MonkeyWrangler asked for a better view of my shotgun reloading setup. I figured the easiest thing to do was just to do a quick little video. That way I could share with everyone.
Don't hate me because I'm beautiful :)
Please remember that I'm a 3 Gun noob so your mileage may vary. It's almost a certainty that I'll modify or change my setup as I get more experience and competence but for now I'm satisfied with what I have and am doing.
If anyone has suggestions or questions please don't hesitate. I usually only learn the painful lessons!
Six
Showing posts with label shotgun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shotgun. Show all posts
06 May 2014
01 May 2014
Shotgun Practice With Video
First off please let me apologize for my absence(s). I have been the proverbial 3 legged cat for a bit now and I have entirely neglected the blog and visiting yours. Mea Maxima Culpa.
I'm getting ready for my next large(ish) 3 Gun match weekend after next, the Southwest Multigun. In preparation I just finished a 3 day, 1500 round handgun class with Ron Avery. I've also been doing some long range rifle and shotgun practice with a buddy.
I've learned a few things about 3 Gun from matches, talking to other shooters and practice. You can make or lose great swaths of time in 3 key areas; long range rifle, shotgun loading and transitions (both target to target and gun to gun). My recent practice has been geared toward addressing those 3 areas. There are many more I assure you but for me, at the level I am currently, those are the areas where I can have the greatest impact on my times, scores and placements.
Let me give you an example. I few weeks ago we ran a 2 Gun match, 4 stages. The first stage was long range rifle, targets at 260 and 280 yards with a string of handgun targets leading up to the rifle. I ran it in about 77 seconds. Pretty good and within 10 seconds of the stage winner. My 2 main division competitors both dropped almost a minute to me on that stage and spent the rest of the match trying to catch up. But with no stages left that were make or break they couldn't. I won 1 more and lost 2 others but the final times reflected that initial huge loss of times for both shooters and I beat them both handily. It drove home for me the idea that this was an area I had better be really comfortable with.
Another. Last December I ran the Hard as Hell Outlaw 3 Gun match where I basically tanked the shotgun. I timed out on 3 stages (and finished exactly on time in another) and on a couple of those I completely missed the pistol strings because I couldn't feed the shotgun. On some of the others I hosed targets just to be sure I could get to them all. To be fair my shotgun also died pretty dramatically but not before I got a good taste of how much time and points I was losing by not being able to reload the shotgun. I was out of control and had absolutely no idea what I was doing or how to improve. Since then I've upgraded the shotgun and loading system I use.
One of the things I've been toying with is my belt setup, especially the shotgun shell carriers. After a lot of research and trial and error I've gone with a Load Two system. I went with these, Taccom Duaload. I do a strong hand load where I throw the shotgun up on my right shoulder, hold it with my weak hand and then load with the strong hand. There are a lot of techniques out there, this one just works for me at the moment. I anticipate trying others as I progress but I gotta pick one if I'm going to perfect it and this is what I chose.
Ok. A couple of videos. In this first one I have 5 shells in the gun and 7 targets, 2 on the left and 5 on the right. This is a reload on the move drill where I immediately throw the gun up and load 4 as I'm moving. Then, as I get into the shooting box, I shoot the 2 on the left and the 5 on the right. I had one miss I had to make up.
In this second video I'm starting in the shooting box. Load 4 and then engage the targets. No misses on that run.
I'm probably shooting 75 to 100 rounds in a typical practice session. I try and get out at least once a week and more if I can afford the ammo. I also do a lot of dry fire exercises, especially loading. I recommend using dummy shells for that. The dry fire reloading really helps because reloading is reloading, whether you're doing it on the range or in your basement. The live fire introduces stress where your weaknesses will really come out and validates what you're doing. Or not as the case may be. Then it's back to the basement for more practice. I've been practicing the Load 2 reloads for a few months now and I'm just getting to the point where it feels natural and I can even manipulate my way through a hosed reload and not drop shells on the ground hither and yon. My goal is to be able to load at a rate of 1 shell per second or less. That's 4 in under 4 seconds, etc. I'm just teasing that point now with some above and some below that time. I did have to modify the shotgun a little to help. I filed down the loading port. I'm still messing with that, taking a little off at a time and remembering that one Oh Shit means buying a new shotgun. I'll post on that as soon as I'm satisfied.
The other part of my shotgun practice is target transitions. Notice I'm trying to swing from the left to right target strings and between targets in the same string as quickly as I can and keeping my splits (shot to shot) as quick as possible while staying accurate. My splits at the moment are in the .3 to .35 second range with good hits. I'm confident I can lower those into the quarter second range with more time and practice. A month ago my splits were north of half a second. In the low .2s is where I need to be. The key for me is to get past my comfort zone and go faster than I can get first round hits. Then I back off a little until I'm getting solid hits. That's my split times. I'll hose a stage with splits under .2 seconds from time to time just to get used to what that looks and feels like. As I get more accustomed to going faster I can go faster yet. It's all a dance. First you learn the steps and then you practice them until they're solidly in your head (and your trigger finger). Then comes the polish. I'm finally at the point where I feel as if I have the steps firmly placed and now I can work on the peripherals and speed the heck up!
The journey goes on. This is a pretty involved sport and it takes a lot of investment of time and money to improve. What it takes mostly though is determination and focus.If I could give one piece of advice to anyone interested it would be this. Research is your friend. Ask questions and never, ever be afraid to push your limits. There's no way to know how good you can be unless you test yourself. Find a local match and go shoot! As my good friend who shall remain nameless says; HARDEN THE F$%& UP!
Next up will be some thoughts on long range rifle and a match breakdown from next weekend. Oh, and the Sig took a dump so I'm shooting Lu's XDm and looking for a replacement. What will it be? At this moment I have no earthly idea :)
Six
I'm getting ready for my next large(ish) 3 Gun match weekend after next, the Southwest Multigun. In preparation I just finished a 3 day, 1500 round handgun class with Ron Avery. I've also been doing some long range rifle and shotgun practice with a buddy.
I've learned a few things about 3 Gun from matches, talking to other shooters and practice. You can make or lose great swaths of time in 3 key areas; long range rifle, shotgun loading and transitions (both target to target and gun to gun). My recent practice has been geared toward addressing those 3 areas. There are many more I assure you but for me, at the level I am currently, those are the areas where I can have the greatest impact on my times, scores and placements.
Let me give you an example. I few weeks ago we ran a 2 Gun match, 4 stages. The first stage was long range rifle, targets at 260 and 280 yards with a string of handgun targets leading up to the rifle. I ran it in about 77 seconds. Pretty good and within 10 seconds of the stage winner. My 2 main division competitors both dropped almost a minute to me on that stage and spent the rest of the match trying to catch up. But with no stages left that were make or break they couldn't. I won 1 more and lost 2 others but the final times reflected that initial huge loss of times for both shooters and I beat them both handily. It drove home for me the idea that this was an area I had better be really comfortable with.
Another. Last December I ran the Hard as Hell Outlaw 3 Gun match where I basically tanked the shotgun. I timed out on 3 stages (and finished exactly on time in another) and on a couple of those I completely missed the pistol strings because I couldn't feed the shotgun. On some of the others I hosed targets just to be sure I could get to them all. To be fair my shotgun also died pretty dramatically but not before I got a good taste of how much time and points I was losing by not being able to reload the shotgun. I was out of control and had absolutely no idea what I was doing or how to improve. Since then I've upgraded the shotgun and loading system I use.
One of the things I've been toying with is my belt setup, especially the shotgun shell carriers. After a lot of research and trial and error I've gone with a Load Two system. I went with these, Taccom Duaload. I do a strong hand load where I throw the shotgun up on my right shoulder, hold it with my weak hand and then load with the strong hand. There are a lot of techniques out there, this one just works for me at the moment. I anticipate trying others as I progress but I gotta pick one if I'm going to perfect it and this is what I chose.
Ok. A couple of videos. In this first one I have 5 shells in the gun and 7 targets, 2 on the left and 5 on the right. This is a reload on the move drill where I immediately throw the gun up and load 4 as I'm moving. Then, as I get into the shooting box, I shoot the 2 on the left and the 5 on the right. I had one miss I had to make up.
In this second video I'm starting in the shooting box. Load 4 and then engage the targets. No misses on that run.
I'm probably shooting 75 to 100 rounds in a typical practice session. I try and get out at least once a week and more if I can afford the ammo. I also do a lot of dry fire exercises, especially loading. I recommend using dummy shells for that. The dry fire reloading really helps because reloading is reloading, whether you're doing it on the range or in your basement. The live fire introduces stress where your weaknesses will really come out and validates what you're doing. Or not as the case may be. Then it's back to the basement for more practice. I've been practicing the Load 2 reloads for a few months now and I'm just getting to the point where it feels natural and I can even manipulate my way through a hosed reload and not drop shells on the ground hither and yon. My goal is to be able to load at a rate of 1 shell per second or less. That's 4 in under 4 seconds, etc. I'm just teasing that point now with some above and some below that time. I did have to modify the shotgun a little to help. I filed down the loading port. I'm still messing with that, taking a little off at a time and remembering that one Oh Shit means buying a new shotgun. I'll post on that as soon as I'm satisfied.
The other part of my shotgun practice is target transitions. Notice I'm trying to swing from the left to right target strings and between targets in the same string as quickly as I can and keeping my splits (shot to shot) as quick as possible while staying accurate. My splits at the moment are in the .3 to .35 second range with good hits. I'm confident I can lower those into the quarter second range with more time and practice. A month ago my splits were north of half a second. In the low .2s is where I need to be. The key for me is to get past my comfort zone and go faster than I can get first round hits. Then I back off a little until I'm getting solid hits. That's my split times. I'll hose a stage with splits under .2 seconds from time to time just to get used to what that looks and feels like. As I get more accustomed to going faster I can go faster yet. It's all a dance. First you learn the steps and then you practice them until they're solidly in your head (and your trigger finger). Then comes the polish. I'm finally at the point where I feel as if I have the steps firmly placed and now I can work on the peripherals and speed the heck up!
The journey goes on. This is a pretty involved sport and it takes a lot of investment of time and money to improve. What it takes mostly though is determination and focus.If I could give one piece of advice to anyone interested it would be this. Research is your friend. Ask questions and never, ever be afraid to push your limits. There's no way to know how good you can be unless you test yourself. Find a local match and go shoot! As my good friend who shall remain nameless says; HARDEN THE F$%& UP!
Next up will be some thoughts on long range rifle and a match breakdown from next weekend. Oh, and the Sig took a dump so I'm shooting Lu's XDm and looking for a replacement. What will it be? At this moment I have no earthly idea :)
Six
30 December 2013
3 Gun On A Budget
In my ongoing attempt to master 3 Gun in the coming year I'm going to be running a series of posts on equipment and gear choices. In this first post I'll be covering starting out on a budget.
As you know my pump Remington 870 crapped out on me at my first match. I decided to upgrade to a semi and chose the modestly priced Stoeger M3500. 432 bucks out the door. But it's limited to 4 rounds in the tube plus one in the chamber. Insufficient. An extended magazine tube is really the only choice here. After doing some homework (no one makes an M3500 specific magazine tube extension) I found out that with some moderate work one for a Benelli Nova/Supernova would fit. I ordered one along with a reduced friction follower and barrel band from Nordic Components. 150 bucks total with shipping.
When you get the kit it comes with everything you'll need for the installation. For this application I had to take the shotgun down all the way. See that small unthreaded bit at the top there? That's the end of the stock magazine tube. According to the instructions I found that's supposed to be cut off. But I've learned. First I test fitted the tube extension and turns out it fit perfectly. No cutting or grinding required. Whew!
Screw the tube extension nut to the stock barrel. I test fit the new spring. There's a bit extra. They send a one size fits all spring and you must trim it for your specific application. Cool, I get to use tools after all!
Screw on the extension tube to the nut and put the spring in place. The instructions tell you to cut it off at 16 inches and then test fit it. Trim as needed.
Twasn't necessary in my case. The spring fit perfectly and it all went back together as advertised. I now have a 9 + 1 semi automatic 3 Gun shotgun. I'm into the entire thing 582 dollars. Not too shabby.
On to the rifle. I decided early on that some compromises were going to have to be made. Especially in the beginning as I'm first getting my feet on the ground. I have a 16 inch Bushmaster flattop carbine that I ran with a cheap 3x9. I've had it for years and I think I paid south of 600. Let's just call it 600 bucks for the sake of argument. Here's the before picture.
It's going to need a few things, starting with a new optic and a gas block with no front sight. At 3 power the front sight disappears but I'm going to be running a 1x4 and at 1 power it'll show. What to do? A new gas block is the obvious answer but we're running 3 Gun on a budget here. Let's get creative. That front sight has a gas system that runs under the A pillar front sight assembly. It doesn't reach upward into the sight base itself. Hmmmm...I wonder.... Yep, turns out you can "remove" the front sight without impinging on the gas system. Which leads to a decidedly redneck solution.
Yessir. Powertools and guns. Now follow my logic on this one. If I screw this up I was going to have to buy a new gas block anyway. If this works I can decide at any time to replace the gas block if I want to. The whole thing is nothing more than a gas block with a sight attached. I'm running an optic and if I decide I want back up irons I'll run some 45 degree offsets. The front sight in this configuration is superfluous. Screw it, off she comes.
You ever do something like this? It was invigorating. I cackled like a redneck mad scientist the whole time. Hey, in the end it's just a gas block. I hit it with the Dremel and a back magic marker (I did say on the cheap didn't I?) and we're defecating in lengthy cotton. I'll clean it up some more later on but for now she works just fine.
On to the optic. Remember when I mentioned that some compromises would have to be made? Here is the first. I'm a big believer in quality optics where and when you can. I went through a vast number of optic choices in the 1x4 category from Burris, Leupold, Bushnell, etc., ad infinitum. Everything I looked at was in the area of 300 to 500 dollars. I was decidedly in favor of the lower end until I got some of them in my hand and really looked at the reticles and glass quality. When I did that one scope stood out. The Vortex Viper PST. I got it in the MRAD reticle because I understand Mils and can convert them to distance in my head.
It's an illuminated second plane reticle. That means it doesn't change size as the magnification increases. You can only range with it in 1 power but for my purposes that's a non issue. I love the clarity of the glass and the overall quality of the materials and build. It's a 30 mm tube with finger adjustable windage and elevation knobs and a 10 setting illumination dial. At 500 dollars it's on the higher end of what I wanted to spend but compared to the top level scopes it's a bargain. The Burris Tac30 and Leupold were cheap by comparison and their reticles left a lot to be desired (My opinion only. No hate mail please). On this item being too cheap was contraindicated.
It needed a solid mount. I chose the P.E.P.R. one piece mount from Burris. It was 90 dollars. I looked at the Warne at $180 and decided it was a little better but not that much better.
The mount sets the optic at the perfect height for an AR. It came with 2 sets of ring caps, with a rail and without. My tactical ninja being curiously silent I went with the smooth, low profile caps. I went with the non QD mount because I hate QD scope mounts. Anything that can fail will do so at the most inopportune time. Plus it's an extra 30 bucks. Screw that, this is a Budget Build.
The end result. It still needs a longer, free float forearm and a compensator but for the time being she'll do nicely. It's a long way from what it was that's for certain. And cost effective. If you add in the price of the gun I already had we're at $1190. 600 + 500 + 90. Take away the gun that was just sitting around doing nothing and we're at $590. I'm going with that because, like I said, the gun was just sitting there.
My 3 Gun setup minus the handgun.
Grand total outlay is $582 for the shotgun and $590 for the rifle for a total to date of $1172. I anticipate spending a few hundred more on the rifle for the last few bits but I can run both right now, as they sit, and be competitive. If you take a look around at new 3 Gun specific firearms that's less than what one of each of these would run you. Makes me feel all warm inside. There may very well be new guns in my future but for now I'm satisfied.
Next up running in the new shotgun and addressing any feed issues with the new tube and sighting in the Vortex. I can't wait!
Six
As you know my pump Remington 870 crapped out on me at my first match. I decided to upgrade to a semi and chose the modestly priced Stoeger M3500. 432 bucks out the door. But it's limited to 4 rounds in the tube plus one in the chamber. Insufficient. An extended magazine tube is really the only choice here. After doing some homework (no one makes an M3500 specific magazine tube extension) I found out that with some moderate work one for a Benelli Nova/Supernova would fit. I ordered one along with a reduced friction follower and barrel band from Nordic Components. 150 bucks total with shipping.
When you get the kit it comes with everything you'll need for the installation. For this application I had to take the shotgun down all the way. See that small unthreaded bit at the top there? That's the end of the stock magazine tube. According to the instructions I found that's supposed to be cut off. But I've learned. First I test fitted the tube extension and turns out it fit perfectly. No cutting or grinding required. Whew!
Screw the tube extension nut to the stock barrel. I test fit the new spring. There's a bit extra. They send a one size fits all spring and you must trim it for your specific application. Cool, I get to use tools after all!
Screw on the extension tube to the nut and put the spring in place. The instructions tell you to cut it off at 16 inches and then test fit it. Trim as needed.
Twasn't necessary in my case. The spring fit perfectly and it all went back together as advertised. I now have a 9 + 1 semi automatic 3 Gun shotgun. I'm into the entire thing 582 dollars. Not too shabby.
On to the rifle. I decided early on that some compromises were going to have to be made. Especially in the beginning as I'm first getting my feet on the ground. I have a 16 inch Bushmaster flattop carbine that I ran with a cheap 3x9. I've had it for years and I think I paid south of 600. Let's just call it 600 bucks for the sake of argument. Here's the before picture.
It's going to need a few things, starting with a new optic and a gas block with no front sight. At 3 power the front sight disappears but I'm going to be running a 1x4 and at 1 power it'll show. What to do? A new gas block is the obvious answer but we're running 3 Gun on a budget here. Let's get creative. That front sight has a gas system that runs under the A pillar front sight assembly. It doesn't reach upward into the sight base itself. Hmmmm...I wonder.... Yep, turns out you can "remove" the front sight without impinging on the gas system. Which leads to a decidedly redneck solution.
Yessir. Powertools and guns. Now follow my logic on this one. If I screw this up I was going to have to buy a new gas block anyway. If this works I can decide at any time to replace the gas block if I want to. The whole thing is nothing more than a gas block with a sight attached. I'm running an optic and if I decide I want back up irons I'll run some 45 degree offsets. The front sight in this configuration is superfluous. Screw it, off she comes.
You ever do something like this? It was invigorating. I cackled like a redneck mad scientist the whole time. Hey, in the end it's just a gas block. I hit it with the Dremel and a back magic marker (I did say on the cheap didn't I?) and we're defecating in lengthy cotton. I'll clean it up some more later on but for now she works just fine.
On to the optic. Remember when I mentioned that some compromises would have to be made? Here is the first. I'm a big believer in quality optics where and when you can. I went through a vast number of optic choices in the 1x4 category from Burris, Leupold, Bushnell, etc., ad infinitum. Everything I looked at was in the area of 300 to 500 dollars. I was decidedly in favor of the lower end until I got some of them in my hand and really looked at the reticles and glass quality. When I did that one scope stood out. The Vortex Viper PST. I got it in the MRAD reticle because I understand Mils and can convert them to distance in my head.
It's an illuminated second plane reticle. That means it doesn't change size as the magnification increases. You can only range with it in 1 power but for my purposes that's a non issue. I love the clarity of the glass and the overall quality of the materials and build. It's a 30 mm tube with finger adjustable windage and elevation knobs and a 10 setting illumination dial. At 500 dollars it's on the higher end of what I wanted to spend but compared to the top level scopes it's a bargain. The Burris Tac30 and Leupold were cheap by comparison and their reticles left a lot to be desired (My opinion only. No hate mail please). On this item being too cheap was contraindicated.
It needed a solid mount. I chose the P.E.P.R. one piece mount from Burris. It was 90 dollars. I looked at the Warne at $180 and decided it was a little better but not that much better.
The mount sets the optic at the perfect height for an AR. It came with 2 sets of ring caps, with a rail and without. My tactical ninja being curiously silent I went with the smooth, low profile caps. I went with the non QD mount because I hate QD scope mounts. Anything that can fail will do so at the most inopportune time. Plus it's an extra 30 bucks. Screw that, this is a Budget Build.
The end result. It still needs a longer, free float forearm and a compensator but for the time being she'll do nicely. It's a long way from what it was that's for certain. And cost effective. If you add in the price of the gun I already had we're at $1190. 600 + 500 + 90. Take away the gun that was just sitting around doing nothing and we're at $590. I'm going with that because, like I said, the gun was just sitting there.
My 3 Gun setup minus the handgun.
Grand total outlay is $582 for the shotgun and $590 for the rifle for a total to date of $1172. I anticipate spending a few hundred more on the rifle for the last few bits but I can run both right now, as they sit, and be competitive. If you take a look around at new 3 Gun specific firearms that's less than what one of each of these would run you. Makes me feel all warm inside. There may very well be new guns in my future but for now I'm satisfied.
Next up running in the new shotgun and addressing any feed issues with the new tube and sighting in the Vortex. I can't wait!
Six
26 December 2013
New 3 Gun Shotgun
In light of the failure of my 870 at the Hard as Hell 3 Gun match it became readily apparent to even me that a new shotgun was definitely needed. To that end I went on a bit of a search for, if not the Holy Grail then at least a serviceable semi automatic shotgun suitable for 3 Gun. Call it the Holy Scattergun. I went through the usual suspects, Beretta, Remington, FNH and Mossberg to name a few. But then I came across this thread. In it the Stoeger M3000 is discussed in some detail as well as it's suitability for 3 Gun. I was intrigued. I did some more research and was happy with what I saw. Stoeger is an offshoot of Benelli and the M3500 has a virtually identical inertia driven action. Call it a C Class Benelli. I was mostly sold. Now all I needed was a chance to handle one.
So I headed down to the local big box outdoor store and lo and behold they had a.....
Stoeger M3500. Wait. What? Well see it's like this. They had a black M3500 with a 26 inch barrel just sitting right there. Looking all lonely and forlorn. The 3500 is identical to the 3000 except for a half inch longer receiver, three and a half versus three. The experts told me to buy it. Lu told me to buy it. The devil on my shoulder told me to buy it. The angel on my shoulder told me stop looking at the Victoria's Secret catalog and buy the stupid shotgun! So I did.
Then, of course, I put it in the gun safe and waited for another day to take it out and shoot it. Not!
Instead I gave in to my baser desires and headed out to the range to put the new girl through her paces.
And it didn't go exactly as I had hoped. See, this thing must be able to shoot lighter 12 gauge loads. Not powder puff stuff but 2 3/4", 3 Dram Eq., 7 1/2s and 8s. Must. It was spotty with all shells ejected but not every new one loaded. Hit and miss. Then I noticed it had a pretty fair glopping of cosmoline all over the operating system. So, back to Casa Six we went for a thorough cleaning and lubrication evolution. Then it was back to the range, hopes high in hand and suicide prevention on the speed dial.
This time I also read the manual (like a big ol' sissy) and noticed the part about breaking it in with heavier loads. So I brought along some of these bad boys. Lead in #2 and #5 and steel in T. Break in shall be accomplished.
I fired off maybe a box or so when excitement and morbid curiosity got the better of me. I also toted along a mixed grab bag of 12 gauge left over from HaH and the 870 who shall not be named. I had 3DE 1 1/8 ounce loads of 8s and 7 1/2s from Federal, Winchester and Brand X (really, I need to start writing this stuff down). Nestled in there, among their larger siblings, was a few rounds of Winchester Extra Light and some 1 ounce loads. The question was would the 3500 shoot it all?
The answer was a qualified you betcha. The only shells it had difficulty with was the extra light loads. This is a 3 1/2 inch gun, capable of handling the heaviest duck and goose loads on the planet so I'm giving her a pass on this one. I'm also convinced, from the way she tried valiantly to cycle them and sometimes did, that with some more break in time she'll eat anything I throw at her and call me a sissy boy to boot. Everything else ran and cycled with no issues at all. Ounce and an eighth 7 1/2 and 8s are right in her wheelhouse. Perfect.
Nordic Components has a mag extension tube kit that will fit her and one is even now winging it's way to the sunny climes of Southern Utah along with an over sized bolt handle. Once those are fitted and we get some more trigger time I'm convinced she'll be one dang fine 3 Gun whacking stick, able to run with the big boys and maybe even show 'em her heels now and again. Providing I do my part of course. And I haven't even mentioned the best part.
She cost me 432 bucks on a suggested retail of 629. That's a cool grand below what most of the other shooters are plunking down for even the most basic shottie currently being run on the circuit (except for the Mossberg JM Pro at about 750 if you can find one). Some of them are going for well north of 3000 dollars. Yikes! P.E. Kelley, writing for Shooting Times, calls it the best kept secret in 3 Gun. I agree. She's a sweet little filly.
So, I have seemingly addressed my shotgun woes. Now it's time to do a little work on the rifle. In looking it seems that a new rifle will set me back several mortgage payments with even uppers nearing a cool thou. Instead I'll be modifying my current 16 inch carbine to better work in the game. Expect a compensator, stock, scope and probably a free float forearm tube.
I have a match coming on the last Saturday in January and it's a 3 Gun Nation classifier. I gotta get hopping.
Six
So I headed down to the local big box outdoor store and lo and behold they had a.....
Stoeger M3500. Wait. What? Well see it's like this. They had a black M3500 with a 26 inch barrel just sitting right there. Looking all lonely and forlorn. The 3500 is identical to the 3000 except for a half inch longer receiver, three and a half versus three. The experts told me to buy it. Lu told me to buy it. The devil on my shoulder told me to buy it. The angel on my shoulder told me stop looking at the Victoria's Secret catalog and buy the stupid shotgun! So I did.
Then, of course, I put it in the gun safe and waited for another day to take it out and shoot it. Not!
Instead I gave in to my baser desires and headed out to the range to put the new girl through her paces.
And it didn't go exactly as I had hoped. See, this thing must be able to shoot lighter 12 gauge loads. Not powder puff stuff but 2 3/4", 3 Dram Eq., 7 1/2s and 8s. Must. It was spotty with all shells ejected but not every new one loaded. Hit and miss. Then I noticed it had a pretty fair glopping of cosmoline all over the operating system. So, back to Casa Six we went for a thorough cleaning and lubrication evolution. Then it was back to the range, hopes high in hand and suicide prevention on the speed dial.
This time I also read the manual (like a big ol' sissy) and noticed the part about breaking it in with heavier loads. So I brought along some of these bad boys. Lead in #2 and #5 and steel in T. Break in shall be accomplished.
I fired off maybe a box or so when excitement and morbid curiosity got the better of me. I also toted along a mixed grab bag of 12 gauge left over from HaH and the 870 who shall not be named. I had 3DE 1 1/8 ounce loads of 8s and 7 1/2s from Federal, Winchester and Brand X (really, I need to start writing this stuff down). Nestled in there, among their larger siblings, was a few rounds of Winchester Extra Light and some 1 ounce loads. The question was would the 3500 shoot it all?
The answer was a qualified you betcha. The only shells it had difficulty with was the extra light loads. This is a 3 1/2 inch gun, capable of handling the heaviest duck and goose loads on the planet so I'm giving her a pass on this one. I'm also convinced, from the way she tried valiantly to cycle them and sometimes did, that with some more break in time she'll eat anything I throw at her and call me a sissy boy to boot. Everything else ran and cycled with no issues at all. Ounce and an eighth 7 1/2 and 8s are right in her wheelhouse. Perfect.
Nordic Components has a mag extension tube kit that will fit her and one is even now winging it's way to the sunny climes of Southern Utah along with an over sized bolt handle. Once those are fitted and we get some more trigger time I'm convinced she'll be one dang fine 3 Gun whacking stick, able to run with the big boys and maybe even show 'em her heels now and again. Providing I do my part of course. And I haven't even mentioned the best part.
She cost me 432 bucks on a suggested retail of 629. That's a cool grand below what most of the other shooters are plunking down for even the most basic shottie currently being run on the circuit (except for the Mossberg JM Pro at about 750 if you can find one). Some of them are going for well north of 3000 dollars. Yikes! P.E. Kelley, writing for Shooting Times, calls it the best kept secret in 3 Gun. I agree. She's a sweet little filly.
So, I have seemingly addressed my shotgun woes. Now it's time to do a little work on the rifle. In looking it seems that a new rifle will set me back several mortgage payments with even uppers nearing a cool thou. Instead I'll be modifying my current 16 inch carbine to better work in the game. Expect a compensator, stock, scope and probably a free float forearm tube.
I have a match coming on the last Saturday in January and it's a 3 Gun Nation classifier. I gotta get hopping.
Six
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