What Is a 3-Gun Competition? Most Popular Guns Among Competitors

The shooting sports have become so popular in the last decade that new competitions are being developed constantly. One of the most popular today is what’s known as the three gun competition.

It is the fastest growing shooting sport in the United States today. As the name implies, competitors use three guns to compete: the modern sporting rifle, also known as the AR15, a handgun and a shotgun.

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Different courses of fire are set up, requiring a different firearm for each. Shooters move from course to course completing the required action for each stage in the match. Targets vary for each course, depending upon each particular event and who is hosting it.

Some of the most popular guns used in a three gun match include the AR15 rifle, made especially for three gun competitive events. While shooters can shoot any of the three types of guns used in a three gun match, some manufacturers make competitive grade rifles, specifically for this purpose.

A few of the more popular include the Colt Competitive AR15, Stag Arms 3G AR15 and the DPMS 3G2 AR15.

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For the handgun stages, shooters have a wide variety of pistols to choose from. Most three gun events allow the competitor to shoot whatever handgun he/she chooses, as long as it meets that specific 3-Gun competition's criteria for weight and caliber.

A few of the most popular competition class pistols are the Glock 34, Smith & Wesson M&P’s and 5 inch 1911's.

For the shotgun stage of a three gun competition, most shooters choose to use a semi-automatic, but an occasional traditionalist will still elect to shoot a pump action from time to time.

The only negatives for using a pump action are more recoil, and, of course, the added time it takes to chamber each round. The most commonly used semi automatic shotguns in a three gun competition are probably the Benelli, Remington and the Mossberg.

This article does not constitute legal advice. Check the current gun laws before purchasing or traveling with a firearm.

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