Shell size

[Ihuntoldschool]

Never seen a 3 inch pattern better than a 3.5 inch when everything was equal, same gun, shell, choke, barrel etc.  Matching shell length to chamber length is desirable whenever possible.

[allaboutshooting]

I remember when a guy named Randy Lewis that lives in my home town broke the record with 42 pellets in a 3"circle at 40 yards with hevishot and a thunder wad choke that he made and I'm pretty sure it was with a transparent white colored 2 3/4" shell loaded by environmetal, hmmmmmmm...

Thanks for posting this. It brought back a lot of memories.

Randy and his friend Claude Kinsler were great still target shooters. I shot with both of them for several years at the World Championship shoots. Unfortunately, both died way too young.

Hevi-Shot really changed the way we thought about turkey loads.

Thanks,
Clark

[decoykrvr]

Like a number of "older" forum members, my shotgun shooting has evolved from the "bigger is better" philosophy due to the myriad changes in the shotshell/shotgun evolution of the past 50 years.  I currently have  dedicated turkey shotguns in 10 gauge, a 31/2" 12 gauge, two 12 gauges and a 20 gauge.  In 28 days of hunting turkeys this spring, the 20 gauge and 31/2", 12 gauge have both been out once and the remainder of my hunting has been w/ one of the 3", 12 gauges.  With several of the Hevi-13, 3", loads my favorite 12 gauge patterns phenomenally well, and will kill gobblers at distances further than I care to shoot.  I really don't require the extra weight, recoil, and marginally better pattern/performance afforded by a 10 gauge or 3/12", 12 gauge.  My 20 gauge w/ Federal 3", HW 7's will put 140-145 pellets in a 10" at 40 yards, but I don't have sufficient familiarity and confidence in the shotgun to hunt w/ it extensively yet.

[maytom]

Another vote for the 3" shell!!!

[Gumby]

3"