help me decide on a shotgun for IPSC

[thechineseguy]

hey all,

ive been looking at getting a shotgun for IPSC.

my first question is semi vs pump. which would be more beneficial? i understand that a semi would be easier to shoot as i wouldnt need to manually cycle the action but a pump would potentially give me a larger mag capacity.

the shotguns i am considering are:
- tactical ordnance remington versa max pro (22" barrel)
- remington versa max 3-gun edition (from select shooting supplies)
- beretta 1301 competition
- tactical ordnance remington 870 operator (18.5")

i would like something that is good to learn on but i can still be happy with when i get a little better.

thanks in advance.

 

[7.62mm]

If you want a pump, Benelli Nova or SuperNova...
Semi, have a look at a Benelli Super Vinci if you want Versa Max capacity, or an M2 if you are Ok with practicing a bit more to make up the 1 less shell capacity.

 

[pauls]

How much experience with shotguns do you have?
Do you have a preference as to which division you'd most likely compete in?

Different guns have different weight, balance, recoil impulse ergonomics etc.
Hard to say what's "best" because there really is no one answer .... (actually its benelli but no one wants to hear that)

Tell us what you have experience with and maybe we can lead you in the right direction.

Also. practical-shotgun.com has quite a bit of info on IPSC shotgun in general.

 

[667]

Get a 870 with cyl bore and he done with it.

 

[euxx]

18" is short-ish for IPSC. Especially for long range slugs and some longer distance heavy plates or poppers.

 

[667]

18" is short-ish for IPSC. Especially for long range slugs and some longer distance heavy places or poppers.

I was kidding euxx... Lol

 

[Onagoth]

My vote goes to a black painted stick that you can run through the stages with yelling "pew pew pew"

 

[M&P 40]

My vote goes to a black painted stick that you can run through the stages with yelling "pew pew pew"

You forgot yelling MATCH SAVER!!! too

 

[7.62mm]

My vote goes to a black painted stick that you can run through the stages with yelling "pew pew pew"

Why did you have to bring racialized comments into this?????

 

[thechineseguy]

How much experience with shotguns do you have?
Do you have a preference as to which division you'd most likely compete in?

Different guns have different weight, balance, recoil impulse ergonomics etc.
Hard to say what's "best" because there really is no one answer .... (actually its benelli but no one wants to hear that)

Tell us what you have experience with and maybe we can lead you in the right direction.

Also. practical-shotgun.com has quite a bit of info on IPSC shotgun in general.

my shotgun experience is hunting upland game maybe once or twice a year with an over&under.
other than the occasional round of trap i dont target shoot with a shotgun.

i guess my experience would be rather limited.

 

[Dexter Morgan]

First and foremost;
Decide which division you want to shoot in.

Standard (autoloader)

Standard Manual (pump)

Open (red-dots and box-magazines)

 

[Wendell]

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

 

[JB]

Also if you dont have your BB then you'll need to get it

 

[pauls]

my shotgun experience is hunting upland game maybe once or twice a year with an over&under.
other than the occasional round of trap i dont target shoot with a shotgun.

i guess my experience would be rather limited.

so basically no experience...

First you need to figure out which division you want to compete in.

In general, (other than open division) a versatile and competitive platform will have a field stock rather than a pistol grip, a 24+" barrel with chokes and a rib (ghost ring etc are too slow) and maximum legal capacity.

You need to figure out if you like pump or semi, and go handle a bunch of them to see what feels best for you.

Pump - Benelli nova/supernova or Rem 870

Semi - Benelli M2 or super black eagle, Versamax, 1301, Stoeger M3K
For semi you have gas gun VS inertia driven and some people prefer one vs the other.

Try and shoot as many as you can before you commit.
They'll all need work to be competitive.
No factory gun is perfect out of the box, regardless of how its marketed.
The tac ord stuff is as close to it in terms of a readily available product.

The Vmax has some ergonomic challenges and is too heavy a gun for my taste, but many seem to like them.

 

[JBD]

good advice here. People mentioned that you should get something with a choke but not why. Trying to drop a popper with birdshot at 15 yards or more with cylinder bore is difficult.

 

[pauls]

Chokes help you adjust your pattern at different distances.
Tighter patterns come in handy if you are trying to knock down steel at longer distances by keeping more pellets on target, or trying to avoid a penalty target.
More open patterns help you push it a bit on hoser stages.

 

[667]

 

[banger]

This...

Hard to say what's "best" because there really is no one answer .... (actually its benelli but no one wants to hear that)

.

 

[thechineseguy]

First and foremost;
Decide which division you want to shoot in.

Standard (autoloader)

Standard Manual (pump)

Open (red-dots and box-magazines)

looks like im liking the modified division. i guess i will wait until FOC gets some more of the tac-ord versa max so i can fondle it at the store to decide.

Also if you dont have your BB then you'll need to get it

got it in spring last year. been shooting production division with my shadow2. recently acquired a tactical sport orange in .40 which i need to work a load up for.

 

[euxx]

First and foremost;
Decide which division you want to shoot in.

Open (red-dots and box-magazines)

Mostly 5-round box magazines