entry level 3 gun shotty

What's the best shotgun for 3 Gun under $700 ?

Probably the Mossberg 930 JM Pro. MSRP of 790. Street price is probably around 700.

jawn said:

Probably the Mossberg 930 JM Pro. MSRP of 790. Street price is probably around 700.

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Same gun I have. Call Skip at S & J Arms. I think I paid in the mid $600's. Shoots great!

5.56blaster said:

Same gun I have. Call Skip at S & J Arms. I think I paid in the mid $600's. Shoots great!

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The JM looks awesome. Will it handle light and heavy loads or do you need to stick with heavy ?

The new Stoeger 3000 is the new cheap hotness.

I own a Mossberg JM Pro. Much like other Mossbergs, it can be a really good gun right out of the box, depending on the day of the week it was built. I believe that mine must have been built on a Friday afternoon, and therefore it has required some extra special attention. The good news is, I enjoy disassembling things and figuring out what makes them tick and I now know this gun inside and out. After numerous hours and about $250, it now runs as good as any other shotgun out there. To be fair, no off the shelf shotgun under $1000 will be 3 gun ready and will require some $$$ and minor gunsmithing.

If you buy a 930, then:

-buy the 24" with 9 +1 capacity - There is no instance where the 22" would be more desireable (at least that I can think of) I got mine from grabagun.com for just under $600 shipped and transferred it at Bollingers for $15

-be prepared to replace your lifter or have the stock one welded ($60 - $70) (this is something you will have to do on any shotgun you buy)

-be prepared to take some hand files to the loading port to open it up and to the forearm to smooth out the transition when loading quads (this is something you will have to do on any shotgun you buy)

-be prepared to spend anywhere from $50 to $175 on Ore3gun competition enhancements (at a minimum you will need these - forearm retainer, competition follower, enhanced bolt release)

-be prepared to clean this gun after every time you shoot it. This is a GAS PISTON operated action and it GETS DIRTY. Complete breakdown and cleaning takes 30 - 45 minutes. DO NOT BUY THIS GUN IF YOU DO NOT PLAN TO CLEAN IT EVERY TIME YOU SHOOT IT. IT WILL JAM IN THE MIDDLE OF A MATCH.

If you are not the type of guy to clean your guns often, then you should consider the Stoeger M3k which is an inertia driven action. While the M3k is about the same price as a JM Pro, you will need to spend a little more money on it because it does not come with an extended magazine.

Good luck. Feel free to ask any questions and I would be glad to help you open your loading port if you are close to Westminster.

Here are some photos of my loading port and forearm - I have done it 4 times now, each time getting a little more aggressive - Next time I am going to take some more material off on the left and right because I am afraid to go much further towards the forearm

I run a JM pro, must have been built on a Monday, with the boss watching. Runs like a champ, runs dirty, no problem with really light 1oz 2 3/4 dram loads, and I beat the hell out of it. Mine has the Or3gun follower, forend retainer and mag release, forend is contoured, loading port opened up, sling QD sockets added, and a matchsaver. I did shape and polish the shell catch face, didn't jam, but did shave brass when it was new. I did get the 22", being I shot factory division, and was limited to an 8rd tube when I first started, the 22" comes with one and is equal to the barrel length, the 24 has a 9rd tube and would need to be blocked. I run in Practical/tac ops now, and slapped a 12rd Nordic tube on it, sticks out a little further, and may give up a tiny bit of sight radius to a 24", but it still works well. It does like to be run relatively wet, and you do need to clean it at least every few hundred rounds, but it is a great gun to get into the sport with.

I've seen a couple running the Stoeger M3K 3 gun, and people seem to like it, haven't fired one so can't comment on how it feels or shoots, but being inertia driven it stays cleaner, but most recoil a little sharper. Import shotguns don't come with an extended tube, but you can choose what size to get, some like flush 8rd extension with a +2 or +4 coupled extension instead of a full 10 or 12rd tube. Most run a setup for 12 rounds so you can quadload after picking it up for long strings, or have more flexibility when loading and moving. There is also the Beretta 1301 3 gun, I like it a lot, might pick one up myself. It's little more expensive at around $1K, but it is a really fast cycling gas gun, soft recoil, nice long forend, big ejection port, big ejection and loading ports, nice rib setup, and a couple nice add-ons, it's a lot more reliable than the 930JM, but still gets dirty as all gas guns do, seems about the best till you get to the stupid expensive and awesome Benelli M2.

Thanks for the input on the JM. It helps to get real world input before you plunk down your cash

MEGARMS said:

Next time I am going to take some more material off on the left and right because I am afraid to go much further towards the forearm

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Nice job but I'd be afraid to go any further forward or the follower might start popping out..Or end up getting loaded into the chamber

Tracker said:

Thanks for the input on the JM. It helps to get real world input before you plunk down your cash



Nice job but I'd be afraid to go any further forward or the follower might start popping out..Or end up getting loaded into the chamber

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No real need to go any further towards the follower. That said, I was practicing yesterday and realized that the bottom of my thumb was rubbing when quad loading. Quite a bit of material can be taken out on the (non) ejection port side.

Thanks for the input guys. I appreciate you taking the time to comment. I did order an M3K this afternoon. I was starting to make myself crazy trying to decide first between the JM and M3K. Then this weekend I started looking at the Franchi Affinity (aww dammit) and earlier today I starting looking at a 1301 Comp. That was it I couldn't take it anymore so I ordered the Stoeger M3K from Champion Firearms for $575 +shipping. They said they sell a lot of them (and JMs) with many folks having them shipped straight to MOA for extra work. I figure I should shoot it awhile before I decide to change anything.

I know I'll have to get a tube extension but is there anything else that I should start shopping for right away?

Tracker said:

Thanks for the input guys. I appreciate you taking the time to comment. I did order an M3K this afternoon. I was starting to make myself crazy trying to decide first between the JM and M3K. Then this weekend I started looking at the Franchi Affinity (aww dammit) and earlier today I starting looking at a 1301 Comp. That was it I couldn't take it anymore so I ordered the Stoeger M3K from Champion Firearms for $575 +shipping. They said they sell a lot of them (and JMs) with many folks having them shipped straight to MOA for extra work. I figure I should shoot it awhile before I decide to change anything.

I know I'll have to get a tube extension but is there anything else that I should start shopping for right away?

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Many of the M3K parts are interchangeable with the Bellini. You are likely going to want to get a welded lifter and a match saver to start.

http://tarantacticalinnovations.com/tti-benelli-accuguide-extended-carrier/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuWXZAEgjQc

A match saver is the single shell holder right??

Tracker said:

A match saver is the single shell holder right??

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https://www.amazon.com/Taccom-12-Ga...F8&qid=1471300177&sr=8-1&keywords=match+saver

or

http://www.matchsaverz.com/Matchsaverz/Home.html

On my 930 JMP I use a 2 shell match saver a velcro soft one from I forget where.. But still I am very good at counting rounds on every gun I shoot.
On my 930 I got it second hand off GB from a shooter who won a Benelli in only his second match so he elected to sell the Mossberg. I ran it for almost a full season without cleaning it just to see what it would do. Other than not liking WWB ammo it ran flawlessly. Got guilty and cleaned it before the season was actually over. Started with caddies and later went to Load2. Aftermarket CH, alloy follower, 12 rd. XRail tube (the best), but no lifter mod or cutaway. I find I can make it work without the extra expense.
Also don't forget to buy a set of extended choke tubes (toss the factory ones). You don't want to have to use a wrench if you need to swap them between stages. I use stainless ones from Carlson's, a total of 3, Full, Mod, and Imp. Cyl. Sometimes I wish I had a Light Mod also but I cope anyway. I also mounted a rail because sometimes I shoot Open/Unlimited with a Burris FF3 and sometimes TacOps/Practical with a TruGlo FO Turkey sight. Both help when you need to shoot a stage with a mix of birdshot and slugs.

Out if the box my JM Pro has been great!

I got the M3K yesterday. It aint the purtiest thing I ever seen. Utilitarian best describes the finish, but the action is slicker than goose poop right out of the box. The tube is polished from the factory. The lifter doesn't need welding, just a touch with a file. The loading port is opened and smoothed really well and the ejection port seems to be beveled . It came with extended choke tubes as well. Took the plug out right away. The guts come with some kind of sticky/tacky feeling lube that feels like cosmoline, so once I clean and oil everything I just have to do the break-in ...you know, the fun part

Tracker said:

I got the M3K yesterday. It aint the purtiest thing I ever seen. Utilitarian best describes the finish, but the action is slicker than goose poop right out of the box. The tube is polished from the factory. The lifter doesn't need welding, just a touch with a file. The loading port is opened and smoothed really well and the ejection port seems to be beveled . It came with extended choke tubes as well. Took the plug out right away. The guts come with some kind of sticky/tacky feeling lube that feels like cosmoline, so once I clean and oil everything I just have to do the break-in ...you know, the fun part

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alucard0822 said:

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I didn't bother with pics because they are all over the internet and didn't want to bore everyone. I'll try to figure out how to post some tomorrow

Tracker said:

I didn't bother with pics because they are all over the internet and didn't want to bore everyone. I'll try to figure out how to post some tomorrow

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Would like to see the stock loading port and lifter in particular. Of course there are several manufacturer pics around, but none have toes in the pic, so they cannot be trusted

pics?

It's not full race but neither am I. Stuffed the tube full of shells a couple of times and couldn't get the lifter to pinch even when I tried