Shotguns 3 inch vs 3.5 inch
- Thread starter DRT DAN
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TripleDeuce660
Active member
patterning isn't going to tell the entire story of shot string. Stuff too much lead in the bore and you get longer shotstring which is not good.
Personaly I would save the money and your shoulder and shoot 3" loads. The 3.5 is mostly a gimmick I see no need for it. Only time one MIGHT possibly consider it a bonus to go to 3.5 is if you shoot steal shot at high flying waterfowl. If you really need all that then its time to consider a 10 gauge and it will do it with less shotstring and recoil.
Personaly I would save the money and your shoulder and shoot 3" loads. The 3.5 is mostly a gimmick I see no need for it. Only time one MIGHT possibly consider it a bonus to go to 3.5 is if you shoot steal shot at high flying waterfowl. If you really need all that then its time to consider a 10 gauge and it will do it with less shotstring and recoil.
bigwheeler
New member
I goose hunt with a three inch, my friend uses a 3.5. It ain't no contest.
He drops birds as far as 90 yards, I'm stuck at around 55-60 for my longest
shots. A 3.5 is comparable to a ten gauge. However in a pump you are
going to know it if you pull the trigger on a 3.5 heavy load.
He drops birds as far as 90 yards, I'm stuck at around 55-60 for my longest
shots. A 3.5 is comparable to a ten gauge. However in a pump you are
going to know it if you pull the trigger on a 3.5 heavy load.
Jayhawker27
New member
Originally Posted By: SShooterZ90 yards with steel shot? Seriously?
I question that claim as well....I'd have to see it (and measure it) to believe it...
Many years ago, I killed a goose at an honest 80 yards with a 3 1/2" 10 gauge shooting copper coated lead BBs...and I've always considered that luck had a lot more to do with it than any skill I possess...
I question that claim as well....I'd have to see it (and measure it) to believe it...
Many years ago, I killed a goose at an honest 80 yards with a 3 1/2" 10 gauge shooting copper coated lead BBs...and I've always considered that luck had a lot more to do with it than any skill I possess...
Jayhawker27
New member
Originally Posted By: DRT DANI have a 870 super magnum just wondering which is best for predator calling? I under the impression that 3.5s only pack more pellets at the same velocity a 3 inch can throw. I'm shooting the 3.5 inch 54 pellet 4 buck Winchesters.
You are subjecting yourself to way more of a beating than is necessary. 3" is more than adequate, 2 3/4 has worked well for a long time...
You are subjecting yourself to way more of a beating than is necessary. 3" is more than adequate, 2 3/4 has worked well for a long time...
The guy with the most pellet strikes wins. And what's wrong with a long shot string? A full choke gives you a longer shot string no matter what you're shooting. 54 pellets vs 42 pellets and that shot string is going to give you a same diameter shot pattern. Coyotes usually aren't moving all that fast or are stationary when you shoot them so they're going to absorb a good portion of the pellets if you do it right.
However.........3" shells will do good, too. Lots of coyotes and wolves have fallen to them. If you get a 3 1/2" gun you can still shoot 3" shells if you get stuck. I shoot the 3 1/2" Winchester shells and I don't lose many coyotes with them.
I hunt geese with my 3 1/2" SuperX2 and I would never, ever attempt anything like a 90 yard shot. In fact 50 or 55 yards is sky busting. With most modern waterfowl shot you will cripple too many birds.
However.........3" shells will do good, too. Lots of coyotes and wolves have fallen to them. If you get a 3 1/2" gun you can still shoot 3" shells if you get stuck. I shoot the 3 1/2" Winchester shells and I don't lose many coyotes with them.
I hunt geese with my 3 1/2" SuperX2 and I would never, ever attempt anything like a 90 yard shot. In fact 50 or 55 yards is sky busting. With most modern waterfowl shot you will cripple too many birds.
nightcaller
Active member
Originally Posted By: TripleDeuce660patterning isn't going to tell the entire story of shot string. Stuff too much lead in the bore and you get longer shotstring which is not good.
Personaly I would save the money and your shoulder and shoot 3" loads. The 3.5 is mostly a gimmick I see no need for it. Only time one MIGHT possibly consider it a bonus to go to 3.5 is if you shoot steal shot at high flying waterfowl. If you really need all that then its time to consider a 10 gauge and it will do it with less shotstring and recoil.
shotstring on coyotes is absolutely irrelevant. 3.5s have more pellets and therefore have a better chance of putting more on your target if you find the choke that will work with your gun/load.
Personaly I would save the money and your shoulder and shoot 3" loads. The 3.5 is mostly a gimmick I see no need for it. Only time one MIGHT possibly consider it a bonus to go to 3.5 is if you shoot steal shot at high flying waterfowl. If you really need all that then its time to consider a 10 gauge and it will do it with less shotstring and recoil.
shotstring on coyotes is absolutely irrelevant. 3.5s have more pellets and therefore have a better chance of putting more on your target if you find the choke that will work with your gun/load.
Jayhawker27
New member
I agree that shotstringing has little effect on coyotes, turkeys, etc...however, I have no idea why anyone would put up with the beating delivered by running a 10 gauge shot charge down a 12 gauge barrel...
If you're gonna shoot a 10 gauge...buy a 10 gauge...but that's just me...
If you're gonna shoot a 10 gauge...buy a 10 gauge...but that's just me...
Jayhawker27
New member
Yeah...that makes sense...I plumb forgot that aspect of the whole thing...
yotenaylor
New member
Try some of the Hevi shot goose loads (2's and single B's) out of a carlson hevishot choke tube. Its an extremely high velocity round that I have had great success with. Another good combo for me is the plain old winchester 3.5" #4 buck loads with the same choke tube. Both combinations have been very very lethal.
The 3" produce the best pattern out of my Benelli. I talked to a tech at Winchester about the 3.5" not shooting good out of this same gun and I was told that 3.5" are 10ga loads and were really too much shot to be forcing down a 12ga barrel and there will always be deformation of the shot which will cause a great amount of fliers. He also said that this was one of those things were there was a public demand for the product due to people thinking bigger is always better even if its not the best choice, so companies started producing the 3.5" load and making money.
SShooterZ
New member
From what I gather 3.5" is probably 9/10 used for waterfowl hunting. I'm surprised the Winchester rep would make that comment when again, 9/10 steel shot is being used which doesn't deformed or succumb to deformation like lead shot does.
It does not surprise me in the least however that people buy it because of a "bigger is better" attitude. You don't have to look too far into the rifle caliber rounds to fine the same thing.
It does not surprise me in the least however that people buy it because of a "bigger is better" attitude. You don't have to look too far into the rifle caliber rounds to fine the same thing.
bigwheeler
New member
10 Gauges were (and up here are) quite popular for goose hunting. They
became expensive to shoot and very few manufactures offered them.
The 3.5 is a replacement for them albeit not quite as good. With steel shot
it's even more important to throw a lot of bb's out there. We shoot t's
and I have seen my partner drop geese that were in the clouds. And like
I said "as far as" , not like he drops em all at that range. But 60 yards is
pretty common for him and it is the absolute max for me with a three inch.
And for you unbelievers, go set a target up at ninety with a pattern master
and some federal steel.
became expensive to shoot and very few manufactures offered them.
The 3.5 is a replacement for them albeit not quite as good. With steel shot
it's even more important to throw a lot of bb's out there. We shoot t's
and I have seen my partner drop geese that were in the clouds. And like
I said "as far as" , not like he drops em all at that range. But 60 yards is
pretty common for him and it is the absolute max for me with a three inch.
And for you unbelievers, go set a target up at ninety with a pattern master
and some federal steel.
Originally Posted By: salty_jenkinsFrom what I've seen, the guys that are against the 3.5's usually can't handle them. Usually old guys, which is understandable. The more pellets = the better possibilty for a kill.
lol......Get a grip, sonny. I'm 66. Have a little respect for your elders!
And for roundcall......You need a little history of the 3 1/2" gun. When steel shot first came into being hunters were crippling more birds than killing them outright. Steel severely limited the effective killing range of a shotgun. You got more shot with the same weight of steel but it wasn't working well. Their first solution was to use larger shot which gave you more range but fewer pellet strikes. Hunters decided that a 10 gauge shell allowed you more shot and a lot of them were sold. Since all that was known at the time was based on lead shot research the manufacturers decided more shot equals cleaner kills and up to a point they were right. The 10's that were out back then were extremely heavy and not much fun to hunt with. Along came the 3 1/2" 12 gauge. Since 90% of my waterfowl hunting was for big geese I bought one right away. It worked pretty good but it still wasn't lead.
Ammunition makers realized that steel doesn't deform like lead and maybe they could speed it up a bit but that required using less shot. Shells were tested and lo and behold the faster shot killed more efficiently and you could get by with less of it. Today it's on the market and doing quite well.
The 3 1/2" still gives you an edge, too. As you can have the increased velocity and more shot, as well.
It's true that if you try and push too much lead down the tube you will have fliers but where is the line drawn saying it's too much lead? I've shot a lot of 1 5/8 oz size 2 shot at geese out of my 3" gun with no problems. But we're talking coyotes and #4 buckshot. Not much deforming going on here. My 3 1/2" Winchester SuperX2 with a Dead Coyote choke patterns 3 1/2" every bit as tight as a load of 3". Even if the 3 1/2" stuff gave me a larger pattern it sure couldn't be by much especially at the range I shoot coyotes.
A shotgun, especially with the Dead Coyote loads, can give you a lot of runners. With the 3 1/2" 4 buck the number for me has gone way, way down.
lol......Get a grip, sonny. I'm 66. Have a little respect for your elders!
And for roundcall......You need a little history of the 3 1/2" gun. When steel shot first came into being hunters were crippling more birds than killing them outright. Steel severely limited the effective killing range of a shotgun. You got more shot with the same weight of steel but it wasn't working well. Their first solution was to use larger shot which gave you more range but fewer pellet strikes. Hunters decided that a 10 gauge shell allowed you more shot and a lot of them were sold. Since all that was known at the time was based on lead shot research the manufacturers decided more shot equals cleaner kills and up to a point they were right. The 10's that were out back then were extremely heavy and not much fun to hunt with. Along came the 3 1/2" 12 gauge. Since 90% of my waterfowl hunting was for big geese I bought one right away. It worked pretty good but it still wasn't lead.
Ammunition makers realized that steel doesn't deform like lead and maybe they could speed it up a bit but that required using less shot. Shells were tested and lo and behold the faster shot killed more efficiently and you could get by with less of it. Today it's on the market and doing quite well.
The 3 1/2" still gives you an edge, too. As you can have the increased velocity and more shot, as well.
It's true that if you try and push too much lead down the tube you will have fliers but where is the line drawn saying it's too much lead? I've shot a lot of 1 5/8 oz size 2 shot at geese out of my 3" gun with no problems. But we're talking coyotes and #4 buckshot. Not much deforming going on here. My 3 1/2" Winchester SuperX2 with a Dead Coyote choke patterns 3 1/2" every bit as tight as a load of 3". Even if the 3 1/2" stuff gave me a larger pattern it sure couldn't be by much especially at the range I shoot coyotes.
A shotgun, especially with the Dead Coyote loads, can give you a lot of runners. With the 3 1/2" 4 buck the number for me has gone way, way down.
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