Goose 3" vs. 3 1/2" shells

[King Fisher]

Is their really a difference. I found the ultimate bird gun for 769.00, the 3 1/2 version is 200.00 more. Should I take the lower price 3" gun or pay the bucks. I've always been under the impression that 2 3/4 or 3 will do the job anytime. Need some help.

[Chum King]

In my humble opinion, the 3 1/2 in. gives you more flexibility in your hunting. It is like having an ultralight 10 ga in your pocket. The 3 1/2 in. can throw more pellets which results in a bit longer effective range (pellet velocity is usually the same as the 3 in., you just have more pellets in the pattern).

I have a 3 1/2" double. I love the ability to quickly switch from my 2 3/4 in. duck loads over to 3 1/2 in. goose loads when the need arises.

My recommendation is that if you are going to be doing a fair amount of goose hunting, invest in the 3 1/2 in. version. However if you are only going to be shooting geese on occasion, you could stick with the 3 in. version and spend the extra money on HeviShot shells. HeviShot sounds like bad medicine for geese.

[Lured In]

I would say if you can afford it, go for the 3.5". Not because I honestly believe they help, but as was said above, it's nice to have should you want to.

I have a Benelli SBE and I love it. Shortly after I got it I was cycling 3.5" rounds through it for both ducks and geese. I noticed that my kill vs. cripple ratio was roughly the same as before. The difference is in the $5-$10 more a box. I exclusively shoot 3" for ducks and will occasionally load a 3.5" in for geese. IMHO it is nice to have but you probably won't use it as much as you might think.

BTW I have a friend the shoots the Rem 11-87 Mag (chambered for 3.5") and he came to the same conclusion. I know there are others who may disagree, but if you are mediocre shot, having more pellets isn't going to help you. If you are a great shot you don't even need 3" and can just shoot 2 3/4".

[bigshark]

King Fisher

I have to share with you my observations and the resulting opinions. First, the 3 1/2 loaded with BBB is a terrific goose load. I had a Super Black Eagle that was a dream to shoot. The problem was I went through THREE extractors
before saying goodbye to the gun. Yes I do shoot a lot but I don't think I got more than say four or so flats out of each extractor when using the longer shells all of the time. If you shoot a lot don't get a Bennelli SBE unless most of the shells will be 3 inch. I have a pal who shoots a Citori 3 1/2 inch and has gone through at least 7 or 8 flats without a problem.
My gun was not an exception. The island club I shoot at has 20 members and at least 15 or so were shooting SBE's when they first came on the scene. All have had the same results.
I am a firm believer in the Hevishot shells and their new BB load in 3 inch put more pellets with more energy on the bird than any 3 1/2
steele load you can buy over the counter. Just my opnion!

BTW......I also have a 3 inch benelli competition which has had countless dozens of flats shot through it and has never failed. Those people really make a world class auto in my opinion.

[ 09-12-2002, 07:30 PM: Message edited by: bigshark ]

[KingFisher85]

The mossberg 835 in 3.5 is by far the best 3.5 inch shotgun made, and for its price to. You can pick a new one up for under $300 dollors new with a woodland camo or a grass camo or a few more that I can't think of right now. If I had the money I would be getting a 3.5 inch mag shotgun for my big bird hunting.

[Flatfish]

I have a 3 1/2" pump.After a couple seasond with the long shells,Bismuth came out.Since then,when shooting geese,I have quit trying to kill(cripple to death??)with steel.Just buy the 3" gun and spend the extra 200 bucks on a Bismuth/Heavishot/Tungsten load that patterns well in your gun.Yeah unfortunately you do need to pattern the thing,particurlary at longer ranges.But the "super shot" will crush the big birds with authority that steel simply cannot match.Or even approach.
If most of your goose hunting has birds in close,then steel will get them just fine.But much past 40 yards and it leaves too much to be desired to qualify as a real honker whacker.If you are old enough to remember how lead shot worked,you have an idea of the potential of the new products.
I do shoot steel at ducks.But they usually decoy close enough and require way less killing than a goose does.
See you in the marsh.
Mark and the dog.

[King Fisher]

Thanks Guys, I am the proud owner of a Browning Gold auto loader, mossy oak w/ 3.5 inch shell capacity. I had to spend the extra bucks.

[k9jeff]

I have a 3 1/2 benelli. I like it and use 3 1/2 through it. Its a turkey killer with #5 copper plated shot on a full choke. I use it for water foul and like it. I am looking for a 10ga also,, becasue I dont have one is the only reason...

[DRUNK COWBOY]

If you already have a 12 ga, then buy a 10 ga.

my.02

[Killertraylor]

Kingfisher85 - you're joking, right? I've had a Mossberg 835 Ulti-mag for about 5 years now (paid $219 for it when they first came out) and it's a great goose gun, but it's a piece of crap compared to a Remington, Browning, or Benelli. Two of my friends have them too and we all had to sit in front of the tv and shuck the thing a few thousand times to wear it in before it worked very well. And to those that think you get more distance out of a 3.5 inch shell just because it has more pellets, you're wrong. You need to know the velocity of your load. Faster shot of the same size will go farther than slower shot of the same size. Hence, I usually use the fastest shells I can get which are frequently 3 inch with only an ounce and an eighth of shot. I do like the 3 1/2 inch gun for geese - you'll notice on the Mossberg that the bore is actually bigger than a normal 12 guage - my browning 12 guage choke tubes will fit inside the Mossberg 835 choke tubes. I just bought a Remington 870 camo SP 3 1/2 inch gun and for a few hundred more dollars, it sure functions a lot better than the Mossberg. I'll probably only use the Mossberg when I need a shotgun/backup boat paddle....

[Chum King]

Killer-T, you are correct about the distance that the shotgun will shoot is directly tied to the velocity of the load. Also the size and density of pellets will affect the range of the load i.e. larger/denser pellets are more ballistically efficient.

With steel larger pellet sizes than lead have been required to be similarly effective to traditional lead loadings. In many cases (pun entirely accidental), that results in reduced pellet counts as the hull runs out of room for the larger steel pellets. This is especially true with goose loadings.

With a reduced pellet count, your downrange pattern density decreases, and you are more likely to have birds "fly through the pattern" or only be hit by a pellet or two. The 3.5 in shell doesn't automatically increase the distance that your pellets will travel, but with the increased payload, you have a better likelihood of getting a clean kill at the outer edge of the gun's range.

As for myself, I "roll my own" steel shells. For ducks over the dekes I like a 2 3/4" shell with 1 1/8 oz of #2 or #3 shot @~1400 fps. I reserve the 3.5 in hulls for geese, and ducks in some special situations (pass shooting).

[HarpMan]

KingFisher,

FYI,

Federal High Velocity Steel,

PW136 12G/3 1/2 " 1 3/8 OUNCE 1450 FPS 99 PELLET/ size BB'S PER SHELL

PW143 12G/3" 1 1/8 OUNCE 1500 FPS 81
PELLET/ size BB'S PER SHELL

NEW Heavy High Velocity Steel
W142 12G/3" 1 1/4 ounce 1450fps 90 Pellets/size BB's per shell

expect to pay more per box for 3 1/2" as dealers pay 3-6$ more for them depending on the load.

Federal Tungsten Iron

PWT136 12G/3 1/2" 1 3/8 ounce 1400 fps
PWT181 12G 1 1/8 ounce 1400 fps

Tungsten Iron BB's 54 pellets per ounce
average pellet count Tungsten Iron
1 1/8th ounce BB's = 60 Pellets
1 3/8th ounce BB's = 74 Pellets

Current consumer Rebates offered by Federal:

$5 with any two boxes Tungsten
$5 with any two boxes of Steel
$20 with 1 case of steel

Tungsten prices have droppd 30% or so!