New to 3 gun: pump or semi and why

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peter45

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Hello All

If I could please reach out for some advises on which shot gun would work best for 3 gun in Canada, either a semi, pump and length and why?

I’ve done some reading on the amount of round allowed and I also am aware that an experience shooter with a pump could out shoot an inexperienced semi shoot, that all equal your choice.

I have a budget of 2300 dollars.. I’ve talk to a few people about it and the majority are suggesting the 870 pump but I’m not to keen on a pump..

My experience is limited but I don’t want to be stuck with a shotgun i’ll Feel isn’t gonna take me to a higher level in a couple of years.

I also shoot trap and skeet once a month for fun with the boys so I would use it for that also.

I know they are different disciplines but I would split the difference 90% 3 gun 10% trap.


Thanks everyone
 
I went up to see Casey @ TacOrd, super nice guy, but was thinking of buying a M2 and asking him to work it over the winter
 
peter45 said:
I went up to see Casey @ TacOrd, super nice guy, but was thinking of buying a M2 and asking him to work it over the winter
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You should just buy the M2 3gun on the EE. Shameless plug :cool:. If you plan to shoot trap with it go with a semi. I started with a pump and found I just couldn't keep up with the semi guys, so now I own both but only use a semi for 3 gun. I find the semi typically has less felt recoil over a pump as well. The pump is still fun though.
 
I'm going to be new to 3 gun next year as well. (Just started IPSC this year, so, one thing at a time).

Semi-auto: take a look at the Beretta 1301 Comp. Retail is within your budget and it already has a lot of the preferred add-ons, oversized this and that, bigger loading port etc.

Pump: I don't really have any specific suggestions here, except that the advantage with a PA is the magazine capacity as with a semi-auto you are limited to 5 rounds of [whatever the shotgun is chambered for]. That said, there are some ways to squeeze out a more than 5 rounds using smaller shells and a magazine extension that is permanently plugged. (Talk to your local funsmith about that).
 
juancarlos said:
You should just buy the M2 3gun on the EE. Shameless plug :cool:. If you plan to shoot trap with it go with a semi. I started with a pump and found I just couldn't keep up with the semi guys, so now I own both but only use a semi for 3 gun. I find the semi typically has less felt recoil over a pump as well. The pump is still fun though.
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I wish I could get in to the exchange await approval
 
I suspect the semi is best for competition... but I will say that I find the pump to be the most fun and engaging, which is the whole point to me. It does take more practice to be quick with the pump, but that's half the fun.

I only really do skeet rather than trap, but I use a SuperNova. I will say that pumps seem to be very reliable, as failing to feed can be an issue with semi-autos (see it happen frequently enough). Not a big deal if you aren't competing, though.

EDIT: Also, I believe pump shotguns can have 8-round magazine tubes, compared with maximum of 5-round in a semi-auto. Reloading would be far more time-consuming than working the action on a pump.
 
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Thirsty_Fox said:
EDIT: Also, I believe pump shotguns can have 8-round magazine tubes, compared with maximum of 5-round in a semi-auto. Reloading would be far more time-consuming than working the action on a pump.
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Pumps can have how ever many you want, no limit. 3" semis can start with 7, 8 if they can ghost load (6 tube, 1 chamber, 1 ghost load), and a 3.5" starts with 8, 9 (7 tube, 1 chamber, 1 ghost load) if they can ghost load.
 
Wendell said:
If I wanted to choose the "best" gun for a particular game, I'd start by finding and then reading the games' rulebooks. Have you read the rulebooks?

http://www.ipsc.org/pdf/RulesShotgun.pdf

https://uspsa.org/viewer/RifleShotgunMultigunRules.pdf
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IPSC doesn't do multi-gun and there are several different rules you may find at varying matches. Some follow IDPA, some 3 Gun Nation and there are others. Might be best to find out which ones they use at the competitions you are planning to go to.
 
dacron said:
Pumps can have how ever many you want, no limit. 3" semis can start with 7, 8 if they can ghost load (6 tube, 1 chamber, 1 ghost load), and a 3.5" starts with 8, 9 (7 tube, 1 chamber, 1 ghost load) if they can ghost load.
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Just a word of caution, unlimited capacity is only an advantage if the stage permits starting with a loaded gun. If you start unloaded or limited rounds onboard then the capacity becomes less of an advantage.
 
Pumps can legally hold as many as you want, but many matches will start some stages empty or specify a maximum of 8 rounds to start, so not much of an advantage. Anywhere between 20-28" is fine, I prefer the longer side of that. I've never seen anyone have trouble with too long of a barrel, but I have seen issues with short barrels for long shots.

If you care about winning, buy a 3" or 3.5" semi. Your budget gives you basically all of the choice. Stoeger M3Ks are great, Beretta 1301s are great, Browning A5s are great, VersaMaxes are great, Benelli M2s are great. Everyone has their preferences. You can customize all of them how you want. If you aren't very handy, get a pre-fitted gun like a M3K or 1301 Comp, or there are lots of guys who offer shotgun modification services.

If you think pumps are fun, spend money on it. People always say buy an 870 because they are so reliable, but they are basing that on grandad's old Wingmaster. New 870 Expresses are mostly garbage. I have seen more 870 failures in 3 gun than probably all other guns combined. So if you get an 870, make sure its a Wingmaster, not an Express. My personal suggestion would be a Benelli Nova/Supernova. They are really reliable, have a big loading port, a loading gate that stays lifted during loading, and they can be cycled very quickly.

Edit: The best part about 3 gun is the people. Go to a local club match and talk to people, many of them will gladly give suggestions with more real world context than the internet. Guns are easier to compare when they are in your hands. Some folks will probably even let you try their guns out. Get what feels right and no matter what, you'll have fun.
 
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I have been mulling this question over for a while now and still can't find an answer. Right now I am running a highly pollished 870 express with 11 round capacity. My main shooting partner runs a versamax with all the bells and whistles. Now I'm not to be cocky but I run a pump quite fast as far as pumps are concerned and I keep finding myself beat by the versamax.
We have switched guns around before and near as I can tell it all comes down to loading speed. With fast and efficient quad loads the versamax will win everytime but if the pump shooter can get rounds in the gun quickly he has the advantage (provided the stage allowes fully loaded gun)
I think the takeaway is how much time you have to shoot. If you have lots of time to practice shooting a pump at lightspeed then go that route but if not you can practice quad loading a semi while at home.
 
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