[Armalite 13.5" 3 gun model practice/match ammo?]

Thanks for the replies, I'll check out what you all have suggested. I was planning to use a high grade ammo such as Hornady® Custom Match Rifle Ammunition

when sighting in the scope is that what is usually done? I ask because I won't be using that ammo on a regular basis & won't be tuning the muzzle or gas block to it either.

[9MM/ .223 match ammo]

Thanks for all the replies. After reading reviews on the site, I was all set to order a bunch of FM ammo. But now I'm not sure, ugh! I guess it's best, if I did buy from them, to get 'new' rather than reloads eh? But then hearing about the 'weak loads' puts me off too. Anyone have very recent experience w/ FM ammo that can post? Suppose I'll go ahead & check out the other sites you all have suggested first. BTW, what are 'steeped cases'?

[9MM/ .223 match ammo]

So I'm wondering what everyone uses for their 9mm pistol match ammo? Does it really matter if you use 115g or 147g? ATM I'm looking at Freedom Muntions Ammo. From what they have their 9mm HP 124g reman @ .19/rd looks like a really nice deal & something I'd like to use long term. As well they have .223 55g reman @ .29/rd that I'm thinking can be my go to ammo for my AR. I'm not rich, so I need to find value priced ammo that I can use for both practice & competition. Thoughts?

[Armalite 13.5" 3 gun model practice/match ammo?]

13 hours ago, TonytheTiger said:

I had good luck with Freedom Munitions 55gr reman ammo before I started reloading. Even made first rounds hit a on silhouettes at 500yds in matches. Others have had bad experiences with them but it always worked great for me. Oh, and Armalite's voodoo black magic rain dance barrel break in procedure is BS, your barrel is no different than any other SS barrel.

 

Thanks Tony, it sure seems like a whole crazy deal, even for a noob, amateur like me, how they want you to break it in. What is a normal break in procedure for a SS barrel? Or is there even one at all? I just wanna make sure I take good care of this weapon. It wasn't cheap for me!

 

4 hours ago, troupe said:

I have had good luck in all of my rifles with the PMC Bronze 55 gr. It is a little slower than some, but it is cheap per case and I can get 1 moa with it.

 

Thanks troupe, from what I'm reading it seems like 55gr is the most commonly used for .223 AR types. I'll keep looking into it & listening to others that may reply here. Seems like I can likely find one brand of ammo to use for both practice & matches that will be around .30-.40 cents/round.

 

Btw, can anyone explain the difference between 'reman' & 'new'.  I'm also seeing alot of abbreviations like V-MAX, PSP, SS109, HPBT & FMJ that I'm not exactly sure what the difference is & what the application is for each. Is there a place someone can point that explains these differences so I learn about it? I know FMJ is full metal jacket, but I don't know it's applications. The others I'm completely at a loss...

[Armalite 13.5" 3 gun model practice/match ammo?]

Hi all, I'm looking for advice on affordable ammo for both practice & 3-gun matches for my new Armalite 13.5" 3 gun rifle. This rifle has both & adjustable gas block & an adjustable muzzle break. I plan to buy a new set of muzzle break plugs so I can tune my rifle to both match & practice ammo. This is my first ever rifle & being so new I'm not sure what type of ammo I need to be using for both practice & 3 gun matches. I need the ammo to be relatively affordable as I'm simply not able to just buy whatever regardless of price range. I'd like to find two type of ammo. One decent precision ammo for matches & one for practicing. I'm really not wanting to be using ammo of a $1/ round range as that's simply not something I can maintain w/ my current situation. I'd prefer to use ammo of around .30-.50 cents/ round for both practice/ competition if possible. However, I don't plan on becoming a pro 3-gun guy & will likely only shoot, maybe, between 3-4 matches/ year in my region so keep that in mind what making suggestions. I'd sure appreciate it if anyone could give me some good advice on which type & grain of ammo will suit my gun & financial situation. Keep in mind the Armalite has a SS competition barrel & needs a specific break-in sequence. Now they recommend both black hills & federal .223M, but from what I've found those seem more than what I'm wanting to spend on a regular basis. Again I'm new so maybe I'm not finding the best prices. Thanks to all that find time to respond.

[Stoeger M3000 Scattergun?]

On 1/31/2017 at 4:04 PM, mark97se said:

Wanted to address an issue here that I don't think has been covered.  About 6 months after we got our Stoegers, Tim's gun started having issues with shells not releasing from the tube when the latch was tripped (for say an empty chamber start).  While this can happen from removal of too much material on the latch side of the gun/tube...further inspection showed that the latch/latch pin/receiver holes had too much play in them.  This slop resulted in the latch sometimes hanging out just far enough to stay on a shell even when the latch was tripped.  We estimated that during loading practice in those 1st 6 months, Tim had loaded somewhere between 15,000-25,000 shells...enough that the slamming back and forth had loosened up the holes in the receiver and latch.  The simple solution that RCI(XRAIL) came up with was to drill out the receiver and latch for a traditional 1/8" roll pin.  That tightened it up to better than it came from the factory, and now (1.5 years later with 2 shooters sharing it) it is still good to go. The factory tolerances are a bit on the loose side, so the more you shoot or load, the quicker this can happen.  This is a cheap solution for anyone with this issue.

 

-Mark, Becky, Tim, Sean, and Andrew Yackley 

 

MOA Carrier Latch Pin Upgrade

[Stoeger M3000 Scattergun?]

Hey all, so I've read through the entire thread now & paid special attention to when the M3K comes in. This is my first shotgun, though, & some things are not exactly clear to me even after reading it all & I have a few questions I've come up w/ to ask, but I'm sure I may have more in the future! For reference, I have the newest M3K w/ the most recent 'stock' port mod. Here's what I've added/installed so far:

 

-TTI hammer/ trigger springs & pre-fit lifter

-MOA/Nordic +8 extension tube kit

-MOA low drag follower & double headed safety

 

*Not yet installed:

-Benelli extractor (Back-Ordered)/ spring  

 Anyone know the part# for the Benelli pin that goes w/ this set?

 I can't find the info anywhere I've looked thus far.

-High Viz front sight # PM1002 (shipping to me atm)

 

So questions:

(Disclaimer: Please be exact, in referencing specifications, brands, types &/ or amounts when answering these questions,

as I'm completely new to shotguns &, really, shooting in general.)

 

1. What shells should I use to break in this gun?

1a. What type of shells do I need for competitions?

2. What type of chokes do I need to compete, specifically, for 3-Gun?

2a. What are the applications of each type as it pertains to 3-Gun?

      Included w/ the gun:

    ***M-lead/ F-steel

  ****IC-lead/ M-steel

*****C-lead/ IC-steel

3. How much has everyone adjusted their M3K's as far as drop, cast & shortening the stock? I know it's an individual thing & even after reading about long-gun adjustments & practicing shouldering the gun I'm just not sure what to do. I don't seem to quite have a repeatable shouldering atm, but I feel I"m pretty close. I can't see how you can adjust the cast, w/ the included shims, as the pattern on them only allows for drop & doesn't allow them to be stacked. The drop at comb on my gun came at 1-3/8' & I've read you want around 1-1/2" - 1-3/4" here, which seems right as when I shoulder the gun I seem to see just a bit too much of the rail. What I really can't figure is if I need to trim the stock at all. When I shoulder the gun I seem to not be consistent enough, that I can tell,  w/ where my thumb knuckle/ nose distance is each time. Some times it's like 4 fingers & some times is near the 2 fingers recommended, but overall seems closer to 3 fingers after many shoulderings. As a tradesman I KNOW you can only cut once in most situations!!! UGH!?! Is this something I might NEED to have a pro look at or is it not that big a deal? TBH, after all the shouldering I've done the gun seems very close to a fit, but then again, from reading, gun fit precision is very important & I want to make sure I've done this properly so I'm as best set up as I can be for success.

3a. What does the '65' & '50' mean on the shims that come w/ the gun mean? It comes w/ 2-65 shims & 1-50 shim. I'm Guessing it's to do w/ the thickness, but what scale is it referring to?

 

That's all for now.

I'd like to thank everyone that contributed to this thread. It's been very helpful & I appreciate it all quite a bit.

As well, I'd greatly appreciate any answers, help or suggestions you all might have for me as a new guy/ shooter.

 

~T

[Burris announces new 1-6 Scope designed for 3 Gun]

21 hours ago, NoKimberDave said:

First time I took out my Steiner I was glassing the 100yrd plates. Was very disappointed for a minute because I really missed the extra 2 power.

Then I snapped out of my derp and realized I had the Steiner on like 2X, lol. I can see much better through it at 4X than the 6X of the Vortex, which always had a fuzziness at 6X.

95% of my shooting at matches involves using the sight on 1X. That is the most important to me. I shot a 2gun match Saturday and never zoomed at all. out to 100 or even 150 I use 1x, and many matches don't go beyond that. 

Not saying the Steiner is the be all / end all, but for 459.00 including a nice cat tail, it's a no brainer and I don't see how you can possibly beat it. It's very good for the money and would be a good scope to learn on. I've found I need to drop at least a G to get a decent 1x6. My experience is limited of course to the scopes I have tried. 

Many people are completely satisfied with the Strike Eagle. It's pretty killer for the price.

 

 

Hey Dave, where did you find it for $459 w/ the cat tail??? I'm only seeing it for $549-579 w/ no cat tail.

Also, What do you all think of this mount? Burris 410341 AR PEPR 30-mm Scope Mount

It'd be on an armalite13.5" 3-gun ed.

[Burris announces new 1-6 Scope designed for 3 Gun]

17 hours ago, Huch said:

Check out the Steiner p4xi 1-4x. I have one on my 3Gun rifle and it awesome. Like the Vortex Razor HDII, but only 4x and about $550. Has great glass, same reticle as the Razor and a daylight bright red dot in the center. I switched to one from a Strike Eagle 1-6x and love it. Even though I lost 2x on the top end, I shoot better at long distance with the Steiner because the glass is better and the reticle is much more precise (the reticle lines on the Strike Eagle are too thick so the holdover lines are worthless because they cover the entire target). I have mine in a cheap, lightweight Aero Precision mount and it has held zero since the day I mounted it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

1 hour ago, NoKimberDave said:

Same exact experience here. Love the Steiner and don't miss the SE at all.

 Thanks guys. Was able to find a youtube video on the steiner & it does look nice. I'm not very versed in scopes, but from what little I've read & been told it's defo on my short list atm. I was told that most in practical div. are shooting 1-6x is there any particular reason for this? What's the average long range target distance?

[IDPA Holster question]

1 hour ago, Jim Watson said:

IWBs are ok but you must wear it 3:00 or back, no appendix carry as seems popular in the hsld community these days.

You are entitled to two reload magazines and will occasionally need them.  I use two single carriers for flexibility of use and placement.  Or you could carry the other spare in your pocket; that is allowed but you must carry ammo the same way the whole match. 

Thanks Jim. Appreciate the knowledge.

[IDPA Holster question]

Necro, but I'm new so deal.

I've just joined IDPA & intend to compete this spring. I want to use my EDC gear as I'm interested in reality & testing myself for such. Is an alien gear IWB holster legal? It's what I use atm. And do I need a double mag holster or is a single (which I currently have/use EDC on occasion) ok? If it matters my EDC is a Springfield 3" 9mm XD Mod.2. Gaining practical experience in SD situations, however contrived it may be, is my main goal. Winning is an afterthought to me. Just explaining what my personal mindset going into this is all. Thanks!

[Burris announces new 1-6 Scope designed for 3 Gun]

21 hours ago, Flatland Shooter said:

The reticle on the 1-4x  is very similar to that on the older Burris MTAC,  That was my starter scope in 3 gun.  Great at short distances but ate my lunch past 150 yards.  Others on here may disagree but that's my experience.

The reticle on the new 1-6x is similar to that on the Burris XTR and XTRii scopes.  For me it was a much better reticle.  I don't know how long a wait until its released, but if the glass is anywhere near as good as it is in the XTR scopes, you will see one on my carbine.

The PEPR mount is nice for the money.  If you get the Fastfire 3 and mount it on your rifle, it will bump you into Open/Unlimited class.

 

7 hours ago, lumberjack149 said:

The tac30 is great scope for the money.  I bought one 3yrs ago when I started 3gun and has worked well from 0-300yds for me.  Illumination is trash but I don't need it due to the reticle design.

I would skip the combo package and buy a mount separate.  You can also easily get 10% off coupons for optics planet (Jesse T.).

Let's hope they bring out the 1-6 soon and that the quality matches the existing mtac/tac30 vs some of the Chinese 1-6's currently available

Thanks for the replies guys.

Hmmm, I want to be in the tactical or practical division, as I think it's called now, so what would you recommend to me for around a $500 or so budget? Keep in mind I'm a novice & this will be my first rifle/scope combo. I'm no dummeh though, so it doesn't 'have' to be a simple plug & play type deal that I'll need to replace too quickly. I'd rather have something that I can use for a good while right off. I'll be using it on an Armalite AR 13.5" 3-Gun ed.

[Burris announces new 1-6 Scope designed for 3 Gun]

It was suggested to me to grab the

Burris Fullfield TAC30 1-4x24 Riflescope,Ballistic CQ Reticle w/ 3MOA Fastfire 3 & 30mm AR-P.E.P.R. Mount 200433-FF       

for a 3-gun AR.

Would one of these be better for 3-gun?

I'm not much versed in rifle scopes. What are opinions on these? Seems it's a more expensive option & doesn't have a mount in the package for what I can tell.

I've not done much research on scopes yet so any help is appreciated as I'm new to shooting & planning to start competing in 3-gun this spring. Was hoping to stay around $500 total.

 

 

[Signing-On from NW Indiana (New)]

1 minute ago, homewrecker07 said:

Welcome to the forums!

Thanks homewrecker07.

[Signing-On from NW Indiana (New)]

1 hour ago, mksm2016 said:

Welcome sir! Have fun upgrading your Stoeger shotgun. I too, have the same model shotgun but I am going to keep the internals stock. I've added a Carbon Arms extended mag tube for now and working on applying silicone carbide as a grip rather than using a skateboard grip. I may switch to Hi-Viz down the road too. The good thing about the CA mag tube is it's a one piece design so no need to add a clamp.

Thanks mksm2016. After browsing MOA's site I'm ending up adding a few more trinkets than I had initially planned, but what the heck it's only money & tax returns are coming! I'm going w/ the MOA +8 tube as well as the Tac-com extension stabilizer. Are you saying I won't need the stabilizer at all? It seems like it would be better to have one w/ 7" or so overhang of the barrell. And being that it's not a clamp it's 'supposed' to not effect slug accuracy.

[Signing-On from NW Indiana (New)]

Just now, Hi-Power Jack said:

Just in case, I'd start saving my brass ...  now  

Funny you say that. I have a big ol' mason jar w/ lots of 9mm brass in it on my desk!

[Signing-On from NW Indiana (New)]

2 hours ago, Hi-Power Jack said:

Welcome aboard, Tank

That's a real nice arsenal you have ...

BTW, what the hell is "kettlebell training"?

From everything you wrote, I presume you also reload????

Thanks Jack.

Kettlebells are solid metal or concrete balls of various weights that have a handle on them for weight training. They came into being in early Russian strongman competitions. Use the ol' goggle machine if you'd like to know more.

As for reloading, nope. As I said I'm a novice shooter & a relatively new gun owner so I'm still learning alot. If it sounds like I'm more knowledgeable than I am it's because I'm a research fiend! I'll be buying ammo for a good while, likely forever as I only plan to compete here & there during the year, but we'll see how that goes as I progress. I've heard it's VERY addictive & It's one of the reasons I have a Cableas credit card, now, that I use for ALL my purchases! But I pay my CC off EVERY month so it's fine. In any case, I'm mostly interested in getting practical experience on tactical type courses in order to become more proficient in those types of scenarios & of course for good fun & meeting new, good people!

...

[Beginner's Guide to Shooting Sports]

Thanks for this. As a new shooter looking to start competing this spring it was helpful to me.

[Signing-On from NW Indiana (New)]

8 minutes ago, Sarge said:

Welcome to the forums!

Thanks Sarge.

[Signing-On from NW Indiana (New)]

A bit about me. I'm from Northwest Indiana, also known as 'The Region' (Lowell-West Creek Unincorporated). As such, I'm a 'country boy' & while I enjoy a visit to the city, the country is where I belong. I'm not a hunter, but enjoy fishing, hiking, kettlebell training & have been slowly getting into adventure motorcycling over the last few years (2014 KLR650).

I've been shooting friends/ relatives firearms here & there most of my life, but have only recently, in the last year or so, become a gun owner & CCL holder. I am a novice, but am eager to learn & am actively seeking to educate myself on pistols, shotguns & AR-15 style rifles. I consider owning firearms to not only be a right, but also a privilege that should be respected, by oneself, to the highest degree. I currently own a Sig SP2022 Para 9MM, Springfield Subcompact XD Mod.2 9mm (My EDC), a Stoeger M3K & I'll be ordering a 13.5" Armalite AR-15, 3-Gun Ed. soon!

I have just recently joined the IDPA as well as 3-Gun Nation in the hopes of competing for the 1st time this coming spring. I have plenty to learn, in that time, as I acquire my gear & welcome all advices. I am also an NRA member, U.S. Navy veteran & a lifetime Indiana CCL holder.

I'd love to meet more like-minded folks, in & around my area, to meet up w/, as well as find a dedicated gun club to join (having a bit of a time finding one near me not full-up atm!). Please feel free to post if you'd like to say 'hey' or have some info for me.

Take er easy,

~Tank

P.S. Currently seeking info on Stoeger M3K upgrades. I've pegged the HIVIZ shotgun front sight part # pm1002. MOA Brand: enlarged safety, +6 or +8 tube extension kit & precision low-drag follower. Do I need an extension stabilizer or clamp? Also I'm going w/ the Benelli: extractor #60177 (back-ordered!), extractor spring #70038, but cannot find the part number for the Benelli extractor pin that fits the M3K??? I'd also appreciate any advice on 3-gun based optics for the Armalite 13.5" AR-15 I'll be getting soon. I'd like to stay within a $500 budget.