Stoeger M3k or Mossberg 930 JM Pro tactical?

chgofirefighter

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[SIZE=13pt]Hello brothers, I am new to the competitive world of 3 gun, currently on the market for a budget friendly shotgun. Would love to get a Benelli M2 but my budget does not allow me the opportunity to afford one just yet. So my option has resorted to the Mossberg 930 JM Pro and the Stoeger M3K. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=13pt]I like the fact that the Stoeger has the inertia system and the Mossberg doesn’t the M3K seems like a favorable option. Now I know that these shotguns could be modified which is a plus. I do like the Mossberg a lot, like the safety position, the way it felt, but the loading port, and few features did not impressed me too much whereas the M3K has some nice features that the Mossberg doesn’t have. I’m currently undecided but I do like the Mossberg 930 JM Pro tactical and the M3K. So, I would like some guidance deciding which one to pick. Pros/cons for each model, etc. [/SIZE]


[SIZE=13pt]Thanks~ [/SIZE]
 

DD78

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M3K. Whenever I see a shotgun start to malf at a match it's always a Mossberg. You can get them to run, but you have to send it to a gunsmith that knows what he's doing and how to tune them for 3 gun. The M3K is nearly there right out of the box.
 

59nolimit

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That's not even a close delate. Get the M3K or just a m3000 and modify it. I ran a JM for the first couple years and if the 3000 and made its mark in this game a little sooner I would have chose it and probably still be using it and not have upgraded to the M2
 

chgofirefighter

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Hi, thanks guys. Who can you recommend to modify the M3K? Well, the M3K it is, decision made~ I would love to have to money to spend on a Benelli, but the M3k has the same exact operating system for a lot less money. Since I am new to this field investing $2300 and up for a shotgun is not an option for now... Maybe down the line, yes... But now, no~!

Rather spend the money on a nice AR platform but everything with time~ I'm sure once I start to compete I will get lots of help
 

DD78

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chgofirefighter said:
Hi, thanks guys. Who can you recommend to modify the M3K? Well, the M3K it is, decision made~ I would love to have to money to spend on a Benelli, but the M3k has the same exact operating system for a lot less money. Since I am new to this field investing $2300 and up for a shotgun is not an option for now... Maybe down the line, yes... But now, no~!

Rather spend the money on a nice AR platform but everything with time~ I'm sure once I start to compete I will get lots of help
Since we're in the same city, I can recommend one to you who works on competition firearms in the area, and he's really close to Chicago. He works on most of the competitive shooters guns in the area. I won't let anyone else touch my guns. PM me and I'll share his contact info with you.
 

chgofirefighter

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DD78 said:
Since we're in the same city, I can recommend one to you who works on competition firearms in the area, and he's really close to Chicago. He works on most of the competitive shooters guns in the area. I won't let anyone else touch my guns. PM me and I'll share his contact info with you.

PM you~ Thanks
 

Tuflehundon

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930's are super easy to tune for 3gun. There are 2 main issues that pop up, that can be fixed in about 10 minutes. Shell stop can be sharp, so round off the front edge. Grind flat the front edge of the recoil spring in the stock. Do those 2 things, and it'll run like a scalded dog.

I had a Stoeger when I started shooting 3gun, and sold it to the the JM Pro, because I wanted to add an XRail. They do not now, nor do they plan to make an adapter for the Stoeger to use an XRail. So it was a no brainer for me. Mine ran great for about 1000 rounds, then I started having issues. After talking to Jerry, I firgured out my issues (the 2 listed above), and fixed them. I have 4K through the gun since then without any issues that were caused by the gun. I did have to figure out how to tune the XRail when I got it, but that was an issue with the gun.
 

jtischauser

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Moa precision and RCI Xrail do Stoeger work.

I'd suggest spending some you can afford on the shotgun. They are much more troublesome then the rifle is. You can shoot with $500 DPMS but a bone stock shotgun won't get you very far.
 

Barbarians Live

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I have a Stoeger M3K 3-Gun (and an upgraded Franchi with Benelli parts and opened loading port). I've used the Stoeger in two matches. Just make sure that you follow their instructions on ammo (3 Dram eq. minimum). I am going to have the loading port opened/beveled this spring. I've been using my Franchi at matches, but I like the Stoeger enough that I kept it. I know two local guys that ran JM Pros (and had some issues as noted above). I may eventually get an M2 and upgrade it, but really have not had the itch yet as the Stoeger and Franchi work fine.
 

OR3GUN

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Perhaps the 3GN Pro Series isn't a good reference for a group that takes 3-Gun seriously, but watching Episodes 1-7 straight through with a focus on shotguns and malfunctions makes a fine snapshot of what works and doesn't when it matters. If $50,000 on the line isn't when you make sure your shotgun is clean and running its best, we may have different priorities.

In the 3 televised stages, (all the same) over 7 episodes so far, I noticed a trend. Of the 3 Mossberg 930s I saw, not a single one had a hiccup. The same couldn't be said for the other shotguns as a whole. Given 42 shooters, with Benelli, Stoeger, Browning and Remington filling most of the field there were MANY malfunctioning shotguns in less than 50 rounds through each gun.

Don't let the past Mossberg 930 reputation cloud your decision. We hear all the time of 930s surviving Hard as Hell and Ironman without issue while other guns don't live to tell about it. The Internet has a way of magnifying problems. For every issue there are 50 guns running just fine. The longer barreled 930s run a lot better (with a longer dwell time) and yes, you have to clean them. The rest is a well earned reputation for early reliability issues (mostly the SPX) that is far less relevant today with the aftermarket finally supporting the gun and Mossberg stepping up with the JM Pro as a starting point.

None of these '3-Gun shotguns' were designed from scratch for 3-Gun and have had issues scaling to it from their duck hunting roots. The issues with Stoegers are just beginning to surface with enough of them out there taking a pounding. For every Mossberg 930 with a broken shell stop (due to a 15 round tube worth of shells bouncing against it) there is a Stoeger with a broken inertia spring (due to, maybe not replacing enough of its parts with Benelli versions). There is also the 922r elephant in the room with any imported shotgun that you add only a magazine tube extension to. It may never matter, or the potential prison time may be good for reflection on your shotgun choice.

:hunter:
 

Barbarians Live

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What do you mean by "add only a magazine extension to?" I tried to understand the 922r, but got a headache. Are you saying all is okay if you add other American made parts to the gun besides the extension tube?
 

jtischauser

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Barbarians Live said:
What do you mean by "add only a magazine extension to?" I tried to understand the 922r, but got a headache. Are you saying all is okay if you add other American made parts to the gun besides the extension tube?
No 3-gunners have ever been arrested for 922 anything. It's a stupid law.
 

OR3GUN

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Once you add a magazine extension to any import shotgun, there are a number of other US made parts that have to be added for it to be legal. 922r IS a stupid law, but it is what we have on the books for now. It varies with the make/model of shotgun, but with an M3K it is widely understood that you will need two additional parts. Most go for cheap, which means a follower (which the gun also needs upgraded anyway) and a disconnector. The latter requires digging into the trigger group, which many like to keep stock for liability reasons. There are debates over how many parts need replaced due to the complicated nature of the law and translating 922r terminology to a shotgun's parts, but the opinion of most is that it can be made compliant for around $50 worth of additional parts. Since every shotgun is different, the above wouldn't directly apply to a Benelli, Beretta or Franchi as the import parts count is different.
 

RigPig

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OR3GUN said:
Once you add a magazine extension to any import shotgun, there are a number of other US made parts that have to be added for it to be legal. 922r IS a stupid law, but it is what we have on the books for now. It varies with the make/model of shotgun, but with an M3K it is widely understood that you will need two additional parts. Most go for cheap, which means a follower (which the gun also needs upgraded anyway) and a disconnector. The latter requires digging into the trigger group, which many like to keep stock for liability reasons. There are debates over how many parts need replaced due to the complicated nature of the law and translating 922r terminology to a shotgun's parts, but the opinion of most is that it can be made compliant for around $50 worth of additional parts. Since every shotgun is different, the above wouldn't directly apply to a Benelli, Beretta or Franchi as the import parts count is different.
922r doesn't apply to the end user. The BATFe has been quite clear on this.
 

Barbarians Live

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I was visiting with a Fed LE guy that shoots 3-Gun, USPSA, etc. with us in a LGS today about 922r. He is from Arkansas originally and has shot some matches with some of your Oklahoma gents. He told me the same thing "applies to manufacturers and not the end user." I'm figuring a Fed LE competition gunner would know--but that is not "official" (just passing on what he told me and that matches what Matthew just noted).

But, I did add a Nordic follower and got the other part already installed in my Stoeger M3K3G.
 
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