3 1/2" vs 3" vs 2 & 3/4" Experiences

[mspaci]

my 1100 is a killer with 2 3/4 in lead loads at 40.  My 10 ga is a 50 yard killer all day long & twice on Sunday 100%.  Wouldnt think of it w/ 1100 12 ga, wouldnt hesitate with the 10.  Mike

[turkey buster]

I skipped most of the post so I hope I'm not repeating others. I've killed them with 2 3/4, 3, and 3.5 in shells. It's all about knowing the limit of your gun. I currently shoot 3.5in shells but wouldnt hesitate grabbing my old A5 and send a 2 3/4 remington duplex 4x6 down that 30in full choke barrel. My. 2nd bird from last year was killed just that way. My first ever was with a 3in shell. But many many more with a 3.5 lol

[perrytrails]

Been using 2 3/4 Winchester 6's In my 870 with a rem super full choke .660 for years now. I've tried 3 inch but those 2 3/4 6's throw a awesome pattern out to 40. Your results may not be so good, every gun is different. Buy and try till you get a good EVEN pattern is a must with any gun, choke combination.  Don't be afraid to try 2 3/4 shells. It may be what your looking for.

[Cut N Run]

I started turkey hunting in 1982 with a single shot using 2.75 inch #6 Winchester XXs and killed plenty of turkeys with them.  It is all about having an even pattern at normal hunting ranges.  My old single shot has a fixed modified choke, so the turkeys had to be close before I shot.  I never lost or wounded a turkey with that gun either. I only killed 10 turkeys with it before I moved up to a 3 inch chambered semi auto.

These days, I shoot a Benelli SBE II with 3 inch Hevi #6s or #7s and they absolutely stomp a turkey's butt.  I know a lot of guys shoot the 3.5 inch shells, though I never tried them. Heavy recoil hurts my bad shoulder. The 3" shell does the job and I'm sure I could have killed most of my turkeys with a 2.75 inch shell.  As long as your gun throws an even pattern at normal hunting ranges and you can let the turkeys get in range before you drop the hammer, you should be good to go.

Good luck this spring.

Jim

[jblackburn]

Two years ago I switched to 3.5s out of my 835 and my pattern was better. Mostly because there is an additional 1/4 of shot.

My 870 is a 3 inch gun and with #6 hevi, there is no worry.

I have a 2 3/4 chamber old single shot that I plan on using sometime.  It has a fixed full choke so I picked up some Federals with the flight control wad.

[mudhen]

In the right set-up, 3.5" is a breeze.

I shoot 3.5" in my NWTF BPS, love the patterns with H-13 3.5" #6's.

My Super Vinci also likes the same 3.5" H-13 load.

I've got an SBE II that is like Thor's Hammer with 3" Magnum Blend.

When I'm on the road in places like NE/KS, I try to not let the weather conditions to affect me, so I try to bring the best combinations I can.

Just depends on the set-up for me....

mudhen

[ilbucksndux]

When you shoot a "big" shell at game you might not feel the recoil however your brain knows its coming and you flinch. No matter how you try not to or practice not to you will. I have caught myself doing it and have seen others do it.

I myself prefer a 3" shell. I have 3 1/2" guns but have NEVER felt under powered with 3".

[BHMTitan]

Since I started turkey hunting (too many years ago to count), I've used a 2.75" Browning A5... it has killed a many turkeys shooting Win XX or Win X #6 out of the stock 31" full choke barrel.  20 years ago I put a 21" barrel with screw in chokes.  Fully confident in it out to 40y with WinX #6.

[captpete]

My 870 doesn't like 3 1/2" shells. I have tried 7-8 different loads through 5-6 different choke tubes and get about the same results....there is always a hole in the pattern. I switched to 3" and the hole in the pattern disappearred. Last year I set up my 1187 20ga. for the wife to use. Using Federal HW 7's it throws just as good of a pattern at 35yd as the 870 12ga. using 3" Wincherster HV 6's. I have been turkey hunting for 15yrs and the farthest I have killed a turkey is 31 steps/ yds.....most have be in the 15-20 yd range.

[DranDran]

I'm using a winchester model 1912, 12 gauge with fixed full choke and a 2.75" chamber. I don't feel under gunned at all inside 30-35 yards. I know people that have killed them with a 2.5" load of #6 out of a   . 410


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[vpsalin]

I shot Winchester or Federal 2-3/4" Magnum 1-5/8oz #4's and 6's

What shells are those? The payload is as heavy as some 3'' shells....

[WyoHunter]

60 is too far for any setup to guarantee instant kills 100 percent of the time.  Too many people are living on the lucky BB.  "I killed a bird at 60 yards so I know my gun is a 60 yard gun".  Well fact is on any given shot all it takes is one pellet to find the brain and you have a dead bird.  You can't guarantee that will happen though 100 percent of the time with any setup at 60 yards.

40 yards is a slam dunk 100 percent of the time with a good setup.  Some setups will even give you a bit of margin beyond that if you misjudge yardage.  That is why we advocate a 40 yard maximum.

Difference in 2.75, 3, and 3.5 inch shells is not power or energy, it is number of shot.  Longer shells have the POTENTIAL to give more dense patterns because they are pushing heavier payloads of shot.  But it is only potential until you take the time to find a gun/choke combination that handles that larger payload well.  It is quite possible for a given gun/choke to pattern smaller shot payloads better.  Therefore in some gun/choke combinations, a 3" shell may well outpattern a 3.5" shell.  2.75" shells can certainly be turkey killers also.  It is all in finding a gun/choke combination that handles it well.  In general, the tighter the bore and tighter the choke, the more likely that the gun will handle lighter payloads of shot better than heavier.

Excellent response Skeeter!

[Marc]

I personally shoot 3" 1 5/8" Hevi-shot #6's...  That stuff will kill a bird further than I am willing to shoot one.

Hevi-shot is denser than lead, and tends to pattern much tighter...  I would go with 2 3/4" Hevi-shot over 3"  or 3.5" lead...

I will not shoot those 2 oz loads for a turkey any longer...  I love wing-shooting, and although it never bothers me when I am shooting a bird, I always find myself flinching after dusting off one of those loads.  I have killed a a bird at 40 yards, but I would not care to shoot one any further than that...  By far most of the birds I have killed have been under 30 yards, and most under 20...

When patterning my gun to see where it shoots, I use standard target loads...  When I figure out what is going on, if I am using a new load or choke, I will put one turkey load through the gun just to take a look at the pattern...  A box of ten loads will last me 2-3 seasons, as I can only shoot 3 birds per season here...  So the cost per shell does not bother me much...

In fact, next season I am thinking of switching to a 20 ga. with Hevi-shot, as it will be more pleasant to carry, and more comfortable to rest on my knee for long periods...

[silvestris]

I killed a number of them with 2 3/4" 4s and 6s.  I now use the Winchester Longbeard 6s in 3" in my Encore, not for distance, but pattern density.  I absolutely refuse to shoot one past 35 steps.  You can kill them with a .410 if you call them close enough.  Pattern density and pellet energy seals the deal, and that means close.

[WV TURKEY THUG]

i shot a bird once with a rem 1100 factory full choke 2 3/4 5 shot winchester i believe silver box at 40 yds. it rolled it. then i bought a 835 and used it ever since