This came up, indirectly, in another thread. With the mag fed pump and/or semi's gaining in popularity, thought I would post this for anyone trying to decide on what shiny new shotgun they want to get.
Shooting a mag fed shotgun puts you in open division in three gun. Most know that. Guns are equipment, and 3 gun is an equipment race; higher quality equipment, on average, makes you quicker. Take a bolt action rifle, revolver and pump sg to your next match and see how well you do compared to ar's, semi-auto pistol and semi-auto sg. So, for those that want a mag fed shotgun, because it's way cool, and it can be used in 3 gun, it's pretty much a no-brainer; if you are just doing it for fun, or just want a mag fed shotgun, because, well, who wouldn't!? I want one! But, I am fine shooting in tactical division.
I don't want to spend the cash on an open division pistol. And yes, I'd be tempted to go for a full 2011 race-gun. Because, well, in my mind if I went open, that means I want to the best of the best, irregardless of budget! And to be the best, I'd want to shoot with the best. I'd shoot IPSC open for 'practice.' But, I probably get more carried away with the details than most. For most, 3 gun is a fun thing to do, and I have to continually monitor myself to make sure that I am not getting too competitive and focus on still having fun.
That said, between open and tactical, there are different game plans (I did not say 'gaming' a stage intentionally) that a guy/girl will follow. The link below is a good example. Notice how the open guy is quicker, due to sg mag changes and it didn't make a difference on the short range in that stage, but on the rifle an rds at 1x and optic at full (4, 6, 8, whatever). To avoid reloading the sg, the tactical shooter opted to use the pistol (built-in stage rule), while the open guy just changed mags. Anyway, considering all of the extra cash spent on an open rig, the open shooter in the video bought himself only 3.39 seconds!
The open shooter Clint's time was 18.95, while tactical shooter Rob's time was 22.37. So, assuming a mag-fed shotgun is the same price as a top of the line mag-tube semi, we'll say that the pistol is where the extra dough is being spent. If a guy compared STI pistols, the DVC open is $5,800 while the DVC 3gun is $4,300. So, just on the cost of the gun alone (not practice and etc) the cost (assuming you get quick enough using it) is $443.48 per second gained! Incredible! I don't even know what his shotgun and massive compensator and etc cost.
While it is true that an rmr or whatnot on a glock or m&p and etc will work for most, still think about it. If an rmr is $700, for eg, then the price per second gained is $206.49. Incredible! And that doesn't include milling your slide if you have a non mos-model, or whatever. Also, that doesn't factor in porting or a compensator for the pistol either. If the rules allow a compensator, you are crazy not to take full advantage.
3 gun is an equipment race, and in shooting open, you are choosing to shoot in the (marginally, and an expensive margin at that) fastest division in 3gun. If you're goal is to just have fun, then let 'er buck. Shoot whatever you want! But if are wanting to be competitive, think twice about the mag-fed sg and all the other gear and etc you will need to be the best of the best. That is an expensive margin: $200 per second gained (assuming you can be quick enough to utilize the equipment benefits) on the low-end, and up to $443 on the high-end. And also, if you really want to rub your buddies nose in how slow he is compared to your sheer and ludicrous light speed, it only counts if your equipment is the same, or worse, than his!
Shooting a mag fed shotgun puts you in open division in three gun. Most know that. Guns are equipment, and 3 gun is an equipment race; higher quality equipment, on average, makes you quicker. Take a bolt action rifle, revolver and pump sg to your next match and see how well you do compared to ar's, semi-auto pistol and semi-auto sg. So, for those that want a mag fed shotgun, because it's way cool, and it can be used in 3 gun, it's pretty much a no-brainer; if you are just doing it for fun, or just want a mag fed shotgun, because, well, who wouldn't!? I want one! But, I am fine shooting in tactical division.
I don't want to spend the cash on an open division pistol. And yes, I'd be tempted to go for a full 2011 race-gun. Because, well, in my mind if I went open, that means I want to the best of the best, irregardless of budget! And to be the best, I'd want to shoot with the best. I'd shoot IPSC open for 'practice.' But, I probably get more carried away with the details than most. For most, 3 gun is a fun thing to do, and I have to continually monitor myself to make sure that I am not getting too competitive and focus on still having fun.
That said, between open and tactical, there are different game plans (I did not say 'gaming' a stage intentionally) that a guy/girl will follow. The link below is a good example. Notice how the open guy is quicker, due to sg mag changes and it didn't make a difference on the short range in that stage, but on the rifle an rds at 1x and optic at full (4, 6, 8, whatever). To avoid reloading the sg, the tactical shooter opted to use the pistol (built-in stage rule), while the open guy just changed mags. Anyway, considering all of the extra cash spent on an open rig, the open shooter in the video bought himself only 3.39 seconds!
The open shooter Clint's time was 18.95, while tactical shooter Rob's time was 22.37. So, assuming a mag-fed shotgun is the same price as a top of the line mag-tube semi, we'll say that the pistol is where the extra dough is being spent. If a guy compared STI pistols, the DVC open is $5,800 while the DVC 3gun is $4,300. So, just on the cost of the gun alone (not practice and etc) the cost (assuming you get quick enough using it) is $443.48 per second gained! Incredible! I don't even know what his shotgun and massive compensator and etc cost.
While it is true that an rmr or whatnot on a glock or m&p and etc will work for most, still think about it. If an rmr is $700, for eg, then the price per second gained is $206.49. Incredible! And that doesn't include milling your slide if you have a non mos-model, or whatever. Also, that doesn't factor in porting or a compensator for the pistol either. If the rules allow a compensator, you are crazy not to take full advantage.
3 gun is an equipment race, and in shooting open, you are choosing to shoot in the (marginally, and an expensive margin at that) fastest division in 3gun. If you're goal is to just have fun, then let 'er buck. Shoot whatever you want! But if are wanting to be competitive, think twice about the mag-fed sg and all the other gear and etc you will need to be the best of the best. That is an expensive margin: $200 per second gained (assuming you can be quick enough to utilize the equipment benefits) on the low-end, and up to $443 on the high-end. And also, if you really want to rub your buddies nose in how slow he is compared to your sheer and ludicrous light speed, it only counts if your equipment is the same, or worse, than his!
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Had a great time with fellow gunnies, and that made the event for me
