3 Gun Shotgun Speed
The bottom line at being fast with a shotgun in 3 Gun competition is threefold:
- Being able to hit every target on the first shot and being able to reload fast. Hitting each target on the first shot is critical because for every target you miss, you have to reload one more round that you wouldn't have had to load otherwise and loading shotgun is literally the slowest part of a 3 Gun competition even for the fastest shooters.For this reason, it is important that you learn to accurately acquire targets very quickly so that you don't waste time aiming but also that you don't miss.
- The second (and by far the most important) skill that will improve your shotgun speed in 3 Gun Competitions is your reloading speed. You absolutely must practice reloading your shotgun over and over and over if you want to ever have a chance of winning a 3 Gun competition. There is no such thing as too much practice in this skill.
- The 3rd component is having a shotgun that feels comfortable to you personally. This will vary from person to person and there is no one right answer or one size fits all 3 Gun shotgun. It is important that you learn what works for you and then stick with that. Don't let other people's opinions and preferences effect your decision...go with what feels good to you.
- Lastly, you need a shotgun that operates reliably. Every time your shotgun jams, accidentally ejects a unspent shell or has any other malfunction, it costs you precious seconds in clearing the jam or whatever the problem is and secondly, it costs you time in having to reload new shotgun shells. Neither of these things would have occurred if you had a reliable shotgun. It should be noted here that having a reliable 3 Gun shotgun does not necessarily mean having an expensive shotgun. And for that matter, having an expensive shotgun doesn't necessarily mean you have a reliable 3 Gun shotgun. We will look at specific shotgun brands and models in the next few pages after we discuss the different critically important aspects contributing to your speed with a shotgun in 3 Gun competitions.