3 gun shotgun, buy now or wait?

[DavidSeavey]

i have Diffusion, C, IC, M, and F for my stoeger and Diffusion, IC, M, and F for my open gun. 

 

most of the time i've got IC or M in the gun for mixed steel, aerial clays, birdshot spinner, texas star, just general mixed shooting. 

Diffusion is awesome for an all clay stage but loses power fast for any steel.

only time i've used F so far was a buckshot spinner stage at Hard as Hell and it worked great for that.

i'll shoot a slug stage with a choke as tight as mod, haven't yet seen a stage that requires tighter bird targets while also slugs.  just pattern all your chokes and do POA/POI testing with slugs and chokes so you know how they all behave

[dsim4181]

the Stoeger M3K is a great option, but if you can afford a benelli go for the benelli. the biggest factor that i have seen with shotguns is using crap ammo. i shoot open division with a Dissident arms vepr 12 and even it has ammo that it loves and hates. Buy once cry one is the best advice i have ever heard in the shooting world.

[3Dflyer]

I already purchased a Stoeger and have it just about ready to go. If I was competing for real a Benelli would have been an option, but for fun I hope the stoeger will suffice. 

[dsim4181]

the stoegers are great, there are a lot of pros that shoot them, Tim Yackley shoots a Stoeger. They are solid guns and run great. Use good ammo and it will not let you down.

[NoKimberDave]

I have to say this may be the nicest amateur port job I have seen. Excellent job.

Cut nice and deep too.

[3Dflyer]

@NoKinberDave,

 

I researched a lot of tutorials on diy loading port work and was always left disappointed with the strategy of grinding away with a small rotary grinder on flat surfaces.  This has never worked out well for me on any project.  Samples always look uniform, rounded, and often gouged or wavy.  Plenty of runaway grinder trails on receivers had me concerned with controlling a tool of destruction on my new gun.

 

With no machine tooling available I decided that $15 worth of harbor freight files, a healthy serving of patience, and plenty of abnormal free time during a historic winter storm may just be a better option than shipping it away to MOA precision and waiting 12 weeks for it to return.  This option certainly was more affordable.

 

Working slowly, testing it often, and sneaking up on the results you see here seem to have paid off.  Boy, was I afraid that I bit off more than I could chew a few times during the project!  Things get very ugly before they get better at the end.

 

The improvements on ease of loading are very significant.  I don't have tough, calloused, or strong hands with my line of work.

 

Next, I need a quad shell holder so I can practice loading to determine if I can leave the gun as it is or do further work.  I am all ears on a caddie, but currently am out of cash.

[stumpyv8]

8 hours ago, 3Dflyer said:

Next, I need a quad shell holder so I can practice loading to determine if I can leave the gun as it is or do further work.  I am all ears on a caddie, but currently am out of cash.

 

Where are you based? I have some stuff you can have

 

Can post or I'm in Kentucky at the end of the month

 

 

 

[3Dflyer]

Stumpyv8,

 

PM sent

[MrPan]

Breda b12i love mine

[gixer454]

Very nice job on the loading port. 

[louu]

Good God I just saw the pictures, amazing job bud! That thing is ready to rock. 

 

Did you relive the back of the forearm stock for the nuts on the match saver? I'm sure you know but you need to have some clearance so they don't rub the action bar. 

[3Dflyer]

Hi Louu,

 

All of your advice was so helpful, thanks.  Yes, I did relieve the inside of the forearm for the match saver hardware.  I discovered the need while trial fitting and testing for the best position.  Boy, have I taken this gun apart a gazillion times during this whole process, but that has helped me become a more educated owner.

 

So far it just simply runs.

 

Louu, What choke do you run most often, from the factory selection?  I tried the improved cylinder for birdshot and slugs.

 

No next challenge is figuring out to aim properly with slugs.  I always seem to hit to the left.  Also, hitting a target at 50 yards and 100 yards requires some drastic hold over, it seems.  I could use some input on the topic.

 

[louu]

Sounds like you should have someone else shoot some slugs out of it to make sure it's not you. Personally I've never heard of the M3k not shooting slugs poa poi. Pretty much everyone including myself shoots the fiocchi 7/8 low recoil aero slugs, they actually kick less than Remington gun club 1200 7 1/2. 

 

I use the 5 notch choke ( cylinder) on stages that only have clays and poppers around 25 feet. It's great for the dumb little 3 gun nation classifiers, you don't have to aim lol. 

I use the 4 notch choke (improved cylinder) the most on medium range stages or stages that have a lot of smaller knock down steel and no shoots in front of them. 

I use the above 2 chokes with slugs and the pretty much hit about the same. 

I rarely use the 3 notch choke (modified) unless there is stuff really far out like flying clays and really heavy knock down steel, you have to aim hard. I don't know for fact buy I've heard you can't use slugs with that one. 

[DavidSeavey]

i've shot slugs through my stoeger's 3 notch mod choke no without issue thus far, i wouldnt go tighter than that nor has any stage design called for such a need, usually IC though. 

 

i have shot slugs through a different shotgun (winchester sxp defender) that had an extended IM choke problem free.  i had heard of people saying to avoid full chokes and foster slugs as you could flex the barrel and pop off the rib or something but i dont know if that's just passed on stories or what, but i dont really need to know for sure either way!

 

if youre experiencing slugs left you might be flinching slightly to avoid a cheek bump, and if someone else shoots it to POA/POI you could try canting the stock with the supplied shims to square yourself up better with the barrel.  as far as hold over on long range slug targets also try the other brands of low recoil slugs that might shoot a little flatter at distance.

[AverageJoeShooting]

i went with the stroager m3000 to start

 

https://imgur.com/798ArRy

 

i shot it in like 10 matches before the VR80 came out and i decided that i was going to commit to open division

 

i just bring the m3000 as a back up now

[CJW3]

M3K was my starter gun and recently switched over to the M2 and am not looking back. Either way you can't go wrong since a lot of the M2 parts fit the M3K

[Intheshaw1]

How has the m3k been working for you?

 

I'm hoping to shoot my first 3 gun match next month and plan to bring along my Benelli Nova duck gun for my first match as a few guys already told me I can just use theirs if they come.

 

I figured I would use one of their m2s to start with but probably cant swing one to buy so I'm looking at a m3k with the hopes that in a few years I'll have the funds for a m2. 

[3Dflyer]

Regretfully I must report that I have not shot any matches with my M3K yet. All reasonably local matches are Sunday morning events, and I have family commitments every Sunday. Additionally, I had arm surgery and have not been released to shoot shotgun yet. 

 

My first multigun event is a month away but shotgun is not part of the stages. 

 

The m3k has been perfectly reliable during practice and trap shooting before I was benched for my arm. 

[Intheshaw1]

Great to hear, hopefully you'll be back at it next year in full force.

 

I actually ended up with a Franchi Affinity 3 as I couldn't find a m3k in stock anywhere this past summer. Added a +6 tube and it has been running great. A little more expensive but not a whole lot more than an m3k.

 

I've shot two 3 gun matches with it and sporting clays 5 times. I love the double take at my 'over and under' gun.

[dkamps]

Its pretty hard to beat the Hawkeye Ordinance atgeir for the price if you are looking for a great gun, but don't want to spend top tier prices

 

Marginally more expensive than a standard M2, a bit more than a done up m3k or franchi and ready to go out of the box.

 

I absolutely love my Roth XB3G Breda, and their service has really been amazing, and if you can spend that kind of money for a tacops gun, that's my highest recommendation.

 

I have switched to open predominantly... so if you are looking for an open shotgun; DC Precision can make you a wicked box fed blaster.

Edited February 12, 2020 by dkamps

[theautobahn]

I have an M2 that I bought used and already pretty much set up, but I would tell anyone getting into the sport to pick up a Stoeger. Hard to beat for the price.

I had a couple of 930's and would tell you NOT to get one of those. But that was way back when they first came out, so maybe Mossberg has figured them out.

[recoilchamp]

It is tough to beat the fun of a mag-fed shotgun though, if you're willing to go open. Rifle wouldn't be much different (45 offset optic, bigger muzzle brake maybe, and being able to add a bipod is nice). Pistol would need an optic, slide-mounted is good enough. Shotgun is the biggest difference though and is likely an entirely different gun, though - VR80 or VEPR12.

[OnVacation]

I know the OP has decided but new shooters will keep reading, so...

 

I also endorse the stoeger. I went with the M3500 for the larger loading port with the normal suite of MOA parts and a Roth one piece tube. I'll also say that with the inertia system you need to be prepared to run heavier loads. The more stuff you put on the gun, the more recoil it needs to operate properly. I run cheap stuff for drills and practice, but I run pheasant loads for matches. Not mags, but heavy 2 3/4", 1 1/4oz loads. They knock down steel better, cycle 100%, but do have a more pronounced recoil. 

 

Like others, I dont normally swap chokes. I run a light modified 99% of the time. Slugs, buck or bird. 

[JH1961]

I've recently purchased a Stoeger M3020 Tactical and an RIA VR 82. It took me over a year to locate the Stoeger M3020 (a Benelli M2 clone). It was $629+tax/shipping. The VR 82 was $619+tax at my LGS. Both are in 20 gauge. I'll admit, at my age (60) to being more concerned with 'home defense' than '3-gun'. Perhaps that will change before I get too 'old' to play.

[Stefan77]

I have ran slugs through a modified choke on my M2.  

 

Nice file work, that is cool!!!  You are brave, I was tempted to do that to one of my M2's but was worried I would screw it up (and I probably would have the dremel marks you wrote about).

 

Thanks for sharing those pictures.