59Bassman

Black barrel silver hood here on my newly-purchased SP01 Shadow.

I am almost positive the final verdict will be "try, and see what works for you", however, I must ask for guidance. I have shot USPSA intermittently over the past 20 years and am planning another push. This coming year I turn 45, and I'm setting a goal to shoot the SS Nats. I have no illusions of being anything other than a B/C shooter there to enjoy myself and shoot my first major match. I have a new 1911 and plan to run either a Comp Tac or Garret Silent Thunder holster. I'm a male, so no DOH for Single Stack. I also like shooting in USPSA Production, Steel Challenge, and local 3-gun matches. In these games I tend to run a CZ, most often a 75 Shadow (although I do have an SP01 on the way). For the past 7 years I have shot from a Blade Tech holster with the DOH removed. I recently bought a Stoeger BOSS holster for the incoming SP01, and am now questioning my holster position for the CZs. Previously, I ran all holsters in SS-legal config (even a limited rig I had) for consistency of draw. I am tall (6' 3"), with long arms, and although it felt like I was drawing into my armpit, I practiced enough that my hands fell naturally into position on the gun. Now I wonder if I am sub-optimizing my draw in other divisions/games in order to keep a foolish consistency. I have tried the DOH back in my CZ's holster, and after a bit it did feel more comfortable, but all heck broke loose when I tried to go back to my Single Stack rig. So the question for those who shoot Single Stack and other divisions/games: Do you keep your holster position consistent across your rigs, or do you vary to take "advantage" of what the rules allow? Am I better off training for a single draw position, or should I be working to adapt to any rig? Or am I way overthinking all of this? Thank you for any advice/guidance. 59B

This past weekend I got to put a 226 SAO in my hand for the first time. I did not walk out with it, but I did walk away pondering hard and significantly impressed. I grew up begging for opportunities to shoot my dad's Gold Cup National Match. My first pistol was a first-run Kimber Classic that I still have, and have put many thousands of rounds downrange through in competition. Like many others, I'm a 1911 guy. However, I've never been a 2011 guy. In 9mm, I have competed with Beretta 92's, CZ's, and the very occasional Glock. Sigs have been problematic because I have no flippin' idea what to do with my strong-hand thumb. I have decocked 226's under recoil before because I end up resting my thumb on the decocker. A safety solves that problem. I was very curious about this pistol, and I have to say that I am now thinking this could be a really decent choice for 3-gun. 20 round mags are readily available, it has a very nice trigger, and usable sights. I could see swapping out the front post for a full fiber optic sight, but that might be the only change I would make. I liked it enough that I'm probably going to put my backup rifle on the block to try to pick one up.

PMAG Gen 2 and Gen 3. Old 20 round straights if there is a need to go prone, mostly 30 rounders (including a couple of "coupled"), 40 rounders, and a 48 round Nordic extended. I've used USGI mags as well without issue, but I prefer the PMAGs.

I'd be interested in your comparisons between those two. I hope that you enjoy the new barrel. I'm excited about the 308 Win version of the same. Thanks! I'm pretty stoked. I decided that this one would be a no-compromise gun, so instead of a MTAC 1-4, I plan on going with a Vortex Razor 1-6. Mount will be a Bobro instead of a PEPR. Trigger will be a Geissele SD-3G flat instead of a CMC 3.5 Flat. Still somewhat undecided on a muzzle device. Receiver set should be picked up this coming week - an Aero set in FDE. Never had a "color" gun before.

Bringing up a necro thread, but I ordered my fluted melonite this evening. I've got a hankering for a 16" 3 gun rifle build and this barrel seemed to be the ticket. My current 3-gun rifle has a Nordic 18", looking forward to the comparison in shooting. The nordic is very, very smooth shooting.

Still very happy with my SX3. Then again, I'd rather buy a new SX3 every match than have to run a Benelli. I guess old prejudices die hard....

I've now spent a bit of time with one (although it's not mine ). A friend bought a 24". It's fast. Very fast. I certainly can't outrun the bolt, no matter how I may try. Also, with the stock IC choke, Fiocchi Low Recoil slugs printed exactly to POI at 50 yd. Federal low recoil slugs were about 6" high, but centered side-to-side. Recoil seemed less than my Winchester Super X 3. Very impressed with this shotgun.

I feel your pain. I've got a 18" rifle gas Nordic barrel that I love. I've got two good friends that want to build similar rifles, and I'm not sure what to tell them that doesn't involve a significantly higher cost, particularly in trying to find a barrel.

What do you want to use it for? Shadow is a great USPSA Production/IDPA SSP gun, the TS is a great USPSA Limited choice in .40. Both work for 3 gun.

After messing with one this weekend, I'd choose the Beretta 1301. That is a fast, light shotgun. My second choice would be what I currently shoot with only a mag extension and bolt handle swap, the Winchester Super X 3.

DAA belt, CR speed pouches, Blade Tech holster here for my CTS. Good for USPSA Limited as well as 3 gun.

Bought a CMC flat as I will often use my flat-trigger CZ CTS as the handgun, and I always used a flatter trigger shoe on my competition shotguns years ago. I don't have a ton of experience with other options, but I can't imagine a 3 gun trigger getting enough better than this one to make a difference.

Stag would be my choice of those two.

I am afraid that I caused the thread divergence, which I apologize for doing. That was not my intent. As I mentioned in my original post, I have no experience with major 3 gun matches. I (incorrectly) assumed that the prize tables were being generated the way I saw them done in Sporting Clays - by raising the match fees to pay for the prizes, rather than through sponsorship product placement donations. If the sponsors are donating the items and would prefer an order-of-finish handout, I've got no problem with it. Where I had an issue was with tournaments that were essentially forcing everyone to enter a nassau that paid the top finishers whether you liked it or not. This whole side discussion really did connect with the original topic, as I saw a number of posts that appeared to indicate that the popularity of 3-gun was due to the depths of the prize tables. I disagree, but I understand that everyone does this for different reasons. I first shot USPSA in the mid-90's and really enjoyed it. Some of my friends were getting into 3 gun, and I certainly couldn't afford it at the time. 10 years later I could, and discovered that multigun was more than 3X the challenge (and fun) of single gun. I will still shoot USPSA, but my local club's USPSA matches will take 2nd place if there's a 3 gun tournament within a 2 hour drive on the same day. Personally, I think the growth in 3 gun is somewhat driven by the explosion in popularity of the AR-15. Most people are not buying a high power competition-compatible AR, rather they are buying (typically) a carbine with some sort of red dot. 3 gun is more accessible to that configuration, and people who have been shooting IDPA, USPSA, or Steel Challenge realize there's another sport they can participate in. They scare up a Mossberg 500 and they're a 3-gun shooter. Sorry again for the apparent threadjack.

I'm also not in favor of large prize tables as being the draw for a match. I watched this almost 20 years ago in Sporting Clays. Tournaments began advertizing how deep they paid out, how many guns were being given away, etc. Those tournaments started having more problems with "chippers" - the "I saw a chip!" cheaters. Its amazing how the chance at winning a $600 shotgun will cause some folks to do things you wouldn't expect from them. Note that I have not yet shot any major matches in 3 gun - so I am not stating that this is going on. The other issue as a lower class shooter is the feeling that I'm nothing more than cannon fodder at the match. The MD needs more attendees so they can afford a bigger prize table - one that will likely have two trucker hats and a T-shirt left by the time I get to walk up there. Again, going back to my SC days, there were a couple of sponsored shooters who actually said that high match fees (that paid back a multiple for the top shooters) were a tax on low-classed shooters for the "privilege" of shooting with the top dogs. I've had a hard time with strict order-of-finish payouts since then. I don't have a problem with random drawings, and maybe 3-gun match sponsorships are allowing it to be done differently without putting the "burden" on the lower-classed shooters. This is all the perspective of a lower-class shooter who watched high prize tables really cause some serious division in another shooting discipline.

I also come from a skeet and sporting clays background. My main 682 has 32" tubes, and if a sporting 34" was available, I would have bought it. For my 3-gun setup, I went with a 26" barrel on a Winchester Super-X 3. (why the SX3? Long story...). I don't have any problem getting the gun around props or barriers, and it feels more "stable" to me than a shorter gun. Face it...size matters.....

CR speed pouches, Mec-Gar AFC 17 or 19 round mags here. If you buy the Mec-Gars, buy the 17 rounders. You can buy base pads to add the +2, but you can't buy the non-+2 basepads. If your gun doesn't fit with the 19 rounders, you're buying new mags unless you've bought the 17 and the +2 pad.

My 3 gun rifle (admittedly a homebrew, not a JP) rattles when I shake it. Doesn't affect performance in the slightest.

I have shot my 75 Shadow in IDPA, USPSA, and 3 gun. It's my "go-to" at this point for competition. Very pleased with how well the gun points and shoots with MG 124gr CMJ's.

18" Nordic rifle gas here. Really like this setup.

Personally, I'd try a comp before I changed the barrel. I'd also swap the forend for a Carbon Fiber one before I changed the barrel. Heck, I'd buy a new lightweight midlength upper from BCM before I changed that barrel...

Built my own 18" rifle length to replace my 16" HBAR midlength for local matches. It's been reliable since the first round, and was my first "full" build. Switching between the two, I can't believe how much smoother the 18" shoots. I wouldn't hesitate to go rifle again on my next one.

It doesn't fit your earphone requirement but I like my Tilley Airflo hat. Having had 6 skin cancers removed before age 40, I'm a bit sensitive about my sun exposure.

I've had a CTS for the past 3 months or so. Before buying it, I was almost convinced that the path to Limited Nirvana was through an STI Eagle. Even when I bought it, I had a thought that at least I could probably get my money back and put it towards an STI if I didn't like it (bought it used). A new CTS comes with enough mags to get started, for roughly the same price as a new base model 2011 that you're going to have to add mags to. Note that I'm a pretty new Limited shooter (unclassified heading for C right now), but I don't feel like there's anything at all about the CTS that would hold me back from advancing as high as my practice time will allow. The CTS is accurate enough for anything I am ever likely to find myself needing to do. Magazines hold 20 or 21, with Grams guts still come in at under $100, and don't need any sort of tuning. Another thing I like is that the CZ is designed to work on "short" .40 ammo. I know that a properly built 2011 should run either, but I hear of guys having issues with factory .40. I know that in a pinch, I can stop by any WalMart on my way to the range, and pick up suitable ammo that will run well in my pistol. The thumb safety can be actuated either on or off without taking your right thumb off the lever. And then there's the trigger. My CTS breaks at 1 lb 12 oz (according to the scale of the guy who sold it to me). It scares people. Very little takeup or overtravel, and a clean break. 1911 triggers don't get any better than this, just different. But there are negatives to the TS/CTS. Parts are really only available from a couple of places in the US. You're not going to find a new slide stop at your local gun shop. This goes double for competition pieces. Maybe one choice in triggers, no choice in basepads, a couple choices in holsters, and maybe two alternative mag wells. Grips are a DIY proposition (have to trim standard-length CZ grips. It's heavier than a 2011 (I think). And the trigger mechanism is a bit more complex with more small parts. I don't foresee selling my CTS for a 2011 any time in the near future.