Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns 3.5 inch how much more range does it buy you?

I am thinking you are lost but good luck on your endeavors. Some very knowledgable people tried to give you sound tried and true advice. Just goes to show you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.

Have yet to see any use a 3.5in 12g and use it a lot. Have been in a Duck blind with a few that used one. For the most part they didn't knock down Ducks any further than those with 2 3/4. Mainly because for the most part they were not good enough to kill them at extended range. Admittedly they did scratch one down know and then that I would have passed on.

Wouldn't be the choice of many for a hot Dove field or a busy day with Rabbits.
Coyotes maybe, but I have zero experience with them. Turkey's perhaps if one insists on shooting long, but the fun is shooting close.

Of course no one says you have to shoot 3.5s and perhaps the Vinci will work with standard 2 3/4.

I've shot some 3.5's and it wasn't fun.

3.5" 12ga won't replace a 10ga. The 12's shot string alone weakens that argument.

I shoot 3" in steel, turkey, and coyote loads. 2.75" for everything else...even in my 3.5" 12ga guns.

maybe my question would be better like this "if you buy a 3.5 inch chambered gun will it shoot 2.75 and 3 inch shells with no negative impact on the patterns from those shells". I would imagine that a 3.5 inch is overbuilt for 3 inch shells and may last longer without significant parts wear.

Yes it should shoot the shorter shells just fine. The orginal reason for 3.5" shells was to be able to get more steel shot in the case, because steel didn't have the same energy per pellet that lead did, hence needing more pellets to transfer the energy. The newer heavy shots have made the shorter shells more effective than they use to be.

The 3.5 inch guns do have a longer stoke, and it takes a little practice with a pump gun to keep from short strokeing them.

Yep.. And if they'd go back to the 2 3/4" with proper shot size they'd achieve the same results at a lot less cost.. How did you get THAT out of it?? Read it again - nothing in his statement said that..


Do some patterning comparisons with a 2 3/4" load vs. a 3.5" load using the same choke constriction.. You'll be surprised.. I've had guys try to beat me at turkey shoots with a 3.5" - tried and failed.. Many unconsciously react ahead of time to the upcoming heavier recoil and jerk the barrel, screwing up their swing and lead times.. Jamming that much shot into a small choke will result in guaranteed higher numbers of flyers and deformed shot.. You'd be amazed how tight a 1 oz load can be out of a 12 ga..

It also takes practice to have your eyes shut when ya touch it off so as to keep your retinas in place..

The reason a lot of guys are shooting 3�" Magnum Wonders is because a lot of guys are buying into the BS slung around by the shotgun/ammo manufacturers, and the outdoor writers (and God forbid- the dufuses on the TV shows) who feed at the trough of said manufacturers. I firmly believe we are becoming a nation of followers instead of free thinkers.

Orginally there was a pretty good reason for the 3.5" shell. You couldn't get 1 1/2 oz of steel T shot in a 3" case, and your pellet count was pretty skimpy when compared to #2 lead. There was a lot of wounded ducks and geese getting away. Actually 3.5 steel shot shells didn't kick any more than a regular 3" because of the lower or equivelent shot weights.
Now 3.5 with lead shot is a whole different ballgame in a panty weight gun.

I've got a 3&1/2" mag Browning Maxus with a 26" barrel. It weighs 6lbs 14 oz. and makes for a nice carrying, pleasant shooting 12 gauge upland gun with low base 1 oz or 1&1/8th oz 2&3/4" shells. There's a considerable difference though in felt recoil just by moving up to 2&3/4" high base 1&1/4oz shells. I'll guarantee it'll never see a 3&1/2" magnum with me shooting it.

so where would we be without arguments on this forum? You honestly expect everyone to get along here?? I think rifles are simple compared to shotguns, I tried 3 of them today and the best fit out of all the poor fits was maybe the Benelli Vinci, the super vinci seemed to have a longer LOP for some reason, the Maxus or the Vinci felt the best (maybe), with the Vinci (maybe) pointing best for me, and oddly enough it does not shoot 3.5 inch shells.

I use to think that 2 3/4" was all I need too until I finally tried the 3.5" and 3.5" are definitely better. Well, at least for water fowl hunting. 3.5" is not a whole lot better than 3" but definitely better than 2 3/4". I prefer to have more pallets going towards my target than less, since I'm not the greatest hunter in the world. Also for 2 3/4" shells to perform okay you'll also be paying a premium price on the non toxic shells, which negates to whole 3.5" costing more, since using steel 3" and 3.5" are cheaper, unless you load your own shells with non-toxic shots.

OP, if you are already paying that much already, you might as well pay a little more for the 3.5" in case you ever need it.

It is very apperent who here knows what they are talking about and who here hasn't a clue.

Atleast that was a better ask question.:
Yes for the most part a 3.5" gun will cycle 3" and 2-3/4" ammo as well. Some Semi-auto's can be finiky with light loads.

When talking about patterns there are many variables such as the lenght of the forcing cone, the barrels actual bore size (.729 to .750+), and the lenght of the choke tube.

No you are not going to get a better pattern out of a 3.5" shell no matter the actual bore size.

I like to classify shotgunning into upland and waterfowl:

1 Upland.....Give me a prudently loaded 1 Oz 2 3/4" 20 Gauge and I'm ready to go and won't ever want more gun than that.

2. Waterfowl causes me to reach for a 12 Ga and 3" shells and only because I use steel shot because it's affordable and when I get enough shot in the pattern it works great....

IMO the 3 1/2" 12 Ga is a marketing man's dream.....and not much more of use to the hunter.

Eschew the 3.5".

Several things to consider here, and most of them have been covered. A 3.5" shell, loaded at the same velocity as a 2.75 or 3" shell, will give you the same energy per pellet at any given distance downrange, therefore, there is no gain in "range" or distance. The secret is to learn to call better, set decoys better, position yourself more effectively and hunt harder. I shoot a Benelli SBE II which of course is a 3.5" gun. However, I all but refuse to shoot 3.5" shells through it, as I have a 10ga, which is appropriate for 3.5" shells.

3.5" shells do not improve your pattern, necessarily, on flying targets, mostly not. The "pattern" is 3 dimensional, not a flat wad of shot flying through the air. Physics dictates that only so much shot can fit into a certain bore diameter. Hence the reason the 10ga is much more appropriate for the 3.5" shells. The shot doesn't "string" as much and will give you a more dense pattern on a moving target due to a shorter shot string.

Stationary targets are a different thing all-together, like a turkey. Usually that turkey head will be in position long enough to take then entire length of the shot string. So, you can make effective use of the larger shot charge.

Personally, I shoot 3" steel thru my SBE II. I bought it because I loved the feel of it, and it has the capability to shoot any 12ga. shell, which gives me options in case I get in a pinch for ammo. That happened last year believe it or not. I had a last minute trip come up and I was not well supplied with ammo. All that was available locally was 3.5" shells. I used them, suffered the headaches and killed stuff just fine. I'll be giving those to a friend of mine who still thinks they kill suff deader. I got plenty of 3" shells on hand now. I'll save the 3.5" duty for the Browning Gold Lite 10ga. It works wonders on late season and conservation season geese.

Damn...you said that way better than I did.

I was thinking it, you said it first, I just had to expound on the point. Got a little long-winded maybe. It happens....

The shot string can be pretty long I guess. Which aftermarket choke does the best job in your opinion or does it depend on the gun?

I know nothing about shotguns, never studied them or used them to any great extent. As a youth we would stand in front of dogs with 1100's stuffed with whatever buckshot we had on hand, dove fields and wood ducks in swamps were available but I never made a study about it. My 1100 lasted from age 16 until I sold it at age 32 (minus most of the bluing). Now again I have the opportunity to use a shotgun once again, and with my record of buying only one hunting shotgun at a time, want to get a reasonably useful tool. I do like them but my others are really designed for a different purpose.

My findings prove none. In fact 2 3/4 do dam near as much as 3 inchers and 3.5 incher seem to pattern like [bleep]. Sky bustin water foul or long shots at turkeys are not my gig. I would rather work em, see them decoy, and shoot em close up and personal.

The guys i see shoot 3.5 inch ammo dont know what a good pattern is much less ever pattern there own gun. I really wanted a 3.5 inch gun when thay first came out and bought 3 looking for just 1 to pattern worth a dam and none did, at least not better than a 3 inch gun at given distances.

YMMV