3 gun shotgun help

B

b00

New member
I want to purchase an autoloader shotgun to shoot in the local 3 gun matches. I have been doing some research to figure out what shotgun would be best for me. So far it looks like most people use either the remington 1100, winchester sx2, or the benelli M2. I am leaning more toward the remington 1100 at the moment. Looking through remingtons catalogs it apears that they make 2 versions of the 1100 that would be good, the competion master and the TAC-4. One of my question is what is the different between the two and which one would be better for the matches.

I also see many 18.5" remington tactical shotguns too. Would these be better than the two I mention above which have 22" barrels.

Finally, any other auto loaders that would be a better choice than the 1100. I am open to anything reasonable (under $1000).
 
I think you're on the right track looking at a Remington 1100, at least for starters. Benellis and Berettas are far more expensive, and the Remmy will do you just fine. More important to just have a fun time shooting! :)
 
Looks like a good 3 gun shotgun to me.

AK74styleLg.jpg


This place makes these out of saiga 12 shotguns.
http://www.tromix.com
 
I would go with the Rem 1100 as well. The big advantage to the Bennelly is that it has a faster rate of fire. If you find that you are waiting on the 1100 to load so you can fire again, then you need a Bennely, if you don't, then you are good with the 1100. Remington is a good solid company that makes good solid guns. I personally own an 870 and love it. My next shotgun will be a Mossberg 500 JIC Mariner, so you can guess I am a pump fan, but I have handled the 1100 before and I like it as well as my 870. :cool:
 
I went to benelli's website (not a very well designed site) and looked at the M2 tactical. I looks like a nice shotgun and comes with ghost ring sights and a pistol grip full stock which I like. From their website it apears like they only come in the 5+1 configuartion and an 18.5 inch barrel. Do they offer a configuration that comes with the mag extension and a longer barrel for 3 gun? Just from my limited research so far it seems like people are using 20-24 inch barrels and 8 or 9 shot capacity for the 3 gun matches.
 
More people waste money by trying to "save money" the first time around than buying the right thing first.
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This is very true...I have wasted countless hundreds or thousands of dollars trying to buy the next best thing.

The big problem with the 1100 for 3Gun is reliability.
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I agree with this statement as well. I have a Remington 1100 Competition Master and a Benelli M1 Field with a 24 inch barrel. The Benelli has never failed to shoot...not once. The Competition Master has had several jams...and yes, I do clean my guns thoroughly and change the O-rings. The CM is nice for plinking since it has less recoil, but the benelli works everytime. I love that gun.

Zak Smith knows what he is talking about from what I've seen from the websites in his signature. And in this case, I can support his opinion with my own personal experience.
 
If you don't want to drop the $900 or whatever on a new Benelli M1/2, you can get a good pump for $200-300. A while back a bunch of police trade-in 870's came on the market for just under $200. The Benelli Nova is a great shotgun.

More people induce malfunctions under stress with their pump shotguns than M1S90's malfunction on their own, but with training, a pump can be just as fast.

Shotgun stages in 3Gun are dominated by reload speed and skill.

-z
 
Yeah, I love my 870 Police...but I have short stroked that thing as well...and not even under stress...the cans don't shoot back! Don't get me wrong, if I spent more time with my 870P, I probably wouldn't short stroke it as much. But I have found that Benellis are hard to beat if you can take a little more recoil.
 
Now I am seriously looking at buying the benelli. I see the m2 tactical and the m4 in their catalog. Which would be better suited. It appears to me that they only come with a 18.5" barrel. Is this going to be to short. I have read that many guys like a 20-24" barrel. Do you know if this is an option for the gun or do most people just use the 18.5. Also what about the mag tube capacity. I keep reading about 8+1 for the match but it appears that the benelli is a 5+1. Do people just put a 3 shot extension that sticks out past the barrel. Sorry for so many question. I have been wanting to buy an auto loader for the 3 gun for over a year. I have an 8 shot model 37 ithaca for a pump so I do not need another pump.
 
The M4 is signficantly heavier and is more complicated. It was designed to allow handing junk off the gun which can affect the reliability of the M1/2 due to the inertia-only operating system. I still prefer the M1/2.

You want to get the tube that holds 7. There is bolt modification to allow +1 under the carrier.
 
Is the tube that hold 7 a factory item that I would order on the gun or is it an add on aftermarket item. Also is the bolt mod something easy to do or does it require a gunsmith.
 
I have wasted countless hundreds or thousands of dollars trying to buy the next best thing.
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We all have to start someplace, and I think the Remmy 1100 is a good start. My Ithaca SxS doubles cost me quite a bit of change. They're hardly starter shotguns.

If the Remmy works for you, and fits you well, then go for it! Good choice in my book. :D

If need be, go to a good smithy and have him fit it for you. I went to a smithy with one of the Ithacas to install a recoil pad and increase the length-of-pull by 1/2". What a world of difference! That was years ago, and I can't remember exactly what I paid for that (I'm guessing somewhere around $30 back in the 70s), but it brought my score at the traprange up to 96/100.
 
For up to a grand you can get a B-gun. beretta, benelli, and browning make semi's superior to the 1100 for a couple hundred more. I was raised on 1100's and have only had problems with one, but for a little more money you could get a much better shotgun.
 
I priced the Beneli m4 today at a local gun store who is known to have the best prices around our area. $1295. Too much!
 
There is bolt modification to allow +1 under the carrier.
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What is that bolt modification? As I understand it, the older Benellis used to hold an extra shell on the carrier...and now they don't. I've tried it with my Benelli and can't get it to load an extra round on the carrier. My gun is circa 2003. I don't think I'd mess with it if it's difficult, but if it's an easy fix, that'd be nice.
 
Any suggetions on brands of mag extensions. I just keep finding tac star. Are they any good? Hate to waste money on poor quality accesories because they always seem to let me down.
 
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