Shotgun for 3 gun matches

[hueycrew]

I've never owned a shotgun and only fired one a few times. At an IDPA match I paticipated in recently a shotgun and three rounds were provided as part of one stage. Well, I'm hooked. Now I want one.

I'd like to get something that I can use for both competition and shoot at those clay pigeons too. I've read about Remington 870 express, Mossburg 500. I'd like to stay in that price range.

It seems like the local competition shoots slugs and #7 shot for the matches. I'm guessing that a combo barrel setup would be best. One for competiton that can use both slugs and #7 shot an another for shooting clays.

I really don't know enough about shotguns to make a selection.

1. Can a rifled barrel shotgun shoot target load shot shells?
2. Can a smooth bore shotgun barrel shoot sabot ammo or rifled shotgun slugs?
3. What would be two good barrel lengths be?
4. I'd like one to have rifle style sights. The one I shot at the competition had a rear ghostring and an orange front blade sight.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Jim_M]

You can get tons of help in the shotgun forum. Scattergun experts over there.

 

[CZ223]

I'm in the same boat

Huey, it looks like we are pursuing answers to the same questions. I too have decided on the 870, although I have to say that the Mossberg 590 seems like one heck of a pump. I would also like to know what barrel/sight combo should I get. Is an express magnum with the rifle sighted slug barrell a good place to start? If you were buying a base 870 where would you start, the HD model, spec ops model, tactical police or something else. All the do dads can get pretty expensive so which do I need?

 

[motorep]

Try and find a used 1100. The first match you shoot that has you shooting slugs prone will make you wish you had.

 

[Lars]

I've heard of guys using the Benelli Nova for 3gun.

 

[Bix]

HC,

I use an 870 for practical competition and clay target games. If I wanted to be very competitive, I'd probably run a semiautomatic shotgun -- but I just shoot club level, and I like my 870.

I started with an 870 expres with a 26" barrel. Added a couple different choke tubes and it works well for me in trap, skeet, sporting clays, and five stand.

Later, I picked up an 18" rifle sighted, smoothbore barrel. I swapped out the factory sights for XS express-style sights. I shortened the stock by about an inch and added a decent recoil pad. Picked up a two-round magazine extension and modified the mag tube to accordingly. Added a sling. In that configuration (with and without sidesaddle, buttcuff, ect.) the gun works well for practical competition and defensive shotgun classes. Swapping from practical gun to clay gun takes only a minute or two.

To answer your specific questions:

1. A rifled shotgun barrel cannot be used effectively to shoot target (shot) loads. The spin imparted on the shot charge by the rifling will pull your pattern apart.

2. A smoothbore shotgun barrel can be effectively used to shoot rifled shotgun slugs, but not sabot slugs. Sabots are for rifled barrels. In the classes I've attended, nearly everybody is able to keep A-B zone groups at 75 yards with their smoothbores and rifled slugs of choice. Some shoot considerably better...

3. As I said above, I use 26" and 18" - but I don't think it matters that much. For a clay gun, you want a barrel length that balances well and swings well for you. 870s come with 26" or 28" barrels, IIRC - no real difference there. For practical shooting, barrel length to some degree influences magazine capacity. So you'll see some guys with real long barrels and real long magazines. I prefer the shorter barrel, because my gun doubles as a house gun. In any event, remember that it's choke constriction - not barrel length, that determines your shot pattern (despite what the dude behind the counter tells you) .

4. Receiver-mounted sights (like the ghostring you observed) will make the gun less well suited for clay games. When you switch over to your long barrel, the rear sight will still be there, cluttering up your field of view. One way to deal with this is barrel-mounted sights. It could be argued that these are less accurate than the reciever-mounted variety, but mine will generally put the slug where it needs to go out to 100yds - when I don't do something stupid on the trigger...

HTH

 

[another okie]

There are many different forms of three gun competition, let alone other shotgun sports. I use an Ithaca 37 or a Remington Competition Master for three gun, depending on the rules and my mood. If there are going to be lots of slugs, you definitely want a semi-automatic. (At the Arkansas championship at Fort Smith we had a 24 slug stage, if I remember correctly.)

Although I don't own one, in my experience the most reliable semi for three gun is a Benelli. They run hot, cold, dirty, clean, wet, dry, and on all types of loads.

If you want one gun that will be suitable or adaptable for almost all forms of competition a Remington 11-87 or 1100 in 12 gauge with one short barrel for tactical and one long barrel for clays is good. You can also get magazine extensions for the Remington.

Pumps are not really suitable for most trap / clays / skeet type games because you often need two quick shots, and not everyone can rack the slide without losing the sight picture.

But the different sports are also a good excuse to buy several new guns.

 

[jmorris]

I use a light weight 1100 in 20ga for our 3gun matches. It swings well and at the targets we shoot at small pepper poppers it as good as a 12ga, but faster. If your recoil sensitive stay with a gas semiauto.

 

[LUGNUTZ426]

I RECOMMEND ALSO A USED REMINGTON 1100 LT20. YOU SEE THEM FOR 300 TO 450 . LIGHT QUICK ACCURATE AND RARELY BREAK .CHEAP TO FIX IF THEY DO. PICK UP A RIFLED DEER BARREL USED ON EBAY FOR AROUND 100 BUCKS ,SOME REMINGTON SABOT SLUGS AND YOU ARE NOW READY FOR WHATEVER THEY THROW AT YOU. ALSO GREAT FOR SKEET OR SPORTING CLAYS. TRAP CALLS FOR A 12 GAUGE , BUT
WITH 1 OUNCE 20GA LOADS YOU CAN HOLD YOUR OWN FROM THE 16 YD LINE IN TRAP. HOPE THIS HELPS