[Futo Inu]

Any turkey, geese, etc. hunters here that actually feel the need and use 3.5" magnums, or is 3.0" plenty o' power for the largest tasty flying things at long range, with proper choke? Thanks.

[Futo Inu]

Should put this in shotguns forum, but it goes ok here too...

Sorry if it's a dumb question - it's just that I'm considering selling my 870 express super mag to a good friend of mine as his first gun of any kind, but wondering if I might wanna hang onto it in case I decide to take up geese hunting or some such. I would then just tell him to pick up an 870 or Win 1300 cheap somewhere. I've got another 12 ga I can use for 2.75 and 3s.

[Coltdriver]

I am brand new to shot guns and just picked up a police turn in 870 about a month ago.

In doing my homework here is the only justification I could find for the longer or magnum shells.

The new environmentally safe (ie not lead) loads for waterfowl shooting are actually denser than lead. So to get the same reach and velocity you need more power, hence the 3.5 inch magnum shells.

So if your thing is fairly long distance waterfowl shooting then the larger shell is justified.

I always wondered why the turkey shooters want magnum shells. Purely speculation on my part but if you need to hold those very tight patterns that turkey shooters want, especially out to anywhere past 40 yards, then the choke may excessively distort the shot if you use lead. By using the higher density successor to lead you probably get much less distortion but you also need that extra power to reach out there with the load.

[Keith]

Oh, you mean them high-caliber, sniper, cop-killer loads? I thought those were banned?

Keith

[kudu]

You got to have 3.5in shells, its the only load for a ten gauge.:D

There is really no need for 3.5in 12ga shells since they started introducing Bismuth, tungstain, and Hevi-shot in waterfowl loads. A t first steel was the only non-toxic load available to hunt ducks and geese with and it took a lot more shot to get killing patterns. With the new types of shot there is no need for 3,5in shells to hunt with. I know a guy that uses a 28ga with bismuth shot to goose hunt with. He kills them cleanly out to 50yds with his goose gun. With the better shots like Hevi-shot it would be even more efficient. Steel looses so much energy because its light, as it looses enrgy and velocity it takes more shot to make up for its inadiquacy as a good alternative to lead. Just my 2 cents.

[HSMITH]

The higher density than lead loads are $2 per bang, VERY few people use them for waterfowling.

The 3.5" shell comes into real usefulness with steel shot, which most of us use because we can afford it and used properly it works well. The HUGE advantage of the 3.5" over 3" with steel shot is the ability to shoot large pellets and still maintain enough of them to make a workable pattern. With 3" you run out of pellets big enough to kill a duck at 40 yards +/- a couple. With 3.5" you have the capacity for a lot more larger shot and can launch it just as fast, so you get a workable pattern at longer ranges with the larger shot. With 3.5" shells you have enough pellets that are big enough to kill ducks at 55 yards, a BIG difference.

With a shotgun pellet we have a solid non-expanding projectile. It kills by penetration and penetration alone. The new denser than lead shot works BETTER than lead at longer ranges because it carries more velocity at range than a lighter pellet would. With this shot type the advantages of the larger shells are negated.

Shotgunning is all about pattern density on the target. Anything you can do to put more pellets at the same or higher speed on the target will benefit you. The 3.5" provides that advantage, the price is cost of ammo and recoil.

[dakotasin]

i use 3.5" shells exclusively for geese in my 12 ga. i used to use 3", but since switching over to 3.5", my success rate has skyrocketed.

i'm not really all that much into shotguns. i have a few, but i'm not a huge fan. i like the 3.5" 870 because it gives me the flexibility of hunting geese in the morning w/ goose loads, then switching over to 6-shot low brass 2.75" shells in the afternoon for pheasants, without having to carry more than 1 gun around.

i like the 3.5" shells because the payload is great!

[Navy joe]

You may just want to do a public service and keep the gun. As a first gun ever you may turn off a shooter for life or ingrain horrible habits from that thing beating him up. For myself I see little that cannot be done with 3" mag 12ga.

[Lennyjoe]

Just picked up an 835 Ulti-Mag Mossberg.

Have only shot 3 rounds out of it so far. All three were 3 1/2" Turkey rounds with an Extra Full Turkey choke. At 20 yards the paper plate was darn near shredded. It was by far better than my Winchester 1400 with
2 3/4" turkey loads using an extra full winchoke.

Of course its like night and day with 3 1/2" and 2 3/4" shotshells.

So far so good. I am going to take it out when I get home and pattern it for doves and qual with 2 3/4" loads and get a 28 Inch non ported barrel for Ducks and Geese. After I get the barrel I will pattern it for that as well.

HSMITH gave me good info on the importance of patterning shotguns. I never really paid attention to it before but plan on patterning this gun on all its uses.

Nice to have one gun that can do all that.;)

[Dr.Rob]

(grumble) Hate to admit it but I pretty much only use 2&3/4 inch shells. Used some 3 inch #2's for turkey... some old loads dad had laying around from pre-steel shot days I guess. Totally tore up a turkey target.. thought it made sense to me.

[Dave McCracken]

The big reason the makers came out with 3.5" 12 gauge shells was to sell new shotguns to folks with plenty of useful shotguns already.

While the occasional shotgunner can take advantage of the greater capacity of the howitzer hulls, like H, most of us shouldn't be shooting much past 40 yards anyway.

Don't believe me? Then tell me just how much your pet goose load drops at 50 yards....

And touching off a 3.5" load in a shotgun of a weight more suitable for the uplands qualifies as cruel and unusual punishment.

If t'were me NEEDING that heavy a payload, I'd scrimp until I could get a Mag 10 of 10-11 lbs, not 8 and change.

Of course, a 3.5" chambered shotgun can be used with shorter loads. So can the shotguns we already have.

[foghornl]

I remeber when we first had to start using "unleaded" loads for waterfowl..

My favorite was the 2-3/4" loaded w/#4. In my modified choke 12 Ga, any duck coming closer than 40 Yds was toast.

First year with steel shot, still bought the #4's. I swear the ducks were wearing Kevlar feathers. Wounded & lost a lot more ducks that I brought home. It sill bothers me to wound and lose game.

Next year, bought #2's. "toast" range was down to inside 30 Yds, but I still lost several ducks.

"BB" size was next, 'toast' range was back up to 35 Yds. Still don't like the steel shot..gonna try some of the other stuff this year.

Just my personal observations/opinions, but at least for the first few years, steel shot probably wounded and slowly killed more waterfowl than the "lead poisoning caused by ducks eating the shot" ever did.

[TaxPhd]

I don't hunt geese, but all of my duck hunting is over decoys, with max range on shots of about 30 yards. Most are within 20-25 yards. A 2 3/4" load of steel 4's (or 6's if I can find them) works perfectly. I don't magnums in a shotgun for anything.

[Dave McCracken]

Based on my limited experience, steel works great inside 30 yards, OK at 35, and things go to heck after that. YMMV. And I stay on a bird until it folds, second shots are de rigeur.

I'm plotting a late season snow goose day, and will start saving up now for some Hevi-shot loads to try out,along with the steel BBBs on hand. Will post results...

[45crittergitter]

3.5" is the way to go in steel shot past the decoys or for most geese. A 3.5" 12 ga gun is far more ergonomic (and versatile) for us little guys than a 10 ga.

I think the guy who claims "clean" goose kills at 50 yards with a 28 ga is full of BS. I doubt he can kill anything regularly at 50 yards with a 28 shot load. :neener:

[Bowlcut]

i thought 3.5"s were used to laugh at your friends when the gun blows almost out of their hands.....

espcialy when you sneak one in the tube of the pump Nova.... or if you are a little guy and hand it loaded to your friend....DaveTDM :scrutiny:

[Lennyjoe]

I will be bringing the Mossberg to the Phoenix get together in case anyone wants to feel what a 3 1/2" turkey load out of a extra full choked 24" barrel feels like. :what:

[Brad Johnson]

I will be bringing the Mossberg to the Phoenix get together in case anyone wants to feel what a 3 1/2" turkey load out of a extra full choked 24" barrel feels like.

Kinda like being punched in the shoulder by Mike Tyson.

Brad

[9 m&m]

**TRUE STORY**

One of my friends was deer hunting with a 3 1/2 in mag 00 buckshot.
deer walks out at 100 yards
he takes the shot
deer drops
He went out to the deer and 3 out of 18 pellets had hit him a 3 in only has 15 pellets compared to the 3 1/2 s 18 the 3 missing pellets could of been the missing three that hit the deer:rolleyes: :scrutiny: :)

[JohnBT]

100 yards with buckshot huh? Got lucky with 3 out of how many?

I wasn't raised that way, but I guess today's ammo could be better. Still, the velocity would drop from 1290 at the muzzle to 770 at 100 yards according to the info I have at hand. Now a 150-yard shot would be something considering the 43 inch holdover. But I digress.

00 Buckshot Trajectory (G1 =.038)
Range Velocity Path
Zero = 75
0 1290 -1.0
25 1050 1.4
50 930 1.9
75 840 ±
100 770 -4.9
125 710 -13
150 610 -43

John

[9 m&m]

He hit the deer with 3 out of 18 pellets.:cool:

[redneck2]

is about balancing shot size and pattern density

with the 3.5, you can step up on shot size and still get enough pellets to fill the pattern, either with a more open pattern at closer range or be good for longer range (turkeys) by going maybe from 6's to 4's. Maybe good for an extra 5-10 yards with the same pattern "fill"

For those that advocate a 10 gauge...they're a bear to lug up and down hills during turkey season

[HSMITH]

redneck, that is EXACTLY what the 3.5" 12 is about, pattern density with larger shot. The only penalty is recoil since they are lighter weight on normal 12ga platforms.

[Regulator]

First post.

I use 3.5" in 12 gauge for geese only and wouldn't even consider stepping down to a 3".