The 3-Gunner's rifle

[IndianaBoy]

It's interesting because I've been planning out an 18in precision build using a PRS stock and then recently saw someone using a PRS stock for their 3-gun rifle ......... so it got me thinking lol. I don't have the PRS but thought it was considered a rather heavy stock, which was not a factor for my precision intent.

In the meantime I may as well try it out just using my 14.5 (my 20in A2 is my highpower rifle and it weights 13lbs )

The 14.5 (pinned out)

That's a nice rifle. Go shoot it at some matches. You may decide it's perfect for you. I would never suggest someone build or buy when they already have an AR and haven't shot many or any matches. You won't know what, if anything, you want to change until you get some time in on the clock.

[jmnielsen]

That's a nice rifle. Go shoot it at some matches. You may decide it's perfect for you. I would never suggest someone build or buy when they already have an AR and haven't shot many or any matches. You won't know what, if anything, you want to change until you get some time in on the clock.

I agree with this. I learned a LOT about my gear and what I needed/wanted to change AFTER I shot my first match. It's a good shakedown to see what will and won't work how you want it to. I also saved myself a lot of money by waiting until after, because I found out my setup really wasn't bad for the occasional shoot.

[bullittmcqueen]

Most people will be completely fine and happy shooting their M4-configuration AR at a few matches until they start deciding what works for them and how they want to build or acquire an AR specifically for 3-gun.

I shot a BCM 16" middy with an Aimpoint H-1 at matches for over a year before I built my dedicated 3-gun rifle. I used what I saw from most of the pros to select parts for it, as well as what I prefer. What I ended up with is pretty much what the OP said:

18" stainless, rifle gas, 1-4x optic, no irons; except I run a CTR instead of a fixed length stock.

[59Bassman]

I started 3 gun with a homebuilt AR with a VLTOR Emod stock and a plain-jane RRA 16" HBAR middy upper with irons only.



After about a year of shooting, I ended up building a very similar rifle to what was described:

18" Nordic rifle gas barrel
VLTOR lo-pro block
Troy Extreme 13" rail
Burris MTAC 1-4 in PEPR mount
DPMS "Jerry" comp
BCM upper/bolt/Gunfighter handle
Sabre-cut "Predator Custom Shop" lower
CMC trigger
Magpul MIAD
RRA A2 stock



I can't believe how much smoother this gun shoots than my middy. Very, very fast. It's heavier, but it makes up for it in how well it tracks and comes back on target.

[IndianaBoy]

It's interesting because I've been planning out an 18in precision build using a PRS stock and then recently saw someone using a PRS stock for their 3-gun rifle ......... so it got me thinking lol. I don't have the PRS but thought it was considered a rather heavy stock, which was not a factor for my precision intent.

I used a PRS for my 3-gun build because I chose a heavy-ish barrel and it balanced the gun out nicely. Added benefit was the adjustable cheek weld. Some people prefer a lighter rifle, the more I shoot, the more I like a rifle with a bit of heft. It's less 'nervous' on longer shots although I'm certain that I don't swing it as fast on transitions up close. It works for me but after a few seasons I can't say I won't wind up building something lighter.... It's a constant evolution. It's been a combination of improvement and bumping up against self imposed limitations of inferior equipment and balancing the cost of upgrading as more practice and more matches has improved my shooting somewhat. I'm not in the top 10% at a major like I want to be someday, nor am I winning any stages, but I don't totally bomb stages anymore (mostly ) and occasionally I will beat a respectable number of 'pros' on some stages at a major.

You will know when you shoot a match and a piece of gear holds you back. Until you reach that certainty, run what you got and have fun!

[guitarist1993]

I just started shooting 3 gun in January, so take my advice with a grain of salt. I've had some great stages running my 16" middy. PSA premium CHF barrel, 1:7. IMO, the velocity increase (~200 fps in most loads I've tried) you get from an 18" barrel isn't worth the extra weight. Knowing your hold-overs is much more important in a match than muzzle velocity, and a 16" will put hits on target out to 600 yards with good ammo. And keep in mind that you don't need to be super accurate at range either, just need to get a hit on a 20" steel plate.

[jwfuhrman]

I just started shooting 3 gun in January, so take my advice with a grain of salt. I've had some great stages running my 16" middy. PSA premium CHF barrel, 1:7. IMO, the velocity increase (~200 fps in most loads I've tried) you get from an 18" barrel isn't worth the extra weight. Knowing your hold-overs is much more important in a match than muzzle velocity, and a 16" will put hits on target out to 600 yards with good ammo. And keep in mind that you don't need to be super accurate at range either, just need to get a hit on a 20" steel plate.

20in plate? Your Match Directors are nice. I make my shooters shoot 1/2 scale IPSC steel flash targets and 8in steel glad targets at 400-500....

[guitarist1993]

20in plate? Your Match Directors are nice. I make my shooters shoot 1/2 scale IPSC steel flash targets and 8in steel glad targets at 400-500....

I guess I should have qualified that as *up to a 20in plate. Depending on shooting position and range, I've also had to hit mini-poppers at 200-300, but not too frequently.

I should also point out that I'm in the process of building a RECCE-type rifle for 3 gun use as well. Just because my current rifle works doesn't mean a more accurate one won't work better.

My main argument was that knowing your zeros at various ranges is more important than a slightly higher muzzle velocity. In fact, with MK262, my dad's DPMS SPR barrel and mine are matched at ~2600 fps.

[Alaskapopo]

20in plate? Your Match Directors are nice. I make my shooters shoot 1/2 scale IPSC steel flash targets and 8in steel glad targets at 400-500....

4MOA is the unofficial standard in three gun for the smallest a target should ever be. Basically you iron sight shooters should be able to see the target with the naked eye. Invisible targets are no fun. I used to use smaller targets than that but it really does take away something from the iron/red dot shooters and its not what three gun is about. Precision rifle shooting is another sport.
Pat

[jwfuhrman]

4MOA is the unofficial standard in three gun for the smallest a target should ever be. Basically you iron sight shooters should be able to see the target with the naked eye. Invisible targets are no fun. I used to use smaller targets than that but it really does take away something from the iron/red dot shooters and its not what three gun is about. Precision rifle shooting is another sport.
Pat

We never get any complaints about target size. We were using larger 2/3rd IPSC targets at 400+ but that's when shooters started saying the challenge wasn't there, and that was from even Limited(irons/red dots) shooters.

We have shooters driving from Nashville Tennessee and Wisconsin to shoot our events as we hold a 3Gun Nation style series here(12 events between 3 clubs in the state of Indiana with the top 16 making it to a shoot off at the end of the season for prizes)