Brian Payne

First it was last years DPMS Tri-gun Challenge. Then the HPSC. Finally the Midwest 3-gun. Shotgun jams in all three matches that drive me nuts. Walking through Cabela's last night and happened to spy a Benelli M2 camo with 24" barrel for sale for under $1000.00. Time to get out the files and dremel again. After the shooting season is over I will probably have it sent to Bennie to make it as nice as the one Tyler just got from him.

You would be welcome on the Minnesota squad. As long as you can keep up!

Great match once again. I will be back next year.

Take the time to thank the RO's when the squad is done with the stage. I am not an RO, but I sure see how hard they work. They take a beating - let them know how much it is appreciated.

RM3G. Think BRM3G at 7000 ft. elevation. My wife and I go to this match as our yearly vacation. We take a motorhome from Minnesota (22 hrs.) and stay at the campground right in the Whittington Center. They also have competitor housing on site as well.

If we arrive early in the afternoon on Thur., can we watch the RO's shoot and get a look at the stages? What time is check-in?

I sent my FN SLP to them. They smoothed the friction areas on the bolt, carrier, and inside the receiver. They also took a gas piston and "sealed" it, takng away what I feel is a weak point of the weapon. The spring inside the normal gas piston can break, the sealed piston has the spring removed and an aluminum sleeve put in its place. This allows for less gas to escape the piston, making for more reliable function. They also installed the surecycle recoil system. This allows the shotgun to be used for very light target loads, but still allows for shooting heavy loads without damaging the weapon. I also had them send another sealed piston and surecycle system that I installed in my Winchester Practical that I keep as a spare. I had both weapons out yesterday shooting 3 dram 1oz loads with no problems. That is the lightest load that I shoot. I have also shot loads of 1 1/8oz at 1200 fps up to 1300 fps and all have worked well. Before sending the FN to SRM, reliablility with light loads was sporadic even with the light piston in.

jinikoley As a Law Enforcement Officer, when I first started this 3-gun thing I would have agreed with you about the long range shotgun slug targets and the long range handgun targets. In fact, I was ready to agree with anyone that was preaching the idea that the shotgun was an outdated antiquated weapon that was long past its prime when it came to defensive situations. Since shooting the 3-guns for several years now, I have learned a whole new respect for what a shotgun can do, and also what a handgun can do. Any match that has you shooting these types of targets will test your skills and give you a whole new confidence level with the weapons you have. And that weapon does not have to be any sort of special competition weapon. At the High Plains Shotgun Challenge, I watched a young lady use a fixed choke, cylinder bore, rifle sighted, Remington 1100 shotgun that cost $200.00 at the local pawn shop. She was able to make every shot, including long range slug targets, and medium range paper with no-shoots partially covering them using buckshot. How was she able to make these shots with such an old cheap shotgun? No one ever told her she couldn't make the shot. She had no preconceived notions as to what the shotgun was capable of, or more importantly, what the shotgun was incapable of.

Shoot what you have. (Just try to make sure all of your weapons work before the match). Be enthusiastic about helping to tape targets and re-set steel. Be ready to take some good natured ribbing. Shoot at your own pace. Shake hands with the RO's after the stage is over and thank them for what they do. Have a good time.

Sorry Merlin, my thoughts are with you and yours.

That gives a whole new meaning to "hogging" it out, that is for sure. I personally like the sight rail. Leave the flip up sight down for everything but long range slug shots, then line the fiber optic front sight into the center of the "U" in the rail and let'er buck. It seems as fast as a rib and bead to me.

I just installed the "surecycle" system in my Winchester Practical, then put a SRM sealed gas piston in. Seems to be running great. I will be shooting several hundred rounds through it prior to the FN Midwest 3-gun match.

I've got a fixed A-2, fixed ACE, Magpul M93, and a Magpul UBR. I like the UBR best, then the M93, then the ACE. I like the adjustable stock because I can get it "just right" for me. I then set the stock to lock back into that position if I ever have need to collapse the stock for transport or whatever. So it is basically a fixed stock that gives you the option of adjusting it if needed. I am far from being in the top 10 though

Steph, Since you load weak hand, I would have to advise the 21" if you can find one. The shotgun will be much lighter than the 1100 you use now, but you won't have the pistol grip stock to help you hold it up (at least I "hope" you aren't getting the tactical version w/pistol grip). You have already shot Tyler's 26" Benelli, the 21" will be quicker handling and easier to keep up for loading.

Was it just my imagination or was there a larger than usual number of FN/Winchester shotguns at this match? I did see Benelli's and Remingtons also, just seemed to be a lot more of the FN's than normal. The rifle sights on my Winchester sure came in handy for the slug shots at this match. No jams at all with shot or slugs.

Great match! Thank you to everyone involved. The Horners, Sponsors, RO's, stats people, fellow shooters, spectators (of which there were quite a few), and especially the 4-H workers and the band that played at the opening ceremony. (I thought that was a great touch). Also thanks to the staff and ownership of Rockcastle, the most polite and hospitable people I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with. This will be another match that will be marked "must attend" on the calendar. The only complaint I can think of was that it seemed as if the stages were long enough to run the RO's into the ground. They looked really beat by the end of the shoot. I did not hear any complaints or poor moods by any of the RO's, but they sure looked run down. I know how tired I got running the stages, I don't think I would have had the endurance to do the sort of running the RO's did on this match. My hat is off to them. I have never shot at long range targets with contrasting colors behind the target before. That was a great idea that made targets much easier to see (notice I didn't say they were any easier to hit though). Squad #15 - The best. What else can I say, the shooting competition wasn't enough - they had to go out and compete over who could paste the most bullet holes and re-set the most steel. It makes for a more enjoyable shoot when everyone on the squad helps. Now to recoup and get ready for the next match. Just to add a quick edit: At last years RM3G there were contrasting colored backers to the long range targets. Crawling through the tunnel and striking my head on stage #8 must have caused a little "drain bamage".

I feel your pain. Did the same thing only when I drilled through the nail I just rotated the drill bit through my fingers back and forth, kind of like trying to start a fire with a stick rubbing between your hands. It took a while, but made it through.

I just got back from shooting a local 3-gun match. I had a friend shoot the FN for me while I shot the Winchester. Both ran without a hitch. I was asked to sell the FN, but not going to happen. To find the contact information on SRM Performance, just type that into a search engine on the net, or try www.surecycle.com and that should get you there also. They have worked on numerous other 3-gunners weapons and really seem to know what they are doing. I had them do the reliability package on the shotgun, and this included the surecycle recoil system and sealing the gas piston, new mag spring and follower, and polishing numerous areas inside the weapon. Very good work and the weapon runs great so far. I sent the weapon to them via UPS, they had it one day and sent it back. Great turnaround and great people to talk too.

Tyler and I should be there early on Thursday.

Depending on the barrel length you have, maybe sending it out to be cut and re-choked would be an alternative. I ran the Benelli M1 w/26" barrel and it really didn't pose any sort of problem. My son uses it now. I switched to the FN, liked the way it feels and points better than the Benelli.

33shooter - Check some of the more recent posts for some more comments on this weapon. I have the FN SLP. I really like the weapon but I did have some unusual malfunctions that I think have been tracked down and fixed. I also have the Winchester Practical (basically the same weapon built by the same company, rebranded) that has been perfect thus far. The FN/Winchester is a great alternative for 3-gun because it is basically set to go right out of the box. The flip up rear sight comes in very handy for the long range slug targets. If you can look at the gun in person, flip it over and look at the loading area. Does the lift gate sit square? or is it off kilter? Mine was a little off kilter and that caused some minor problems because it tended to bind or drag. Polished the area where the lifter was dragging and things are good now. I have not personally seen this problem with any other FN/Winchester. Just for reference. I have had the Remington 1100, the Benelli M1 and M2, and I have kept the FN/Winchester weapons. They just fit me the best. As far as price, they have gone up a lot. Equal to the Benelli. If you can find one, it will bring top dollar.

Back for a quick update. Still running 100% with the Winchester Practical, very impressive shotgun. I got the FN back from SRM Performance. It has run perfectly thus far but I will have to shoot it a bunch more before I will consider it 100% trustworthy again. The job done by SRM was very good. I asked them to send a second recoil system and a second sealed gas piston so that I would have it for the Winchester in case I wanted to make that addition in the future. Some things of note. The Winchester is 2 3/4" and the FN is 3" but the loading port on both guns is identical in size. The shell lifter on the Winchester sits perfectly in the loading port and when it moves up and down it touches nothing else in the receiver. The FN shell lifter sits a little crooked in the loading port and when it moves up and down it rubs against the bolt release mechanism. I was warned to check for this problem by another FN shooter. This rubbing or binding is the main cause for the unusual malfunctions I was having. Using the same type of ammo, the weapon would work perfectly for a couple of matches, then have several unexplainable malfunctions that would frustrate the heck out of you. SRM must have noted this also because the area where the shell lifter rubs is now highly polished and the lift gate moves much easier now. SRM also polished numerous other areas in the receiver and on the bolt/carrier. The whole gun feels like it runs much smoother. SRM said that one of the weak points of this type of weapon was the gas piston spring. The springs can wear and break over time, so they seal the gas piston by taking the spring out and replacing it with an aluminum bushing. The weak link in the system is replaced and now the gas piston does not let gas leak through it, making the weapon more reliable with light loads, and the weapon is easier to clean due to less fouling left under the gas piston. They recommend that their recoil system is used with the sealed piston because the added stress to the stock recoil spring can cause problems. The recoil system has the "light" recoil spring in it. With the surecycle recoil system in place you can also shoot "heavy" loads without damaging anything, even with the sealed piston. I have a practice match on Sunday where I will be shooting the Winchester and I have "recruited" several other shooters to put the FN through its paces. After a couple of hundred rounds I should have a better idea as to how well the modifications to weapon work.

I don't know if I have ever seen this brand of shotgun, but I thought I heard it was a clone of the Mossberg. If it is like the Mossberg it should be a good reliable pump shotgun. The only problem is that the you can not put an extended mag tube on it because the end of the tube is also where it attaches to the barrel. Brownell's now sells a "kit" for the Mossberg that allows putting on an extended tube, but it also comes with a new barrel.

I have the FN SLP and a Winchester Practical (both the same SX2 gun basically). Nordic makes a great follower for that style weapon. I added the +1 extention to the FN and just used the spring as it came from Nordic. If you do a search on this site you will get some directions as to how to cut the spring to the correct length.

t-payne, I have this new choke hold I want to show you