Essential 3 Gun Gear: Everything But The Guns
Its hard to choose 3-gun gear. We've laid out exactly what you need to compete, including all the best gear to get your first match off to a great start.
USMC Veteran. Concealed Carry & NRA Pistol Instructor. 3-Gun Competitor. Career firearms writer
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As the name implies, 3-Gun involves three guns -- rifle, pistol, and shotgun. While guns are the name, you'll need more than guns to run stages.
3-Gun involves shooting fast, moving fast, and reloading fast. Having the right gear to keep your gun running is crucial. Today, we plan on covering it all: the extra gear you need to run hard and fast at your next match.
Let's dig into belts, pouches, holsters, and more necessary to keep you going, flowing, and blasting through your next match.
The Quick List
- Best Handgun Holster: Safariland ALSJump to details ↓
- Best Pistol Magazine Pouch: Safariland Model 773 Competition Magazine PouchJump to details ↓
- Best Rifle Magazine Pouch: Safariland 774 Rifle Mag PouchJump to details ↓
- Best AR Magazines: Magpul AR-15 PMAG, 40 RoundsJump to details ↓
- Best AR Magazine Extensions: Taran Tactical AR-15 Mag ExtensionJump to details ↓
- Best Shotgun Caddy: Taccom Duaload Shot Shell CaddyJump to details ↓
Best 3-Gun Gear
1. Safariland ALS 6000 Series – Best Handgun Holster
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Active retention | Retention device requires additional practice |
| Compatibility with lots of handguns | |
| Optics and light-compatible |
Features
- ALS Retention Lever
- Specifically made for your gun
- Compatible with various mounts
The pistol portion of 3-Gun is home to various guns in different configurations, creating specific holster requirements.
If it exists, the Safariland 6000 series can likely carry it. Safariland makes a ton of 6000 series holsters for a wide variety of guns with optics and light options that are widely available. The 6000 series are active retention holsters available in several levels.
For multi-gun shooting, the simple ALS device is perfect. It's a small lever placed on the inside of the holster. When the user pulls the ALS lever rearward, the retention is defeated, and the user can draw the gun. This is a level 1 retention device and is perfect for 3-Gun.
If you drop your handgun, you're getting disqualified from the match. The ALS prevents you from dropping your gun, but it's also not hard to defeat. It only takes a little practice to defeat the ASL device, and you'll draw just as quickly as ever.
Safariland sets the standard for high-quality holsters, and the brand won't underserve you.
2. Safariland Model 773 Competition Magazine Pouch – Best Pistol Magazine Pouch
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Compatible with various handgun models | Expensive |
| Plenty of attachment options | |
| Great retention |
Features
- Adjustable retention
- Adjustable angles
- Internal rollers for quick reloads
The 773 Competition Mag Pouch blends Safariland's duty-tough designs with the features and speed 3-Gun shooters need. These mag pouches have an open-top design with a closed, low-cut front to prevent the magazine from being dropped.
Inside the mag pouch sits two rollers that help the magazine slide out with just a bit of pressure applied. There’s also adjustable retention that you can crank down to best fit your needs and setup.
The magazine pouch isn't fixed in one direction, either. Users can adjust the angle of the mag pouch inside of 90 degrees. Adjusting the angle allows rapid-fire reloads, regardless of where the magazine pouch sits on the belt.
It's a solid offering that comes with a solid price point. It's not cheap, but luckily, you'll only need two or three mag pouches.
3. Henning Group Magazine Extensions – Best Handgun Magazine Extension
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Metal construction | Pricey |
| Great reliability | |
| Compatible with lots of handgun models |
Features
- Anodized finish
- Spring kits available
- Texturing for secure grip
Reloads mean seconds; seconds added to your time can be the difference between a win or loss. Adding magazine extensions to your mag is a great way to reduce the need to reload.
The Henning Group produces magazine extensions for Glock, Beretta, Canik, CZ, Walther, Smith & Wesson, and more. Their extensions add up to six rounds to your magazine and are made entirely from metal.
Henning Group makes adding extra rounds to the gun easy and will even provide the spring if you want it. Metal makes the magazine heavier, which helps ensure the magazine drops freely from the weapon when you hit the go button.
To ensure reliability, the magazines are designed to perfectly mimic the internal shape of the factory magazine tube. This means the follower flows smoothly throughout the entire magazine tube without anything hanging up or slowing down.
If you want to save those precious seconds, you'll need to invest in some magazine extensions, and the Henning group can give you those extra rounds without compromising reliability.
4. Double Alpha Academy Lynx Belt – Best Belt
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Stable design | Some assembly required |
| Easily customizable | |
| Great value |
Features
- Link-by-link construction
- Overmold injected Velcro
- Compatible with ratcheting buckle
- 6+ color combos
The word radical rarely describes belts. A belt is a belt, right? Sure, unless it's the Double Alpha Academy Lynx Belt.
The Lynx belt is made up of rectangular links. (I guess that's why they call it the Lynx.) Users input their waist size to determine how many links to order. For example, I need 31 links for my waist. Users can also choose the color of the links to customize them to their liking.
Ultimately, the user builds the belt and combines the links with stainless steel roll pins. Each link is roughly 1.29 inches wide and 1.52 inches tall.
The main benefit to the Lynx is the lack of vertical movement when you draw your handgun or mags from their many pouches and holsters. This rigid design keeps your holsters and pouches stable and prevents sagging and movement without the belt lifting away from the body.
The Lynx belt can fit shooters of all sizes -- perfect for both large and small shooters. For smaller shooters, the belt won't create hotshots of discomfort. It can also be folded into an exceptionally small package.
This rig is designed to accommodate the standard 1.5-inch pouches and allows you to place them exactly where you want them. It's rugged, rigid, and, dare I say, innovative.
5. Safariland 774 Rifle Mag Pouch – Best Rifle Magazine Pouch
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Compatibility with firearms | Expensive |
| Ambidextrous | |
| Quick and easy draw |
Features
- Adjustable retention
- Adjustable cant
- Multiple belt attachments
I know, Safariland again, but they do produce about a billion different items, including rifle mag pouches.
Safariland’s 774 is an open-top magazine pouch made from Safarilaminate. (Simply put, it's a proprietary polymer that's tough, light, and flexible.) It's thermal-molded for a great fit and good retention.
Speaking of the mag pouch, it has adjustable retention. It can also induce slight cant for an easier grip at different angles.
This series is ambidextrous and set up for all of Safariland's attachment systems. It includes a 1.5-inch belt loop, which can work with the Lynx belt I mentioned. It can also mount a 2.25-inch belt mount and a QAS locking fork if you like the quick-attach and detach setups.
6. Magpul PMAG 40 Rounders – Best AR Magazines
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Extra rounds | Longer than average |
| Affordable | |
| Reliable |
Features
- Anti-tilt self-lubricating follower
- Overtravel atop
- Dot matrix
Sometimes, you can completely avoid reloading by just using bigger magazines. Extended magazines can be…uhm…troublesome. A lot of time, they suck, but Magpul is Magpul, and they produce nothing but high-quality guns and gear.
The Magpul 40-round magazines have a long history of success, and like most Magpul magazines, they run and run and run. These are .223/5.56 magazines designed for the AR series of firearms. These are Gen 3 PMAGs, and Gen 3s are built for the rugged demands of duty.
They can certainly handle the range shooting you do at multi-gun events. Those extra 10 rounds can give you a leg up in competition!
7. Taran Tactical – Best AR Magazine Extensions
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Extra weight | Pricey |
| Additional ammo | |
| Multiple weapon platforms |
Features
- Anodized aluminum design
- Works with stock springs
- Proven push-pin design
If you don't have an AR-15 and are either taking the heavy metal route with an AR-10 or the eastern route with an AK, you can add a little capacity to your weapon via a magazine extension.
Taran Tactical, run by a champion 3-Gun shooter, has designed many magazine extensions for the AR-15, AR-10, and the AK series.
Specifically, these magazine extensions fit the Magpul PMAGs. The Taran Tactical magazines add five to six rounds to your chosen magazine without interrupting the beloved reliability of a PMAG.
These metal base plates add some heft to the mags, but this can be beneficial for the AR-15 and AR-10. IF, for some terrible reason, you have to reload, even when using a magazine extension, you know the magazine will drop free. The extra weight will pull the mag from the gun and let it clatter to the floor.
Unlike a 40-round magazine, the extensions don't add much length to your magazine, which doesn't mess up your prone position.
These are durable, well-made, and reliable pieces of kit that will give your gun a little extra edge inside and outside the AR-15 world.
8. Magload Nexus Pro – Best Shotgun Caddy
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Fits a wide variety of shell lengths | Expensive |
| Customizable | |
| Compatible with tons of attachment gear |
Features
- Adjustable retention
- High-grade aerospace aluminum
- Works with left or right-handed setups
The Magload Nexus Pro might be the undisputed best shotgun caddy in the world. If you want a customizable means to carry ammo, then the Nexus Pro is for you.
This caddy series self-adjusts to hold a variety of shell lengths and easily sets up for left or right-handed shooters. The Nexus Pro is easy to load twins or quads, depending on what you prefer, and can be customized to hold anywhere from 4 to 32 rounds in total.
It can also be used with different attachment methods -- CLIC, BladeTech, Safariland, and more. Users can adjust the tension and hand clearance to customize it.
The Nexus Pro might not be cheap, but it's one of the most capable caddies on the market.
9. Taccom3G Sport Series 12S2 – Best Budget Shotgun Caddy
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Affordable | Doesn't allow quad loads |
| Ambidextrous | |
| Easy to use |
Features
- Lightweight polymer design
- Works with multiple attachment methods
- Holds 12 shells
If you looked at the Nexus Pro and thought it was too expensive, there are plenty of other caddies that won't break the bank. The Taccom3G Caddy provides all the extra shotgun shells you need without sacrificing your wallet to the 3-Gun Gods.
This caddy system is an old favorite and an excellent tool for the enterprising 3-Gunner. At $50, the Sport Series 12S2 gives you 12 rounds of shotgun ammo per panel without putting you in debt.
The Sport Series 12S2 is designed for twin loading and is compatible with all your favorite attachment methods, including BladeTech, Safariland, etc. It's easy to mount, and it's super easy to carry 12 rounds when it counts.
Taccom3G went with an ambidextrous route, so lefties aren't left out. You draw the shells much like a handgun; simply snatch them upward and start shoving them into your gun. The Sport Series 12S2 is one of the easiest caddies to learn to use. It should be no surprise that the 12S2 is often one of the first choices for new 3-gunners.
Why You Should Trust Us
Leading this round-up is Travis Pike, a Pew Pew Tactical author and gun writer. Travis has written hundreds of articles for a variety of publications, including Pew Pew Tactical, Gun University, AmmoLand, Truth About Guns, The Armory Life, Task & Purpose, Recoil, GunMag Warehouse, and The National Interest. This means he has spent thousands of hours at the range testing and evaluating gear as well as researching the best models available on the market. His experience as a Marine Corps machine gunner, NRA-certified instructor, and concealed carry trainer gives him unique insight into a wide variety of guns. Not to mention, Travis competes in 3-Gun competitions, meaning he knows what products work best at each stage.
Editing and fact-checking this piece is Editor-in-Chief Jacki Billings. Jacki runs our experienced team of gun reviewers and writers. She is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, ACES: Society for Editing, NSSF, and the Professional Outdoor Media Association. Jacki has a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications and has worked as a media professional for close to 20 years, specializing in gun media for almost 10 years. She uses her extensive professional journalism and editing experience to set testing protocols and editorial standards.
Final Thoughts
Being Successful at 3-Gun is a mix of guns, gear, and skills. Each creates the triangle of success that will allow you to shoot fast, shoot straight, and keep your gun running.
Speed matters, and the right gear helps you go fast, very fast.
These are my picks for the best 3-Gun essentials. What did I miss? Let me know below! Need a gun to go with that gear? Check out our favorite 3-Gun Shotguns and AR-15s!