What is a good rifle to get

[Chris40]

Hi I need some help the clubs I shoot at or having 3 gun matches I have a shotgun and a STI pistol all I will need is a rifle. I would like to get a good one would I need to get one from Fulton or Wilson. What do ya’ll shoot or see other people shooting at the matches. I would like to stay with the AR 15.

                    Thanks Chris

[SGDM]

Chris,

Many ways to skin this Cat.  I think in the longrun you would be better off building your AR.  This way, you can get what you want or you can purchase any of the quality Mil-Spec AR's available on the market.  Good Luck

[PacMan]

The old saying "you get what you pay for" is ALMOST true in this case.  More $ invested in a Wilson or Fulton Armory AR would not necessarily be better.  For 3 gun matches, any standard grade AR will do.  I personally found that it was more rewarding to configure a rifle to my liking, rather than paying for someone else's spec.  The AR is so easy to work on, it's not hard to build one up from scratch, and save $ in the process (more money for ammo, because you're gonna get hooked just like us) .

Where the money should be spent is in the trigger group, factory (milspec) trigger group is lousy.  Also, I would recommend staying with the 20" barrel length rather than going with the short-and-cool 16".

(Edited by PacMan at 7:54 am on Dec. 29, 2002)

[jhgtyre]

Chris40,

You might check out some of these resources for good info on building an AR, if you go that route.

Old AR15.com especially the section on assembling the lower reciever.

M&A Parts has good deals on mil-spec kits.

Model 1 Sales also has good deals on kits.

I also dug up this link on how to build an AR15 for under $600 which I really liked.  It helped me out when I was building mine.

Even if you are not a really mechanically inclined person this isn't all that hard to do.

Good luck,

-ld

[Chris40]

Thanks a lot guys I mite just do that build my rifle

jhgtyre I will check out the sites

            Thanks

[David Olhasso]

By the time you buy all the parts necessary to build your own competition AR (1moa or better), the price will be nearing that of a standard JP Enterprises grade 1 rifle (www.jpar15.com).

[jhgtyre]

I am not attempting to be argumentative but I have to ask two questions:  

Do you need a 1moa or better AR for 3 gun?  

More importantly, would a new shooter notice the difference?  

If you start with a good basic rifle you can add improvements later.

-ld

[kellyn]

You need to figure out what class you're going to shoot.  Open?  Limited?  the Dreaded hotly debated tactical scope?

A JP would be an excellent way to start and you'd never improve upon it.  However it's certainly not necessary.  I'd start out with a bushmaster-armalite-DPMS flattop, put whatever kind of sights you need on it, get a good trigger, get a zero and go shooting!  I prefer full size guns but some like shorties.  You certainly don't need a match barrel.

(Edited by kellyn at 3:20 pm on Dec. 30, 2002)

[Chris40]

Thanks for the info I will be shooting limited. I will be looking for a full size rifle that I know

               Thanks again

[Mistral404]

I did not know squat about 3Gun when I started and now I know twice as much[2*0=0].  But it has only been six months.

I actually traded a Browning Superposed 20ga for a Bushmaster A2-detachable handle.  Then I purchased Walmart cheaper red dot, then a cheapo Bushnell.  The Bushmaster was plently accurate.

Later I put on a jp trigger, hammer, free float tube.  It is still as accurate but my trigger control is much better.

I have had a couple of opportunities to shoot a JP and watched a 3G wizard with a custom Baer.  My advice follows to decision-making paths; 1) If you are not sure and want to ease in got with a Bushmaster, Armalite, Rock River OR 2)  If you know that the sport is for you, spend the bucks up front with a JP or Baer.

BTW: My next purchases will be better optics.

[SGDM]

Chris,

The Bushy or RRA are very accurate out of the box.  I shoot a Bushy FT with a free floated 16" bbl, Mickulek comp, and a trigger job.  I put a ACOG on it and shoot steel at 600 m or EO Tech for 300 and less and CQB, it is accurate.  I polish the sear and hammer, throw in JP springs and get a snappy 3 # trigger that is reliable.  If you build it, you know what you got and you don't pay someone else to put parts together.  Like I said, many ways to skin this Cat!  Adios

[Chris40]

I am looking at Clarks AR 15 the Gator but I will have to call them about the sights if I shoot limited. But then on the other hand the gun store has a Bushmaster full size with heavy barrel for a lot cheaper I am leaning to the Bushmater

                          Thanks

[Carlos]

There is also a great AR-15 assembly article series on http://www.snipercountry.com - look around there - its there.  

If you want to BUILD your own AR as opposed to just assembling somebody else's parts on a FFL-transferred lower, check out http://www.roderuscustom.tzo.com  Yes, before you ask, it IS legal to machine your OWN post ban lower at home (in most areas - check first) and no, you can never transfer it or have somebody else do the work for you - you can't even take it to gunsmith overnight (transfer) but its otherwise the same as any post ban AR. Its yours and yours only. No, you WILL NOT save $$$ doing it - its just for those who like DIY projects. The AR lower does little besides hold the trigger and buffer tube - don't buy the hype w/ "match lowers" - thats a crock of bull!! DO get a good trigger - see below:

Anyway, an easy way to go w/o building is find a 20" heavy (though not bull weight) non-chromed barreled AR w/ 1-7 through 1-9" twist that either comes w/ a free float tube or put one on yourself - no, your headspace will not change when you take the barrel off an AR upper. RRA (preferred), bushmaster, or DPMS should have these as complete guns.  Put in a lighter trigger - JP is a good way to go for this and its a drop in procedure w/ minor fiddling anyone can do. find a good limited class brake (see rulebook) and you will be most of the way there for limited class.  Open is another ballgame and opinions on options for open will tend to vary more than for a limited class AR-15.

[DogmaDog]

I shot my first 3 gun match this last weekend.  

My AR-15 is really souped up for highpower competition, and doesn't work well at all for 3-gun.  The biggest problem was the 0.040" rear aperture.  

The heavy match barrel, plus 2.5 lbs of lead in the handguard didn't help, but I did manage to take the 4 lb. weight out of the buttstock.

Freefloating the handguard isn't really necessary, or even useful, unless you're going to use a shooting sling and put some torque on the barrel.  

A standard issue M16-A2, dropped a few times, and with no bluing left, wielded by a raw recruit, is perfectly sufficient to hit an IPSC sized target out to 300 yards.

My rifle is a bushmaster, with some Compass Lake parts.  I'm considering just getting a second upper, in stock A2 configuration, for 3 gunning.  That way I'll have the nice trigger, without all the 600 yard hardware.  

Someone (here, I think) mentioned that Rock River Arms' stock triggers are pretty nice.  I'd consider just a stock RRA AR-15, possibly with a nicer trigger if it needs it, and go from there.

Good luck,

DogmaDog

[Tony Chiavacci]

At this years 3 gun nationals in Vegas JPs guns had by far the most representation. I am nothing but thrilled with my Grade 2. You get what you pay for with JP.

[Mistral404]

I am really new to 3Gun.  I started with a bushmaster because I was able to trade a browning for it at my dealer's shop.  It is pretty nice out of the box.  A light 9-3,000 pound trigger, etc.

I have had an opportunity to put some rounds through a JP.  They were exceptional!!  He builds a great rifle. It is well worth the money.  And he supports the sport.

I ended up putting a JP trigger, handguard, gas block on my bushmaster.  The trigger pull went from 3,000 pounds to 2.5.  His cd instructions were superior.

What I have noticed is that alot of folks start out with the basic rifle then modify the heck out of it.  While other just start with a JP and leave it alone.  It seems like a personality type deal.  Some people love to tinker and modify while others just want to have perfection from the start.

Knowing what I know now, I probably would have started with a JP .  A Rock River Match would be my second choice followed by either Baer or Wilson.

But like a said, I am new to 3Gun and have probably put less than 2,000 down an AR in my entire life.