You most probably won't shoot enough geese in a year for the money to make a big dollar difference, so go for Hevi-Shot. The difference in performance is unbelievable.
It just cracks me up when guys whine about the cost. How many geese you gonna take in a season? 10-15 at the most? I'd suggest you spring for the extra $1-2 per round and make your time count.
You hit the nail on the head with those comments. I had a goose lease for several years and buying Federal Tungsten/Iron at 14 bucks for 10 was not that big a deal for goose hunting considering the performance of the stuff. It was amazing. I've still got about 5 boxes, dropped the lease, but may do some more goose hunting soon. Got deeks, got call, just don't have a place, but I have an inheritance I need to check in to. It's a long story, but there's a HUGE goose roost next to it. Can't get to it by land, though, boat only, LOL Yeah, it's marshland my grandpa bought for taxes owed back in the 50s. That side of the family doesn't hunt and they don't even know where it is, but my cousin and I are going to find it and survey it. I WILL hunt that chunk of land, dangit, before I'm dead.
Anyway, I shoot a lot of ducks, mostly duck hunt, and in a season where I do a bunch of duck hunting, I can burn up 10-20 rounds in a morning. That can add up over a season and 3" fast steel is deadly on decoyed ducks, don't need hevi shot or 3 1/2" or 10 gauges, 12 gauge 3" is perfect. Actually, I shoot 2 3/4 fast steel out of my Winchester 1400 with success and plan to try my 20 gauge just for grins at least during teal season. With ducks, definitely the 3.5" guns are a waste. They're heavier, longer, less well balanced, more muzzle heavy than a 3" gun, so you do pay a little price for going with the 3.5". At least that is so between the Mossberg 500 and the 835 ultimag of the same barrel length. When going to the 3.5" gun, you can get a shorter barrel, though, than my 28" to help with the balance problem.
But, I've come to the conclusion I simply don't need a 3.5". If I go after geese, I'll take hevi shot and be happy. Ducks, 3" is more'n enough, especially the new fast steel loads. I picked up some Winchester high speed the other day, 3" 1550 fps in #3 steel. That should be KILLER even on late season big decoy shy ducks and should bring down a goose pretty well inside 40 yards. I happen on a goose now and then even without deeks out, can sometimes get 'em in 40 yards with just a call if they're flying low enough. If you're out there with standard velocity 4s or 6s, you're SOL on a goose, LOL. Fortunately, geese aren't legal, nor are they even migrated down yet during teal season. I like to chunk 4s or even 6s at teal, fast little devils that buzz in close.
I might not know much about clays, upland birds like quail, turkey, but I know what I like for waterfowl, been doing it for 40 years. Lots of good public waterfowl hunting down here, sorta makes up for not having any public deer hunting worth a toot.