dghboy315

i'm looking for a good, well made heat shield for my 870. i would prefer one that does not require any smithing. anyone have any good choices for me?

i've also had great luck w/ dells. the last laptop i got from dell was refurbished and therefore was $400 under their new prices. basically, refurbished computers are computers that were built for but never bought by the customer. some are returned, but apparently, most are never sent to the customer b/c the customer changed their mind. according to dell employees, it is where all the staff pick up their computers. if you decide on a dell, don't forget to check out their refurbished computers.

yea, on Outdoor Life Network (OLN) there are Shooting USA and Sighting in with Shooting USA. here is a link for both shows - http://shootingusa.com/ on the Outdoor Channel there are Shooting Gallery - http://www.shootinggallerytv.com/ and American Rifleman - http://www.outdoorchannel.com/index2.cfm?SectionID=34&SS=78 and Guns and Ammo TV - http://www.gunsandammomag.com/tv/ they don't always show action pistol stuff, but do have certain episodes that highlight it.

i love shooting steel, but i can not find any matches in my area. if anyone knows of a place that has steel in the Washington D.C. / Baltimore / Northern Virgina area please let me know. it doesn't have to be officially the steel challenge stuff. any steel would be fine. i'm willing to drive 2 hours from D.C.

i've never had a real problem w/ shooting w/ both eyes open w/ in action shooting sports, but i could never do it w/ trap shooting. so i tried the tape over my left eye for a month and it did not help at all. so i gave it up and returned to one eye trap shooting. i did i do something wrong? i started w/ black tape to totally block my left eye to train just keeping both eyes open. then i moved to semi-transparent tape to let a little more light in. then i moved to transparent tape. all of these worked fine. but when i took off all the tape i coudl not hit a thing w/ both eyes open. but only in trap.

wow, i thought you all practiced way more than me (2-3 times a wk dry fire and live fire). but it looks like i'm right in the mean. i always felt bad b/c i could not put more time into practicing b/c of school and work, but seeing this poll makes me feel much better. maybe i can start to become competative this year, even w/ my limited time.

you can definately use it. i'm also running my HD 870 in 3gun (18.5" IC bbl, no chokes, 7+1 mag, speedfeed IV-short pistol grip stock, six shell side saddle, vang comp large safety, and surefire fore end). basically b/c that is all i have right now. there are many different competitions that use shotguns and each have different rules. even in local ipsc/uspsa matches, there can be different divisions. but, i think almost all of them would have a class for your gun. that's probably why most of your responses where just go out and have fun. you would have to check w/ each individual match to see where you would fit in. as for the tricked out guns you have seen, they are used as well. however, red dot optics and speed loaders are only allowed in open class. in standard/tactical/limited/he-man classes, you can use your 870, but the real question is, how far do you want to take this sport? an 870 will allow you to compete and enjoy the sport, and you could do very well w/ it . if you want to win, however, all the pros use semi-autos. after a certain point, a pump will slow you down. that's why i'm looking for semi-auto right now, not that getting one will get me any closer to winning, but i just want to look cool like the big boys. the only thing i would suggest for your 870 is to come up w/ a good reloading scheme. reloading is what action shotgun shooting is all about. in addition to the side saddle, i have 2 calif. comp 6 shell mags and a 3gungear bandolier. this is only an ok set up so far. good luck

Lethal Weapon it's why i bought a beretta

let us know how you did

the real question, is how tuff do you need it? the aimpoint and eotech are the top red dots in the market b/c they are the most durable. i have an aimpoint myself b/c i reliable source say that marine corps test have had the least failures w. the aimpoint compaired to the eotech. but both are pretty good. the recitcals are totally different and i really depends on what you like. i like the simple single red dot of the aimpoint. it is very fast. maybe the fastest b/c nothing really gets in the way. aimpoint is coming out w. a new model the M3 (night vison compatible) and ML3 (non-night vison) which are supposed to have even better battery life (around 40,000 hours) and even more rugged (it can be go underwater even deeper than before). the Larue tactical mounts are the best for the aimpoints. aimpoint is even coming out w/ a magnifier for the sight which can be mounted behind the aimpoint to give it a magnification of x3 (or x4 ican't remember). this means you can convert for distance shots later. i'm looking in to maybe getting one of these for myself. all this being said, do you really need the top of the line? aimpoints run btwn $300-400. are you going to be using the sight in super adverse conditions? really, only hard core military users or extremely high round shooters need that kind of durability. the rest of us just want it b/c it is cool. if it will only be for range work and an occational shootingn match, why not get something 1/2 or even 1/4 the price. a friend of mine has had good luck w/ an ultra dot. he has had it for years and only now does it need to be replaced. for a new shooter, maybe get something cheaper to figure out what you like and how to use a red dot and then upgrade to the best. but, if you really know that you want a red dot and you want the best, aimpoint all the way.

i say, buy something that you love. something you just can't wait to shoot. if you love it, you will shoot it a lot and improve. it doesn't matter why you love it, be it b/c it looks cool or it feels great. you don't have to like what the top shooters like. you don't have to justify why you like something. just learn to love to shoot and everything else will come later. that being said, i like the beretta 92, springfield xd, and 1911s. also, the new beretta PX4 Storm looks promising. http://www.px4storm.com/

it's been 2 years since i had my eyes corrected. best money i ever spent. no problems at all. everything went exactly as they said it would. a little pain a few hours afterwards, total vison returned in 2 days, slight fluctuations for 6 months. had to use a lot of eye drops. loss of a little night vison for the 1st year, but that has returned. i just made sure i went to the best dr i could find. he did tiger woods. why be cheap on your vison.

any more info on SX2 accessories? Caspian_45 asked some questions above i would also love to hear the answers to.

just ipsc. not other matches like idpa, trap or 3gun. usu. 1 per month.

i've got the wilson tactical assault for my elite 2, which has the brg slide. it works great, but i heard they dont' make them any more. LTT's holster's are supposed to be just as good. http://langdontactical.com/

i say do what works. grip pressure can be important. just last weekend, my dad figured out that by griping harder w/ his left hand, he didn't pull his shots as much. on the other hand, changing grip pressure has never affected my shooting. most of the great instructors i've met usu. have a shooting doctrine. however, they will also be the first people to change things if something does not work for one person. i'm mean, they developed their technique by trying lots of different things and finding which worked best for them.

bronco, please tell me more. did you have to do any additional work on the gun? what did you have to do during the break in period? how often do you need to clean? what kind of ammo do you run? thanks

well i took the majority view point and tried out a stock benelli M1 super 90. it was light and ergonomics were great. the rifle sights were excellent as well. BUT, recoil really was heavy. i shot it side by side w/ my 870 using the same ammo and the benelli felt like it kicked harder. i think this will be a deal breaker specifically because of my dad, who does not like heavy kick. i also heard that benellis run reliably b/c the top shooters usu. use full power loads. they would also have problems w/ super/ultra light loads. is this true? well, then i moved to the groups second choice, the JP rem 1100 limited shotgun. i called up JP and talked for a while w/ them. i don't know who i talked too, but he was veryhelpful and informative. we talked about my concerns w/ reliability problems and he said that the gun needed to be cleaned after every use. but, if it was cleaned for no more than 5 min after every use, it would run as reliablly as any other gun. major cleaning only needed to be done every season. my second concern was w/ the length of pull. the only way to shorten the gun was to install a choate pistol grip w/ spacers. what is the opinions of pistol grips on shotguns? well, i was ready to put down an order, when he said that the JP limted shotgun was not available. he said they had not gotten parts from remington for 2 months. he hoped he would get the guns in stock w/in 4-8 weeks. ugh. i put my self on the waiting list, but i don't know if i want to wait that long so now, i guess i'm back to the SX2. the guy at JP said he also liked that one. he said it had good internals. he only had 2 real criticisms of winchester. 1, the rifle sights were not good and not adjustable. 2, single reloads required a person to push a button while the rem could be set up w/ auto closing bolt. i guess now i just need to find a place that has sx2 for a good price. any suggestion? thanks again everyone.

ok, so what is the protocol in appealing a ruling? who do i contact? and i've seen that flip over mount. it does look slick, but upon further inspection others have noticed that it flips the magnifier in front of the left eye (if you are shooting w/ the right eye) and thus prohibiting shooting w/ both eyes open.

good point. i didn't even think of that. well, maybe if the 2 act as one and you don't take it apart during the stage, then it might be considered one. cuz you are would be really only using one sighting system which has 2 parts. maybe? who can i officially ask?

there has been a lot of discussion of the aimpoint x3 magnifier on ar15.com. i was wondering what you all though from a 3gun point of view. it seems like it would be a great addition for those that alrealy have an aimpoint. it should really help on long stages. on short stages, you could just take it off since it will mostlikely be on a QD mount. but what about stages w/ both long and short ranges. i don't think you would have time to take off the magnifier. would close targets be any more difficult w/ the magnifier and w/ an acog? or one could just close the front lens cap of the aimpoint and use it as a .... (i forget the name of that kind of sight)?

but the recoil of a benelli is less than a 870 pump? b/c that is what my father and i have been shooting and the recoil has been fine w/ light loads.

oakley's all the way. i've tried the rest. IMO, the fit and finish don't compare to oakleys. but the biggest point to me was that oakley has the largest selection of shapes for every face. i have always had a hard time w/ glasses b/c i have a wide face. but, oakely's sweep shape fits me perfectly. so i went ahead and got all 6 different lenses for every light condition. but, i would not have been able to do it w/ out the govt/LE discount. oaks are expensive. but, aren't your eyes worth the best?

glockster96 and kellyn, may i ask how much your benellis from benny were? did you have to supply your own benelli? how long did it take to get your gun? minnesota1, you bring up a good point about cleaning. i almost never need to clean my 870. how often do the other shotguns need to be cleaned? i hate cleaning. finally, is there anything to the criticism about the heavier recoil of the benellis? my dad will also be shooting this gun. he is a new shooter just getting into 3gun and he is still a little recoil sensitive. thanks for the replies

from my research, it seems like the SX2, Benelli, and JP are the 3 best choices for 3gun tactical. but which one do i choose? my price range is around 1K. I"m an average C class, moving to B shooting in uspsa. i love 3gun but my std 870 is holding me back. i know i could trick out my 870, but i really want a 3gun dedicated shotgun. the 870 has been relegated to HD duty (18"bbl and surefire). at first the SX2 was the front runner, but then i read stuff on it not handling light loads well. i heard locking the bolt back for a few weeks helps or sending it for a little work, but for the price of the SX2, i don't think it should need work. then i saw the JP limited shotgun and it looked great, perfectly customized for 3gun. but a friend said the 1100 are so-so on reliability b/c of the crappy internals. the same friend then suggested a benelli customized by triangle shooting sports. so now i don't know what to choose. all input would be appreciated. thanks in advance.