What are some good choices (CHEAP but effective) for getting into 2 or 3 gun?

WVGunman said:

What are some good choices (CHEAP but effective) for getting into 2 or 3 gun?

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Police trade in Glock 22s are available for $320+.

40-9mm conversion barrels available for $43+ https://www.bearcreekarsenal.com/bc...-9mm-conversion-barrel-stainless-steel-finish

WVGunman said:

what about calibers other than .223 and 9mm?

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If you compete, you will shoot a lot and 9mm will be most cost effective caliber.

Guns are cheap compared to ammunition.

If you want to shoot cheap, go with 9mm pistol and PCC.

Jerry Miculek uses M&Ps. Few are better than him.

As a beginner the advice is to use what you have. I’ve even heard people say just show up and folks will help you out.

So to start, yea any AR, a 9mm with a 17 round or larger mag and a shot gun are what you need.

I’m not a fan of Glocks so I got a full size M&P and some extra mags. I built an AR for 3 gun and documented it here. If I get time tomorrow I’ll see if I can find the link. And I’ve used a borrowed semi auto shot gun and it’s my next purchase.

Don’t go crazy on gear. Just go have fun and get started. Then you’ll figure what you need!

Not a 3 gunner, (yet, ) but experienced cowboy action shooter. Don't go nuts with gear. It's really hard to know what you want before you've shot some matches. It's the great catch 22 of competition shooting. Try it out with whatever you can. Talk to people, try their gear, get advice on what to pick, and how to set it up.

I think you are on the right track with the AR. Ruger and Smith and Wesson make some very good entry level ARs. As far as polymer framed 9mm there are so many choices on the market under $500. Find one that fits your hand well and you are comfortable shooting. Heck you can even go to a local range and test fire several. Don't get caught up in what other people are shooting. Find some basic entry level guns and go have fun. If you find you are really enjoying it then you can upgrade in the future.

Canik TP9 series pistol. You can get them for around $300.

As long as they run reliably one can pick from lots of equipment that can win.

I wouldn’t dump a lot of money before ever going to a match. In fact, I’d suggest going to a couple and just watch, talk to the folks and help tape and such, you will gain more insight in a few hours than a few days reading reply’s on forums.

One reason being that “3 gun” is kind of like saying “action pistol shooting”, not all the games are the same, different rules and such may make some purchases wasted money if the version you intend to shoot doesn’t allow that equipment.

WVGunman said:

It seems that AR and Glock clones are pretty much ruling the roost in these competitions.

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Glocks and other striker-fired plastic guns are more popular in 3gun stuff for two reasons: 1) guns sometimes get tossed in barrels and holstered on the clock - they're going to get beat up, so people who use nicer race guns in other shooting games will sometimes downgrade for 3gun because few people want to chew up their $3500 Atlas; 2) relatedly, since guns get put down and must be "safe" when they are put down, there is effectively a rules subsidy to guns that don't have an external safety. Nothing to flick on, nothing to get flicked off when you put it down on the run. Just a(n allegedly) "safe action" trigger.

This makes Glock a suitable choice. S&W M&P's and Sig P320's and the Walthers would also be suitable choices.

All that said, 3gun is generally regarded as the most expensive of the action shooting games. Heavy on gear and ammo requirements. If a Glock is straining your budget, you may end up being less frustrated in one of the single-gun games.

2) relatedly, since guns get put down and must be "safe" when they are put down, there is effectively a rules subsidy to guns that don't have an external safety. Nothing to flick on, nothing to get flicked off...

All that said, 3gun is generally regarded as the most expensive of the action shooting games.

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and a safety flicked off is a DQ as in, you don’t get to finish and are out of the match.

I think SASS shooting is the most expensive though, with two pistols, rifle and shotgun needed. Not to mention you even have to buy outfits

jmorris said:

I think SASS shooting is the most expensive though, with two pistols, rifle and shotgun needed. Not to mention you even have to buy outfits

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I don't know. Most 3gun is going to have at least one optic (unless you're shooting some weird "he man" type division with an M1A chewing through expensive ammo) on the rifle, which may cost about as much as a used Vaquero or a cheap double-barreled shotgun. And you're probably going to spend $1k getting the shotgun to run and load fast and hold a competitive number of shells. As for outfits - hey, them Techwear jerseys and 5.11's ain't free!

In the end, it's not surprising that the sports requiring multiple guns tend to be multiple times as expensive as the single-gun games!

As for outfits - hey, them Techwear jerseys and 5.11's ain't free!

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They are if your fast enough, can even make you money to put them on.

I shoot 3Gun (used to shoot CAS)..costs are about a wash. The costume & 2nd SAA make up for the optic and mags in 3Gun.

You will spend more on ammo in a 3gun match, just due to the increased number of targets and occasional slugs. CAS was normally 10rds pistol, 10rds carbine and somewhere around 6rds for shotgun on an average stage. 3gun stages are almost double that.

As some of the guys said, IF cost is a major concern you might want to rethink 3Gun. While the accuracy requirements aren't too extreme, reliability is, so you can't go too cheap on anything. PCC class would let you skip a gun, but you could be 'sad" on the long tgts.

TAC Optics is where the majority of shooters are; irons on pistol and shotgun 1 optic on carbine. Most guys are running a low power variable on their AR due to the tgt distances (3' to 300yds at my club), so a "cheap AR15" is going to be in the $800 range. A Stoeger M3K is a good starter shotgun and that's about $600 or so. Add to that a pistol, belt holster mag carriers, shotgun ammo carrier and I'd estimate a "inexpensive" 3Gun set up would be around 2K.

If you have any .223 semi auto rifle, any service pistol, and any repeating shotgun you can compete right now. You’re not going to win anyway so you may as well go have fun and improve your skills. I’ve shot with guys running their 5-shot pump pheasant or turkey guns, Browning A5s, etc. one of the coolest guys was a cop and he was shooting his duty loadout and he could run his Remington 870 and load from his side-saddle like a BOSS.

if you want to be semi-competitive or get serious about winning, yes it’s a bit of pay-to-play. Primarily getting a good shotgun set up for loading twins or quads. But if you can get your hits and you know your equipment you can get near to the top of the finishers with standard rifle and pistol setups.

I’ve shot with a lot of people shooting $4K pistols, $2K shotguns, $3K rifle/optics, and top of the line gear who couldn’t shoot worth a damn. And I’ve finished ahead of them running an M1 Garand and loading my pump Mossberg from a dump pouch.

I'm definitely not a national or even state level competitor. But neither will you be when you get started. Go have fun and learn.

You don't have to spend an arm and a leg. As far as ARs go, pick one. Smith, PSA, whatever. Most reputable manufacturers, sellers can put together an AR that will run for about $500. Just don't forget about the scope. Something along the lines of a 1-3X or 1-6X for the longer shots. I have a little Weaver 1-3X with a 1" tube that I picked up for around $150 and that is one killer little scope for what it is. If you can spend a bit more, the Vortex Strike Eagle is a nice piece of glass. As are offerings by Bushnell, Weaver again, Sightron, etc.

As for the pistol. I just got back into Glock with the 48, but before the 48 came out, I was carrying a Kahr and the M&P was my favorite go fast pistol. Relatively cheap, decent trigger, mags everywhere and really fit the hand well.

Can't comment on the shotgun. My last one that I liked was a Remington 1100 and I haven't seen one of those in a long time. The market sure has changed since I played the game.

If you are going to shoot competition, the gun won’t be your main expense, the ammo will. Buy a decent gun that will last and worry more about funding the bullets!

Buzznrose said:

If you are going to shoot competition, the gun won’t be your main expense, the ammo will. Buy a decent gun that will last and worry more about funding the bullets!

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This is the absolute truth. To excel, practice is key and if you aren’t reloading, you’ll either have to have LOTS of disposable income for ammo or have been touched by the hand of God with talent.

Find something in each category that spits bullets reliably and then figure on feeding them.

I was so poor when I first started that I shot my first steel match with a Glock that had a scope mount attached to the dust cover with screws and a holster made of duct tape. You should have seen some of the looks that I got. Lol

Glock 34 with a magwell and Warren Tactical sights. Yeah, 3 gun beats up your gear. You'll see more than a few 2011 shooters using a fullsize version of their CCW, not their 2011 racegun from USPSA.

DAA belt. Buy once, cry once.

Larue AR.
https://www.larue.com/products/larue-ultimate-ar-15-upper-kit/
I just use a 1x Eotech. Not many long range 3 gun matches at the local club level. Most of the time I use my .300 blk carbine. If it matters I might put my cheap Vortex 1-8x optic on. But I'm not about to rush out and buy a new $1800 optic for one match a year, that I could just skip.

Mossberg 930 JM Pro. Just don't forget to bevel the ends of the recoil spring.

On a budget:

Police trade in G17 if you can find one. Lots of 40S&W guns out there right now, you don't want that because the ammo savings of 9mm will pay for the discrepancy if you must go with a new 9mm if you can't find a used one.

Inexpensive AR-15 from Ruger or S&W. Get a 16" midlength for now, very versatile, available and inexpensive. Optic of your choice. The Vortex PST Gen2 1-6 is a good choice. Don't be afraid to buy quality optics on the used market. You can save a lot if you have patience. Don't waste money on BUIS for a game gun. Upgrade the trigger if you want and can afford it.

Stoeger M3000. Port job from Steve Rose at Rose Action Sport. Add a tube from Nordic or Taccom, and you are ready to rock and roll.


Holster with retention. Drop a loaded handgun, going home. Draw speed matters VERY LITTLE in 3-gun. You want retention. All kinds of scenarios where your pistol can hit the ground because of props, movement, sling snagging it, etc. I like the Safariland ALS and GLS.

Solid belt like a DAA.

Wait until you have shot a match to buy shotshell caddies. Tell guys you are new, ask if you can try their stuff to decide what you want to buy.

jmorris said:

and a safety flicked off is a DQ as in, you don’t get to finish and are out of the match.

I think SASS shooting is the most expensive though, with two pistols, rifle and shotgun needed. Not to mention you even have to buy outfits

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I guess you are only meaning metallic; because I can name some shotgun competitions that are WAY more expensive - box pigeons and ZZ birds are the first two that come to mind