Thread: The future of 3gun in nz?

Originally Posted by Kiwigunguy

This is a topic that really intrigued me, so I decided to do some digging on what options are out there.
I took some cues from what is used in Australia for Practical Shooting these days.
I certainly agree that being relegated to 22s in 3 Gun is bullshit and should be avoided.
That being said, 22 Magnum semi autos wouldn’t be quite as bad.

I'm excluding pistol carbine stocks and pump action AR conversions while their legality is still in the air.
I will address those later when we have more reliable information.

For the most part we'll be looking at bolt action and pump action centrefire rifles, although I have included some more unusual choices as well.
The main factors that dictated my choices were that the rifles had to be fast cycling and able to be reloaded fairly quickly, so either detachable magazines or stripper clips.
While a Marlin 336 or Winchester 1894 might work, I doubt a Lebel would. If you like lever guns, try something mag-fed like the Browning BLR or Henry Long Ranger.

First, I want to establish that bolt action rifles can be fired and reloaded very quickly.
Here are some videos of Stangskyting, a type of competition shooting in Norway.
Competitors have 25 seconds to put as many rounds as possible on targets at ranges of 150-250 metres.
They use Sauer 200 STR bolt actions in 6.5x55 with iron sights and 5 round detachable box magazines.
They previously used Krag-Jorgensen and Mauser bolt actions, with quite a lot of success.
Current military shooters are allowed to use an AG3 (H&K G3 variant) or an HK416, but are still limited to 5 rounds per magazine in competition.
Despite having semi automatic rifles, the military shooters are routinely beaten by the shooters with bolt actions.
The competitions are very well attended and are broadcast on TV nationwide.
Here, take a look:

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EuvkUAHEDg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrtI8wDj3aQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfY899uNOk0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eC4_g6N3aLA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cnAwRJc7Sw


While those Sauer 200 STRs would be far too heavy for 3 Gun, a near identical action is available in the Sauer 100 series, which is much lighter and sold here.
The Mauser M18 features the same lightning-fast 60 degree bolt action and 5 round detachable magazines as the Sauer 100.

Another option would be to run a mil-surp bolt action with stripper clips. Lee Enfield variants would definitely do well.
Mauser bolt actions would work also, as would straight pulls like the Swiss K11 or K31. Hell, you could probably make a Carcano work.

A more modern bolt action option would be some form of scout rifle.
Scout rifles typically use 10 round detachable box magazines and are set up to be light and handy.
Steyr, Ruger, Savage, Sabatti, and Howa all make scout or scout-like rifles.

Any short throw bolt action should work, such as the Steyr Pro Hunter, Ruger American, Tikka T3, and Sako A7 and 85.
The Ruger American even takes AR mags in 223, Accuracy International mags in 308, and Mini 30 mags in 7.62x39.

There are also mag well adaptors made by Pacific Tool and Gauge that will allow the use of AR mags in the Remington 700.

If you want something wacky try the Voere S16, which is a light weight 223 bolt action that takes AR magazines horizontally from the left.
It comes with either a lightweight carbon barrel or an fully-integrally-suppressed one.

That brings us to the pump action rifles.
I’m sure you’re aware of the pump action ARs made by Troy Industries.
They look good but their reputation isn’t great. I also can’t recommend supporting Troy Industries either, due to their anti-gun business practices.

Kalashnikov introduced an awesome pump action 223 AK variant called the KSZ-223, but it was only made in a limited run for Russian IPSC shooters in 2017.

The most widely used pump action centrefire rifles are the Remington 7600 Police and 7615 Police.
You’ll find plenty of them around in Australia, often totally tricked out.
The 7600 and 7615 have very similar ergonomics to the 870 and are compatible with a wide variety of parts and accessories.
They are somewhat pricey, but fast and easy to use. Probably one of the best all around options.

We aren’t completely screwed when it comes to shotguns either.
The 5 round limit applies only to the largest shell size the gun is chambered for, so if your 3” or 3.5” gun can hold 6 or 7 2.75” shells you’re still good to go.
Also, the way the law is written, it appears that detachable mag semi auto shotguns are still legal as long as they hold 5 rounds or less.
Being limited to 5 rounds also gives us a good excuse to start running “entry shotguns,” which typically have a 14” barrel combined with a +1 extension.
They are very compact and handy while still having decent capacity. I plan on building something like that in the near future.
I’ve noticed that Gun City have finally started bringing in the Mossberg Maverick 88 5 shot 18.5” model, which in my experience handles much better than the 20” 8 shot models.
Those would be an excellent value choice, especially for beginners.

Here are some photos of the Kalashnikov KSZ-223 and some Remington 7600s and 7615s.

Cheers,
Kiwigunguy

Those guys are really good!
Noticed on last video the guys trigger finger is second one down, interesting.