3½ shotguns....really worth it?

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appalachian hunter

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i'm looking to get a new pump shotgun and i'm debating if getting a 3½ inch chamber is worth the extra buck. i mostly hunt deer,bears,upland and the occasional turkey.
 
I like having a 3 1/2" chamber. For a multi-purpose shotgun, a 3" should do most anything you ever need though. I would be more concerned with finding a gun that fits you well. Welcome to THR.
 
I like mine because it will run any 12ga shell on the market! That being said, the only time it has fired 3 1/2 inch ammo is at Snow geese with large steel shot such as BBB or T! Mine is an 870 Supermag I bought new in '97 or '98 !
Welcome to THR!

As a side note; there is no trade off in weight, Barrel options, or Pump stroke length between the Supermag or the 3" Express! I've owned both and sold the Express a couple of years after I got the Supermag!
 
Ouch is right. There may be some benefit downrange with geese, but with some of the newer "heavy" non toxic loads, I think I would just bite the bullet and buy the expensive loads rather than shoot 3 1/2" shells.
 
ok so ....3.5's hurts like hell to shoot and are way more expensive for no noticeable advantage except for long range geeses
 
I shoot 3.5" on turkeys. That is because they pattern best in my gun. If my gun had a 3" chamber I wouldn't feel disadvantaged using 3" shells for turkey.

The 3" chamber will do 95% of what you would realistically ask a shotgun to do.

Like I said before, it is more important that you find a gun that you like and fits you well.
 
Don't do it. The 3 inch shell will do almost everything you could ever want to do. I shot 5 3.5 inch shells ONE time, and will not do it again. I had a friend with a new mossberg turkey gun that would not cycle correctly. (the knuckle-head didn't read the manual, and failed to apply gun oil where required). I cleaned, lubed and shot that gun, and my whole side hurt for 2 days. This was at the same time I was shooting A LOT of skeet, and a fair amount of rifle ammo.

If you need that large of a shell to hit the geese, step up to a 10 gauge shotgun. Otherwise have fun with a 3 inch chamber and learn your limits.
 
I have hunted & killed everything in Kansas for 50+ years with 2 3/4" guns.

A 2 3/4" 1 5/8 oz Mag hurts me bad enough.

The only reason I would ever buy a 3" gun would be for use with steel shot for goose hunting.

Used to kill them as far as anyone should be shooting at them with 2 3/4" lead until they were outlawed for migratory waterfowl.

I have a 3" 20 ga double that has never had a 3" shell fired in it in 40 years and it has killed enough pheasants to fill a reefer truck.

rc
 
I have no need for 3 1/2" shells. Truthfully the only place they make sense if for guys who shoot a lot of long range geese and buy ammo by the case. The recoil on 3 1/2" steel isn't too bad and they are a lot cheaper than the other non-toxic options. No way I'd turkey hunt with them. You are getting 458 win mag recoil levels. No turkey is worth that to me.

I wouldn't pay extra for it, but some guns, such as the Benelli Nova are all chambered the same. If i liked one and it was chambered for 3 1/2" ammo I'd buy it. Wouldn't buy any shells longer than 3" though.

I used to own one of the Nova's. I liked it well enough and did try enough of the big shells to know I don't need or want them.
 
I don't know that I would pay extra for 3.5", but I got mine (870) used for a good price.
I hunt coyote and in heavy brush or on state ground I use shotgun. The 3.5 patterns well and has a few more pellets to give me some kind of perceived edge. :D

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
 
I have a 3.5" Beretta semi with their Kick off recoil system. This gun has seen 1-1/8oz target loads a few times and that is the heaviest load it will EVER see. It was purchased because it wasn't too heavy for my wife to shoot for sporting clays AND it works flawlessly with my 3/4oz reloads.

If I want to enrich my ortho surgeon, I'll just have someone hit me in my shoulder with a baseball bat - it should hurt less...................
 
Deer....3" more than enough.
Bear....3" more than enough.
Occasional turkey...3" more than enough.
Upland....you'll find that you are swinging a Howitzer. It will work but do you really want to carry the extra weight?


I have a Mossy 835. I bought it for water fowling when steel was the only option, 1993. From your list you aren't stuck with non-tox. loads, a 3" chamber will do anything you ask of it. Today's non-tox. options make a 2 3/4" or 3" shell viable for waterfowling...expensive but viable.
 
3.5" shotguns are now a solution looking for a problem. In the very rare circumstances where you may actually benefit from the extra payload, you can easily substitute bismuth/tungston/hevishot shot for steel.

The availability of denser non-toxic shot make these guns obsolete.
 
I don't find 3.5" shells to be all that much worse than anything else, but I'll only use them for geese and sometimes for ducks (longer passing shots or other situations that may call for more shot in the air) I really haven't found much of a difference, but sometimes I find a deal on them and I snatch them up.

I'd definitely agree that a 3" shell will do almost everything a 3.5" will do, and you'll be more successful with a 2.75" chamber that you can shoot accurately and fits well than you will with a 3.5" that beats the crap of out of you and you can't shoot well because it's no fun to practice with.
 
My 835 Mossberg is my go-to shotty. It eats everything I feed it. Recoil problem attended to by switching to a LimbSaver recoil pad. Max loads fired to date were 2 1/4 oz. turkey hammers, no damage to me but you DO gotta remember to lean into it. My only whinge is the overbored barrel, so no slugs (though I've done it as a test). I get around the no slug issue by reloading up to 4 fifty caliber balls into the wad.
 
I shoot 3.5"s through my Xtrema2 all the time. The KO system makes them feel like regular 3" shells. I use them primarily for duck, goose and Turkey. For your intended purpose a 3" gun will work just fine.

p1066294556-5.jpg
 
If you do lot of long-range wildfowling with steel shot it is very nice cartridge to use.
 
I have the Remington Supermag 870 and love it. I shoot mostly 2 3/4 shells but its nice to have that Extra flexibility. I have shot the 3.5's and don't mind it. I bought this gun with the idea that I can shoot ANY 12 ga shell. I have other 870's as well and this just adds to the stable.
 
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