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

[keehnel1414]

Hello Fellow Hunters,

This is my first post and wasn't sure if this should go under 12 gauge forum or this one but I felt it fit better in this one.

I have been a deer hunter since I was 14 years old going out with my dad. I have bagged a few deer over the years and this will be my first ever turkey hunt. I am going over to Eastern Washington and our season starts April 15th. My buddy and I are going over to hunt with an establish camp of Old Timer's who have hunted the area for quite some time. My buddy has gone the last two years so he has a general lay of the land, but for me this will be all new territory.

So when my buddy first asked me to go I told him I would love too. We go pheasant and dove hunting together every year and he knew that I only had an old Remington 1100 that only shoots 2 & 3/4 shells and a fixed choke. He says "If you want to go Turkey Hunting you have to get a gun that shoots 3 & 1/2" shells." Without a whole lot of research into turkey hunting (I researched guns) I went out and bought a Benelli Super Nova pump. This was back in January.

Since then I have been researching and studying everything I could on Turkey Hunting, practicing with my diaphragm calls, and watching every Turkey hunting video I could find. I have noticed that some guys don't hunt with 3 & 1/2 inch shells. They prefer 3" shells.

I went and patterned my gun last weekend with 3 & 1/2" shells. It was a horrible experience as the range I went to only had one pattern board set at 35 yards and there was no real good rest. I did 2 shots resting on basically a 4' pony wall (I am 5' 9"), and one shot standing up. I couldn't sit on the ground as the pony wall would have been in the way. I knew these shells would kick pretty good and wasn't surprised when I was knocked back a little while doing the standing shot. Regardless the experience was unpleasant.

I want to know what your guy's experience's are with 3 1/2" shells vs 3" shells. I bought a 300 WSM for deer hunting. Now I know some of you may say this is a bit over kill however, where we hunt there are very few chances at deer and I have killed 1 deer at over 400yards, so it helped in that regard. My understanding of turkey hunting is that the 3 1/2" shells may give you a little bit more range to go after a bird (Really sucks as I didn't get to test the pattern out to my max distance). I am wondering though how often do you really need to take that distance shot? I would figure if you take the same shot at 35 yards with 3 1/2 vs 3" the same result will happen.

For those guys that hunt with 3" shells have you ever had an experience where you wish you had 3 1/2"? I know some of you will say I only hunt with 3" shells or the opposite. I am looking for hunters that have had experiences with both and I don't want reasons such as the kick of the 3 1/2" shell was why I switched over to 3" shells. I want to know of other reasons as to why you choose which size shell to use.

I also want to know if anybody has ever hunted with 2 3/4" shells. This one is just out of curiosity and whether or not my Remington 1100 would have worked for my first year.

There is a lot of great information on this site and I appreciate all the good advice. Keep it up and good luck this year.

[appalachianstruttstopper]

I have several 3.5" guns and I shoot only 3" shells in all of them. They all pattern very well out to 40yds with both 3" and 3.5".  3" shells are cheaper and easier to find and the lighter recoil is a bonus IMO. Most of my kills are inside 20yds, and most that are farther could probably be killed at 20yds also if I where to wait for them. That being said, I could kill most of the turkeys I hunt with 2.75" 20 ga modified choke.

I will not personally take a shot at a turkey that is out side of 40yds, as a matter of fact, I usually won't take a shot at one any further than 35 in case of error on judgement. Every hunters situation is different by area and I usually put myself in a posistion to where when the gobbler shows up, he is in range unless I am going for the visual decoy method. With decoys I typicaly set them about 20yds from me when possible.

Not sure what kind of terrain you will be hunting in your area, but you can use terrain to your advantage when it comes down to moving on a bird and also setting up for the kill.

[budtripp]

Your 1100 will work fine. Just get some 2.75" winchester xx mags 6's and see what it'll do on the range. People were killimg toms long before the 3.5 in shell came around. No offense but your buddy doesn't sound very experienced himself or he would know better. For the record I have two 3.5in guns  but they are definitely not necessary

[alclark2]

I shoot 3.5" but I agree it's not really necessary. Your 1100 would've worked fine. You'd just have to pattern it and see how tight it shoots. I took a double barrel 20 and patterned it for my wife with 2.75" 6 shot pheasant loads. Front trigger 22 yards and back trigger 28 yards. Just know your limits with your equipment.


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[keehnel1414]

Huh... I would have thought I would have gotten a few hell NO's on the 2.75" shells. I don't regret buying the Benelli as I thought it would be nice to be able to shoot all types of shells and something different than the auto for hunting dove, pheasant etc.

So how about this question for you experience guys. With the 3.5 vs the 3 do you see or notice a significant difference in the knock-down power? I bought 3 different boxes of 3.5 which should last me a few seasons but I am thinking it is not necessary and from now on I might as well just use 3" shells unless I set up in a spot where there is a chance of a longer shot being required.

I shoot 3.5" but I agree it's not really necessary. Your 1100 would've worked fine. You'd just have to pattern it and see how tight it shoots. I took a double barrel 20 and patterned it for my wife with 2.75" 6 shot pheasant loads. Front trigger 22 yards and back trigger 28 yards. Just know your limits with your equipment.


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Did you actually hunt with the 2.75" 6 shot pheasant loads? I have some of that ammo stocked up and if you think that would work I could bring my 1100 for a back up.

Your 1100 will work fine. Just get some 2.75" winchester xx mags 6's and see what it'll do on the range. People were killimg toms long before the 3.5 in shell came around. No offense but your buddy doesn't sound very experienced himself or he would know better. For the record I have two 3.5in guns  but they are definitely not necessary

Ya, you are correct. My buddy is not very experienced. He just got into hunting about 4 years ago and only turkey hunting for 2, this will be his 3rd season. He's a pretty cool dude, but likes to get caught up in the biggest, baddest, best type of mentality. I showed him the ropes on deer hunting so I am hoping he has picked up enough experience to get us into some turkeys.

I have several 3.5" guns and I shoot only 3" shells in all of them. They all pattern very well out to 40yds with both 3" and 3.5".  3" shells are cheaper and easier to find and the lighter recoil is a bonus IMO. Most of my kills are inside 20yds, and most that are farther could probably be killed at 20yds also if I where to wait for them. That being said, I could kill most of the turkeys I hunt with 2.75" 20 ga modified choke.

I will not personally take a shot at a turkey that is out side of 40yds, as a matter of fact, I usually won't take a shot at one any further than 35 in case of error on judgement. Every hunters situation is different by area and I usually put myself in a posistion to where when the gobbler shows up, he is in range unless I am going for the visual decoy method. With decoys I typicaly set them about 20yds from me when possible.

Not sure what kind of terrain you will be hunting in your area, but you can use terrain to your advantage when it comes down to moving on a bird and also setting up for the kill.

I was thinking that was probably the max for me as well as my gun patterned fairly well at 35 yards. I thought I heard somewhere that 60 yards would be the max for an excellent shooter with 3.5" shells. Not sure what the terrain is going to be like. I know it will be heavily wooded and there is some hills we will be hiking on and around. It sounds like it would be good if we could spot some turkeys in open fields and then set up the next morning in those fields but I don't know if we will have luck finding that situation.

[Skeeterbait]

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.

[alclark2]

"Did you actually hunt with the 2.75" 6 shot pheasant loads? I have some of that ammo stocked up and if you think that would work I could bring my 1100 for a back up."

My example was for her 2.75" 20 gauge. I can't find any 2.75" lead turkey loads for that old gun. Everything is 3". In a 12 gauge you can find the previously suggested 2.75" turkey load. I would get the best you can and skip pheasant loads in your 12 gauge.

When you can put 100 pellets in a 10" circle... you've got your effective range. She is going to hunt with this setup in about 2 weeks when our season opens up. I plan to put a decoy at about 10-12 steps so she can use it to range her shot distance.

I'd take your stuff to the range and test them at 30,35, 40 yards and see what kind of pattern your putting down. Also, use a big piece of paper or cardboard to check the point of impact. If you try that pheasant load at 30 it might look really good. At 35, it may fall apart. At 40, you may scratch your head and wonder where all the pellets went LOL. Usually, in my experience you get a good pattern out to a certain distance and then it exponentially falls apart. The more time you spend at the range with your guns and different ammo the better. Knowing your guns capability will drop a turkey in its tracks and not wound them with a long distance shot. That's what we're all after I hope.

There is a ton of information on here to learn about ammo. If you can find Winchester Long Beard Xrs at the store consider yourself lucky. They shoot very tight and are getting all the hype this year. Second, I'd recommend Federal Turkey Thug ammo. Both of these loads are new in the last two years and put up great patterns. They would be a good place to start in your new gun.

[keehnel1414]

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.

I did not know this. Thought it was all about distance and more powder charge. Ok, that helps a great deal. I knew all about the patterning and finding the right combination between gun, choke, and ammo.

"Did you actually hunt with the 2.75" 6 shot pheasant loads? I have some of that ammo stocked up and if you think that would work I could bring my 1100 for a back up."

My example was for her 2.75" 20 gauge. I can't find any 2.75" lead turkey loads for that old gun. Everything is 3". In a 12 gauge you can find the previously suggested 2.75" turkey load. I would get the best you can and skip pheasant loads in your 12 gauge.

When you can put 100 pellets in a 10" circle... you've got your effective range. She is going to hunt with this setup in about 2 weeks when our season opens up. I plan to put a decoy at about 10-12 steps so she can use it to range her shot distance.

I'd take your stuff to the range and test them at 30,35, 40 yards and see what kind of pattern your putting down. Also, use a big piece of paper or cardboard to check the point of impact. If you try that pheasant load at 30 it might look really good. At 35, it may fall apart. At 40, you may scratch your head and wonder where all the pellets went LOL. Usually, in my experience you get a good pattern out to a certain distance and then it exponentially falls apart. The more time you spend at the range with your guns and different ammo the better. Knowing your guns capability will drop a turkey in its tracks and not wound them with a long distance shot. That's what we're all after I hope.

There is a ton of information on here to learn about ammo. If you can find Winchester Long Beard Xrs at the store consider yourself lucky. They shoot very tight and are getting all the hype this year. Second, I'd recommend Federal Turkey Thug ammo. Both of these loads are new in the last two years and put up great patterns. They would be a good place to start in your new gun.

I see. Ya, I didn't go looking for turkey ammo for the Remington but thought if you did it with pheasant loads maybe I could use that gun as a back up. I have already spent a ton of money trying to get all the necessary gear for this season.. Calls, Leafy Suit, Gun, Ammo, Tags, blah blah, I don't think I will buy ammo for the gun I probably wont use. Maybe next year to mix things up.

I didn't find the Winchester Long Beards XR's just Double X. Attached are the 3 types of ammo I patterned with and the order I shot them in left to right. As you can see in the photo that was all I had to rest on and I didn't have a chair behind it. I just had to lean over. My first and best shot was with the Remington #5's. However I don't think my results were accurate as that was the first shot where I hadn't experienced the kick and I had the worst possible rest for all of the shots. I did learn that all of them would have put at least 10 BB's in the kill zone of a turkey at 35 yards. Figured that was good enough for me.



Our season starts next Tuesday and we are leaving this Sunday or else I would go try and pattern more. Hopefully during the summer I can get some better shots and really see what works best with my gun. However, this will have to do for the time being.

[Skeeterbait]

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.

I did not know this. Thought it was all about distance and more powder charge. Ok, that helps a great deal. I knew all about the patterning and finding the right combination between gun, choke, and ammo.

Well you MIGHT get a little more distance from the longer shells but that is because the increased number of shot can create a pattern that remains denser at a longer distance.  More powder (and more recoil) is to get the larger quantity of shot moving.  I doesn't leave the barrel any faster.

[jbrown]

Federal Heavy Weights make a great turkey 2 3/4 shell

[Mason Dixon]

"Turkeys were harvested for centuries with cylinder bored flintlock, percussion cap fowlers, muskets and shotguns. What you had in the beginning for upland game/bird hunting is more than sufficient. Now that you have a collection....do what has been suggested. Pattern what you have. Listen to what folks here advise....then go to the National Wild Turkey Federation website. They provide tutorials on all aspects of huntin' ol' Tom.  Remember.....Americans traditionally want the biggest/baddest/fastest/costliest/newest whatever you're talking about at the moment. We all "jump" to fit in with the group. Sadly, usually this leads to lining someone else's pocket with your hard earned money. My first two turkeys were taken in about '97 with a '76 Ithaca M37 Featherlight with 30" full choke goose barrel and 25 year old Federal High Brass #4 Pheasant loads. I learned through trial and error in calling. Learned how turkeys use their home range.....made mistakes.....missed a few..... and finally nailed 2 at the same sitting. One as he rounded a cutover area's logging road at 15 paces and the other as it took flight to my left rear at 20 paces. Use what you have now.....it will last you for years. The Super Nova.... bought one two years ago.....hasn't been bloodied yet....but will be by next week......Good Gobblin' to you......"

[learn2hide]

legitimately the 2 3/4", 3", and 3.5" don't have that much power difference in magnum loadings...they do obviously have more pellet count...but as others have said, if you can find a load that will work out you'll be fine.  Now a full choke barrel for the 1100 wouldn't be a bad thing.  But now that you have a Benelli I'd simply buy a few types of 3" loads in #5 or #6 shot and pick the one that patterns best at 35 yards.  You will most likely never have to shoot a turkey beyond 40/45 yards even though you'd like to, but your regular magnums will easily take turkeys at 35-40 yards as long as you've done your prep work.  Much like shooting at 400 yards with your 300WSM...that caliber is not super accurate compared to others but if you understand its ballistics and practice your form you can take ethical shots at the edge of its effective range.  Same thing with shotgunning.  Good luck to you, hope you get a chance to experience a real good hunt, and if you're fortunate enough maybe even get some turkey in the fryer.   

[surehuntsalot]

I used a Remington 1100 2-3/4" fixed full choke shotgun for several years when I first started out.
I shot Winchester or Federal 2-3/4" Magnum 1-5/8oz #4's and 6's
Man those were some good times and memories.

[wibirdhunter]

I always shoot 3.5 for turkeys and it's not so much to give me more range as much as it's to add extra pellets in case something goes wrong.

Small tree or branch goes unnoticed at the shot.

Misjudge the distance.

Aim isn't true.

Wounded bird getting out of dodge.

With that said if you are uncomfortable your odds of something going wrong are higher and you should shoot what is comfortable. Forget about 60 yards not only are your odds of a clean kill lower your odds of a successful 2nd shot on a wounded bird are slim to none.

[DirtNap647]

I like the 3 1/2" I think it hits a little harder