budget friendly and still have a functioning shotgun, then shop for an Stoeger M3K
    This times a million. A couple hundred bucks more gets you the shotgun you really need for this sport. Plus, with the M3K, you can spend another five or six hundred bucks later and wind up with a shotgun that is entirely capable of winning in national matches.
     

    rbird7282

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 6, 2012
    18,531
    Columbia

    Bikebreath

    R.I.P.
    MDS Supporter
    Jun 30, 2009
    14,836
    in the bowels of Baltimore
    Just posted yesterday on the York Pistol blog:

    Saturday, October 24th we will be hosting another Fun Shoot.

    There will be 5 stages with 20-30 pieces of steel on each. There will be no timers. You will not need a holster. You may use either if you like. This is a laid back event and you can do just about anything you like as long as you're safe. You can shoot any standard caliber handgun or carbine (no magnums or anything faster than 1300 fps). Shotguns are fine to use with low brass 7.5 or 8 shot. 22lr is OK. .300 BLK subsonic is ok. You can switch guns between stages, You can use two guns per stage (max). Two or more people can shoot as a team. On all 5 stages two people can shoot against each other if they want to. Just be safe. Kids and new shooters are welcome.

    All guns should be unloaded before entering the club grounds. Handguns will be carried without any magazine inserted in a holster, bag or case. Long guns will have chamber flags (which we have for sale) and in a cart, case or on a sling. Eye and ear protection is mandatory, at all times, even for spectators (which are welcome).

    The entry fee is $20 for 18 and over. $5 for under 18. There is no advance sign up. Just be there before 8:30 am if you want to shoot (after 8:30 if you want to be a spectator). We will do a match briefing at 8:45 and be shooting by 9:00 am.

    https://yorkpistol.blogspot.com/

    Fun with language...When it says, "You will not need a holster. You may use either if you like." Something that is not a holster is not something that can be a part of an "either." Grammar Nazi, out.
     

    JoeyBimmer

    Active Member
    Jul 22, 2020
    574
    Eldersburg MD
    So is .22lr banned from some 2 and 3 gun?

    I feel like you could have a .22 pistol, a .22 AR and with the low recoil of a .22 it would give the shooter an unfair advantage over others.
     

    MEGARMS

    KnowNothing
    Jun 3, 2012
    3,843
    Carroll County
    22lr does not meet the minimum power requirement for 3gun.

    Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk

    This is true, however we may find ourselves getting creative and bending the rules (at the AGC) if the ammo crisis doesn't end sooner than later. It is not something we really want to do as more than half of the 3 Gun targets are reactive and can not be activated by a a .22. That said, we have done this with our Falling Steel matches and just made it work.

    If you are interested in Action Shooting and only have access to 22 ammo, then I would recommend checking out our Falling Steel Matches. The next one is Saturday December 5th. These are normally full by now, however we have plenty of room because our email notification system is only delivering the registration message to about half of our subscribers. Check it out.

    https://practiscore.com/agc-falling-steel/register

    https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLN3-Iw3ctUi6VzMDoG85r2dWPxGpIdAzS
     

    davsco

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 21, 2010
    8,607
    Loudoun, VA

    Hoons

    Active Member
    May 15, 2019
    151
    For 3gun, how many around are you allowed to start with in the tube for shotgun? Wondering if I should buy the +4 or +5 extension.
     

    davsco

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 21, 2010
    8,607
    Loudoun, VA
    For 3gun, how many around are you allowed to start with in the tube for shotgun? Wondering if I should buy the +4 or +5 extension.

    most rulesets allow for 9 in the gun to start. some have longer tubes so you can throw in 2-4 more right after the beep. in open division of course no limit.
     

    MEGARMS

    KnowNothing
    Jun 3, 2012
    3,843
    Carroll County
    Is that 9 in the tube or 8 plus one in the chamber?

    You are going to want a tube that holds at least 9. That way you can preload your shotgun, step up to the line, and load one into your chamber.

    Take it from somebody who has spent thousands being a cheap bastard and then spent thousands more doing it right way the second time. You are going to want a tube that holds 12 rounds in it as well as a match saver. While you will still only start with 9 total in the gun (8 in tube, 1 in chamber + 1 bonus round on the match saver), you will be able to load and extra 4 rounds as soon as the buzzer goes off (1 + 12 + 1 = 14). This is will literally shave 3-4 seconds off of your time whenever a stage has more than 9/10 but less than 13/14 shotgun targets.

    I know that has the potential to be confusing. Just trust me on the buy once cry once and get a tube that will hold 12.
     

    erwos

    The Hebrew Hammer
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 25, 2009
    13,866
    Rockville, MD
    Mike is right about 12 being a good number. Probably need to pick up a +2 for my M3k Freedom Edition.

    ETA: Stoeger M3K Freedom is pretty reliable out of the box, and $500-$600 of work at MOA Precision turns it into a 100% competitive shotgun with anything else out there. I also think the Beretta 1301 Comp, when it goes on sale, is quite a deal, but will still require some work to open the loading port and so on.

    DO NOT BUY A JM PRO 930 OR 940. I don't care how good a deal you think it is, or how much you like Mossberg. Those things are not up to 3gun standards. Next time you're out, find the guy on your squad with the JMP, and watch how well that goes.
     

    GolfR

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 20, 2016
    1,324
    Columbia MD
    I wholeheartedly agree with a buy once cry once philosophy however I have probably bought 100 things 3 gun related thinking that I was the best solution available only to find out that it didn’t work for me. I need to have a 3 gun equipment and AR parts yard sale.

    The fact is that what’s best for one person may not be for another. I think the earlier advice is sound of come out to a match, shoot 2 gun if you don’t have a shotgun, and talk to people and see what options are out there. In any given match at AGC there is a pretty good representation of the different options. Many folks there will lend you a gun to try on a stage or two provided you have your own ammo or throw them some money for the shells.

    As you consider different equipment, you have to ask if you are someone that likes to tinker or someone that just wants to buy a gun and use it. For me, part of the fun in the game is trying to optimize equipment. This is probably one of my biggest competitive faults because as soon as I get a gun running really well, I mess with it.

    The reality is that provided you have a reasonable setup you can shave seconds off your match time with different equipment. With technique, practice, and experience you will shave minutes off your match times. So get out and shoot with what you have.
     

    MEGARMS

    KnowNothing
    Jun 3, 2012
    3,843
    Carroll County
    I wholeheartedly agree with a buy once cry once philosophy however I have probably bought 100 things 3 gun related thinking that I was the best solution available only to find out that it didn’t work for me. I need to have a 3 gun equipment and AR parts yard sale.

    The fact is that what’s best for one person may not be for another. I think the earlier advice is sound of come out to a match, shoot 2 gun if you don’t have a shotgun, and talk to people and see what options are out there. In any given match at AGC there is a pretty good representation of the different options. Many folks there will lend you a gun to try on a stage or two provided you have your own ammo or throw them some money for the shells.

    As you consider different equipment, you have to ask if you are someone that likes to tinker or someone that just wants to buy a gun and use it. For me, part of the fun in the game is trying to optimize equipment. This is probably one of my biggest competitive faults because as soon as I get a gun running really well, I mess with it.

    The reality is that provided you have a reasonable setup you can shave seconds off your match time with different equipment. With technique, practice, and experience you will shave minutes off your match times. So get out and shoot with what you have.


    Pay not attention to this guy. He is a freak of nature and could beat all of us with a sling shot and a handful of rocks.
     

    Hoons

    Active Member
    May 15, 2019
    151
    Thanks all for the advice. I just want to setup and run. Not tinker too much with it.
     

    erwos

    The Hebrew Hammer
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 25, 2009
    13,866
    Rockville, MD
    The fact is that what’s best for one person may not be for another.
    I agree with this, to an extent. What drives me crazy is when people advocate things because they have skills deficiencies and don't realize it or care.

    Some people don't practice, and cannot execute a quad or even twins load to save their lives. This does not mean that a bag full of shells is "better" than a big open port and a quad load, it just means the person is going to be better off with the bag full of shells. Even a twins load on a not-so-opened port is going to trash a shell at a time in terms of clock time.

    My hypothesis is that "performance=skill*equipment", where equipment is a number between 0-1, and your skill is some number > 1. Daniel Horner is always gonna beat the snot out of me because his skill is so high he could be running a High Point and a stock AK and he'd still have a higher performance number than me. But if I'm just 10-20 seconds behind someone, replacing a flash hider with a high efficiency comp to my rifle really could be the difference.

    Anyways, I don't mean to scare people off, bring what you got, you'll have fun. But if you're serious about trying to win, you're gonna bring the best gear you can afford, and dry-firing in between matches.
     

    Hoons

    Active Member
    May 15, 2019
    151
    I'm not trying to win, just have fun and getting tired of static range shooting
     

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