ShootfastRunfaster

That's because the mustache doesn't qualify. You need to go full beard. I couldn't get past the mange look so after a while I had to give all the cool toys back.

There are better rifles out there for the price. I don't have experience with the 3 gun model, but I have dealt with RR carbines and rifles since 2005 when the PD that I am with started issuing them. RR is a decent quality rifle assembler that uses standard quality parts for a reasonable price. That is the most accurate description that I can give of the company. Quality control is a little below par to comparably priced manufacturers and we have had to send back new in the box rifles that were assembled with out of spec parts. The guns would either not run, or you couldnt even field strip them because the cam pin could not be removed from the BCG. I am not saying that they turn out garbage, only that they could do a lot better. As for options in buying a dedicated match rifle, buy once and cry once. Use cars as an example. If you plan on buying a car to take out to the track once in a while, then go for something that is easy on the wallet. If you are going to become a racing addict (and more than likely you will become a 3-gun addict), then get a performance model that wont limit you as your skills improve. We all know that it is the Indian and not the arrow and you cannot buy skill. It is just easier to work with a performance arrow. I hope you were able to look at all of the vendor displays at Rockcastle and you are able to make an informed decision. I also believe that we should support those that support us, and I haven't seen a Rock River Arms banner anywhere here at the Rock. Kuan

What chokes do you favor ? I have a briley IC right now probably going to snag a Mod soon enough. But until then i'll just use the crio-chokes that are in the gun. I need to see which one they are the most accurate shooting slugs sometime soon. Do you find that you use full all that often? I keep skeet, light modified, and a full in my range gear. I run the light mod most of the time with the skeet finding its way in if there are a lot of clays in close. I have only used the full at Midwest 3 Gun where they like to separate the shoot and no-shoots by only a few inches. I don't know how particular brands stack up against each other, but I use Carlson's extended for easy changing at the preload table. Kuan

It takes a lot of work and money to make one consistently accurate, and the iron sights are not friendly for this game. DSA makes a great version, but in the end the other platforms are easier to personalize. Kuan

If you are running a Benelli, the Fiocchi Aero 7/8 oz are the way to go. Soft shooting and very accurate. For bird I run Winchester AA in 7.5 or 8. AA127 or AA128 are the product codes. With proper choke selection they take care of anything that has to be knocked down or broken. I do keep a few Remington Express 6 on hand if there is an MGM spinner on a stage. All these loads run no problem from my 21" Benelli M2 field gun. Aside from a garage welded carrier, it is bone stock. No lightening or otherwise. Kuan

This is exactly why I'm not buying any more XM193. My gun loves it but tosses the gun around a bit more than other loads. I'm switching to AE .223 or PMC .223 (not the X 5.56 stuff). ++ on this. Also keep an eye on the primers. I had some from a couple of years ago that had light staking of the primers and they were backing out and getting stuck under the trigger or in the barrel extension at an alarming rate. I also chronographed them out of a Colt M4 14.5 barrel and they were screaming out at over 3050 fps. No wonder they were backing the primers out. Usually the "X" prefix denotes experimental, with Federal ammunition the "X" stands for rejected lot that did not meet product specifications. Kuan

I am a 10 shot shooter also. I try and test at 200 yards, but sometimes I am limited to shorter. I like the idea of using mean radius as it is a true test of ammunition consistency, but I would probably be wasting ammo since I can't guarantee that I was actually holding the same place each time I pulled the trigger Kuan

If you want a do-it-all rifle, get the AR pattern gun. As several of the previous posts stated, it is a more adaptable platform when it comes to mounting optics and making equipment changes. I shot my first major match in 2005 at RM3G in the He-Man division. I ran a Federal Ordinance M14 rifle that I borrowed from a buddy. I shot He Man Irons at RM3G for the next couple of years with a loaded package Springfield M1A. It is more than accurate enough and can be just as quick as any 308 AR. I eventually transitioned over to the 308 AR because I wanted to keep the same style of rifle in my hands regardless of the division I shoot. There are several good manufacturers that make a 308 AR that will perform out of the box with the best in my opinion being the JP LRP-07. I don't own one, but I have shot a few and they are like shooting a light weight 223 with hot loads. They are hands down the top fuel dragster of the 308 AR family. I currently run a Noveske N6 with a 16" barrel (I have not found a need for anything longer when using a 308, that includes the 400 - 600 yard shots that are found at RM3G). I have a DPMS carbine that has been a solid performer also. Of the options you listed, I would go with the DPMS 3G1 308. You can use whatever sighting system makes happy and you can drop a JP barrel in it and turn it into a sub moa machine. Kuan

Steel must be reactive (or have called hits) for all of the calibers that are used by all competitors regardless of division. If you run a reactive target that is designed to react to the hit of a HM rifle, you are unlikely to have it react when it is hit with a .223. Sure you could set out separate targets for the heavy and lite guns so everyone can be even, but that doubles your cost on steel and set up / maintenance. As for modifying scoring so you can run the heavy and lite guns together, it has been my experience that you will still be at a disadvantage with the heavy gun. Some matches offer a "Heavy Tactical" division where you run the same pistol and shotgun as TO. The only "heavy" thing about them is the rifle has to be a 30 cal with a minimum PF. One well known match does this and for that division paper target scoring is modified to 1 hit anywhere to neutralize the target. The issue is torque and recoil. The heavy gun will always push you around more and be harder to swing in transitions. One shot paper scoring seems advantageous for the heavy shooter as they only have to fire one shot instead of two, but the increased recoil slows down your transitions between multiple targets. Recoil is also an issue when shooting at steel targets. If you miss with a heavy gun, recovery for a second shot is substantially slower that with a lite gun. A properly set up TO rifle will display minimal movement if the shooter has a sound shooting position. You will see more movement with the same shooter in the same position using a HM rifle. I am a fan of the heavy guns since I first attended Rocky Mountain 3 Gun in 2005 with borrowed He-Man gear. I choose to shoot He-Man or Heavy Metal because of the distinct challenges that you are faced with, but I still want to be competitive. With the dwindling turnout of HM shooters in recent months I am reluctantly shooting TO at more matches this year than HM. I go to matches to compete and have fun, but if I show up to shoot HM and the division doesn't have enough shooters to be recognized, I will be at a disadvantage shooting the heavy gear in another division. I am thrilled that JJ and Denise have put together the He-Man Nationals and we had a decent turn out of dedicated He-Men last year. I look forward to the end of the month when I get to see them again an meet some new recruits. Kuan

I predict that you will be eating good and taking home the HM title.

You will also be shooting on the target that is pictured on the Tactical Police Competition page. Scoring areas differ from an IPSC silhouette.

We are full in our room, but there are rooms available in Sedalia, over an hour away from the range. That's where we ended up.

DSG is a sponsor and Kuan lives about 30 miles from the range. He'll be there. 3 part answer to this one. Yes I live close by. Yes I will be there. No I will not be shooting HM. I will be running TO. The Kool-Aid is still dripping from my chin. Kuan

I will bring a camera crew for that! I can get you some .303 British for free. It is headstamped '43 and was quite entertaining in a jungle carbine with consistent 1.5-2 second hangfires!

I can't wait to see you climb the wall at BRM3G with that thing slung across your back and 2 extra mags. Blocked at 20 rds per magazine of course.

Its completely your choice, but I would stick with depressing the silver latch, both on and off the clock. It may be about 1/4 second faster to pull the trigger to get a shell released over hitting the latch, but you are intentionally pulling the trigger with no intent on firing at a target. Leave intentionally pulling the trigger without shooting a shot for dry fire practice and following RO commands at the end of a stage. I have seen a few shooters get a little confused and end up ND'ing a round when they were trying to get a round out on the carrier by pulling the trigger. They of course forgot that they were already chambered. Using the release instead of the trigger would have prevented the occurrances. Its always good to remember that we can "get away" with something a thousand times, but when it catches up to you it will be embarrassing or worse. One " Oh s###!" will cancel out all the "atta boy's". Just my. 02 Kuan

+1 The 2 3/4" shotgun shell is not 2.75" as it comes out of the box. Most usually measure around 2.30-2.35". When fired the crimp straightens out and adds around 0.3-0.4", depending on shell type. That is the 2 3/4" designation. Like Larry stated, you can chamber a 3" designated shell in a 2 3/4" gun, but the straightened crimp will be in the forcing cone and will drive your pressures up. You can get away with it, but its not reccommended. The Versamax has very generous dimensions as part of its design and I have seen a few 3.5" put through a Versamax Tactical that is marked 3". It wasn't me behind the trigger and I was ready to say "I told you so.". I was glad that I didn't get to. Kuan

I am supported by DSG, so I run what they are able to provide. The TMR also fits my thoughts on holdovers. I am not fond of established BDC reticles when it comes to 3 gunning. I will be swapping this scope back and forth between a .223 and .308 this season and like the flexibility of having a neutral scale. There are a lot of good BDC reticles out there now that are made for 3 gunning like the new Vortex Razor with the Jerry M. reticle, but I still prefer having a neutral scale. The only thing that bugs me about the TMR on the Mark 6 is the etchings that are used for the illumination. They are a little too big for my liking when trying to line up on small targets on full power. It's a give and take though. If they were any smaller you would not have a sufficient area to illuminate and they would be less visible on 1 x. Kuan

RippSpeed, That is the correct number according to the DSG.arms website. When I received my scope from them, it was the first illuminated TMR that I had seen in one. The only reticle that I had seen previously was the CMR-W. With the TMR being a MIL scale, I run a 200 yard zero regardless of caliber and make note of the holdovers. Kuan

Someone out there is spinning a tall one. I have not had any problem with 175's in mine. Don't forget that original M118 is loaded with a 173 gr fmj and has been used that way for decades. I'm sure if there was a problem shooting a bullet weight in that range it would have popped up a long time ago. M118 LR uses the Sierra 175 and I have yet to see it take a rifle apart. Kuan

Larry Vickers' VCAS is a good sling that allows for one handed adjustment, but it does not have the range of adjustmentthat the VTAC does. Properly set up, the VTAC allows you to snug the rifle against you cross-body style in front or back. The VCAS has a limited adjustment range that is established by the size of the forward loop. If you want the best of both worlds, get the non-padded VTAC and put HK style snap hooks at both ends. You have a quick 2 point or single point. Very MS2 like, but more user friendly in the adjustment. Kuan

Serpa is good to go for 3 gunning. Especially at matches like Rocky Mountain 3Gun where you will be unslinging your rifle and you don't want your pistol to go bouncing downrange unexpectedly. I ran an M&P 45 last year for all Heavy Metal / He-Man in a Serpa. The drawback is that you can get dirt/debris under the locking mechanism and it will make drawing your pistol very difficult. You really have to be rolling around in it for that to happen. That is less likely to happen in a 3 gun match. I have hit the ground hard enough while tackling a badguy that I have filled the top of my Safariland 6004 with grass and dirt and it locked my pistol in place. I had to have a buddy hold on to the holster while I used both hands to free my pistol. A washdown with a garden hose was necessary after that one. Nothing is perfect or foolproof. Kuan

I don't have any issues with it, but I don't have any experience with the other scopes that everyone talks about. I also come from an iron sights background where consistent cheek weld is everything. I try and run the same way with a scope. Kuan

Hey Kuan, When at 1x and the reticle is nearly invisible, is the illumination bright enough to see and use for fast work? I've been curious about this scope for a while. Here are a few pics of the illuminated TMR reticle. The illumination is only visible in the quartered ring that surround the center of the reticle. The first one is 6X non-illluminated, the second is 6X illluminated, and the last is 1X illuminated. I had the illumination set on 4 for the photos. It goes up to 7 and it is daylight bright in the Texas sun.

Like Dave said, the Leupold Mark 6 will fit your needs. I am trying one with the illuminated TMR and it is daytime visible. The adjustment is in .2 mil increcments and the knobs are a locking version so they cannot be turned inadvertantly. DSG Arms has them in stock and list them at $1949.99. Kuan