If you want to win a three gun competition, you better have your gear squared away. There are a ton of choices to make between your rifle, shotgun, and pistol. Although picking out what kind of pistol you are going to compete with is a big deal. The first step is figuring out the caliber, which can instantly restrict which divisions you can compete in. Even if you have already decided on and purchased a pistol in a particular caliber, then you have to figure out which cartridge is best to use. It seems like there is an endless rabbit hole of decisions to make when you are just starting out, but today I’m going to lay it all out for you as simply as possible.
TLDR; Use Factory 9mm FMJs!
To meet minimum pistol power factor requirements for three gun competitions, you will need to use at least a 9mm cartridge. Since you are not rewarded for using a higher power factor in three gun (like you can be in other competitions) there is no benefit to using a harder-to-handle gun that has more recoil. Since the terminal ballistics do not really matter in three gun matches, your bullet design should be simple. Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) is the cheapest and most common option. Lastly, to keep your ammunition as reliable as possible, you will want to start off using factory ammunition. Time lost to a single faulty reload is enough to keep you from a top spot by the time the evening is finished.
Playing it Smart With Power Factor
The first thing you need to know before you choose a cartridge (or even caliber) to compete with, is what you want your power factor to be. Power factor is another way to measure the energy or power of a cartridge, much like we do with muzzle energy. Thankfully, the power factor is even easier to calculate; it is just the weight of the bullet in grains, multiplied by the speed of your bullet in feet-per-second, then divide the whole thing by a thousand.
You will generally use the muzzle velocity you read off your box of factory ammunition to get a good guess of what your power factor will be. However, that is not exact; different barrel lengths or different firearms in general can have different average bullet velocities for the same load. So to find your exact power factor, three gun competitions usually require you to shoot through a chronograph before a competition. This is basically a speed trap for your bullet, and it is the only way to know your real power factor.
Different competitions you enter will have different requirements on what power factor you are allowed to use. Without being overly constrictive, this is a way to ensure that everyone is on a similar playing field. I mean how much faster could your stage time be if you ran it with a 22 long rifle rather than a 45 ACP? This power factor also ensures you have enough behind your bullet to knock down targets, which is important since there are other people shooting in the area and listening for a ping isn’t ideal.
Three-Gun Division Power Factor Requirements
Depending on what league or match you participate in, the rules and divisions can change. However, the general three gun match divisions are open, limited, tactical optics, modified tactical, heavy metal, heavy optics, open 2×4, 2 gun, and PCC only. Different divisions make you compete with different hardware, and that often includes a power factor minimum. You can check out the typical minimum power factor requirements for each division in the table below.
| Division | Example Cartridge | Minimum Power Factor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-Gun | 9mm | 125 | Usually rifle + handgun; PF same as Tactical Optics unless specified. |
| Heavy | .45 ACP | 165 | Must use .45 ACP for handgun PF must be Major. |
| Heavy Optics | .45 ACP or .40 S&W | 165 | Allows one optic on rifle. Otherwise similar to Heavy Metal. |
| Limited | 9mm | 125 | No optics at all; irons only; PF must be Minor or higher. |
| Modified Tactical | 9mm, .40 S&W | 125 | Similar to Tactical Optics but may allow compensators or gear flexibility. Check match rules. |
| Open | 9mm Major, .38 Super | 125 | Optics, comps, race guns allowed; Major PF ammo may be used. |
| Open 2×4 | Any | Match Dep. | Shooter picks 2 of 4 guns (rifle, shotgun, PCC, handgun); PF rules vary. |
| PCC Only | 9mm | N/A | Handgun replaced by Pistol Caliber Carbine; PF not usually enforced. |
| Tactical Optics | 9mm | 125 | Most popular; one optic on rifle, none on handgun; Minor PF required. |
Looking at the table, it doesn’t take long to see a trend. Your limit is either 125, or 165! These are referred to as the minor and major power factors respectively. If a match has a minor power factor requirement, that means your power factor has to be at least 125. If you are playing with the big boys and have a major power factor requirement, you have got to touch 165. There is usually not a maximum power factor set, but you may not place all that well if you try to compete with a Smith & Wesson 500 Magnum.
Common Cartridges & Their Power Factor
Serious competitions are not the place to see new flashy cartridges, especially in the pistol category. We generally stick to the same reliable cartridges we have been using for decades now. Here, I made a table with some pistol cartridges you may see in three gun and sorted them by power factor. There is usually a cutoff around a power factor or 125, so I included some generally popular cartridges that you may consider at first below that line so it is obvious why you won’t find them in a three gun match.
| Cartridge | Bullet Weight (gr) | Velocity (fps) | Power Factor (PF) |
|---|---|---|---|
| .22 LR (40 gr) | 40 | 1,100 | 44 |
| .380 ACP (95 gr) | 95 | 950 | 90.3 |
| .38 Special (130 gr FMJ) | 130 | 800 | 104 |
| 9mm (115 gr FMJ) | 115 | 1,150 | 132.3 |
| 9mm (124 gr FMJ) | 124 | 1,100 | 136.4 |
| 9mm (147 gr FMJ) | 147 | 950 | 139.7 |
| .38 Special +P (158 gr) | 158 | 890 | 140.6 |
| .40 S&W (180 gr) | 180 | 1,000 | 180 |
| .357 Magnum (158 gr) | 158 | 1,200 | 189.6 |
| .45 ACP (230 gr) | 230 | 850 | 195.5 |
| 10mm Auto (180 gr) | 180 | 1,300 | 234 |
Choosing Your Bullet Design
While firearms are a tool built for ultimate destruction, that is not the goal of a shooting competition. To that end, you really do not need or want to use overly complex bullet designs. Something like a hollow point or one of the many types of self defense rounds is just going to be expensive to shoot, without adding an advantage. Plus, some competitions (not three-gun explicitly) outright ban hollow points or expanding bullets out of a fear of ricochets or target damage.
For simplicity, Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) is the most common pistol bullet design you are going to see in a three gun match. FMJs are also very reliable, meaning they feed well in just about every firearm. Some firearms have a hard time with certain hollow points or other bullet designs, and reliability matters more than anything else when you are scored based on time; if you spend time clearing a jam, you’ve lost.
Reloads Vs Factory Ammunition
You will notice that the competitors that love to spend a lot of time on this sport, tend to use reloaded ammunition. If you have the know-how, you can make a batch of reloads that pair near perfectly with your firearm. Reloading is also cheaper than shooting factory ammunition, so if you shoot often and want to compete with what you practice with, reloads may be the way to go.
While you can make very reliable ammunition as a skilled reloader, the chances of a malfunction are much higher. There are multiple steps in the reloading process that do not have a very large margin of error. Sometimes, the error can be so small you may not see it without looking closely; after reloading a few hundred rounds, your Quality Control eyes get a bit lazy too. So if you want maximum reliability and you have not been reloading very long, you should likely choose to compete with factory ammunition.
There is no reason you can not practice with reloads though, just make sure you are shooting the same grain bullet and try to mimic the factory load you will compete with as best you can. Plus, if you start out with factory rounds, you can keep that brass and get a head start on your reloading materials stash.
The Obvious Choice
After looking at the facts, it is no real surprise that the go-to round for pistols in a three gun match is a factory 9mm FMJ load. You just peak the minimum power factor, giving you an easy shooting firearm. Some competitions give more points to less accurate shots if you have a higher power factor, but that isn’t the case for three gun, so there is no benefit to it.
In the same vein, we don’t really care what the bullet does when it hits the target either, we are just concerned with it hitting the target; so a FMJ is going to be the most common bullet you see. Avoiding the uncertainty of reloads, especially if you are new to it, is also beneficial. The less jams you have the better, and while reloads can be effective, your safest bet is to use factory ammo when you are just starting out.
You can choose to go with the most common choice, and you will perform just fine; however, if you already have a pistol in a different caliber that is within the rules and you like using it, don’t rush out to buy a 9mm. Shooting competitions are meant to be fun, so yes, while we all want to use the most optimal gear, it isn’t a requirement. Plus, playing around with different gear is fun too! No matter what you pick, just make sure to practice with it and have fun.
