do i really need 3 1/2's?

[Hunter52794]

I have a pattern master choke tube extended range and was wondering if i really need to shoot 3 1/2's. im a pretty small kid 5'6 120 if im lucky and dont really want to shoot 3 1/2s often but if it means killin geese then im down. so just wanna know if i should shoot 3's or 3 1/2's also thinking maybe just the first two shots are 3's and the last and furthest shot a 3 1/2...good idea????

[Fox_hunter42]

I shoot 3" # 1's with a factory MOd. choke. I have clean kills out to 50 yards

[llukesh]

I think that 3 inch shells are long enough. I have shot 3 1/2 shells and they have alot of recoil and really don't put that many more pieces of shot on your target. If you have a pattern has both good fringe and core density you should be good to go. If you have any doubts go ahead and pattern your gun if you have not done so. It will tell you which shells pattern the best out of your gun and if you have any holes in your pattern. Your going to get people that believe 3 1/2 inch shells are the best thing ever, and if they work for you and boost your confidence then go ahead and use them, but I will stick with 3 inch shells and do just fine.

[DSM16428]

I own and use 3, 3 1/2" capable guns for waterfowl. Unless its late season and the birds are thickly feathered and/or hanging up outside the deeks, 90%+ of the loads that go through my guns are 3" # 1's, 2's and BB. Then even in late season, it's still usually 3" BB. My go to 3 1/2" loads for late season are Blackcloud BB or BBB, but only if the birds are really askin for it! . So my answer to your question would be no, just because the gun is chambered in 3 1/2, doesn't mean you gotta use em.

[tornadochaser]

i would find a great patterning round of 3" # 2 or BB out of your gun/choke combo. no sense in beating yourself with the roman candles till ya bulk up a little.

[bear393]

We never use 3.5 inch shells up here and we kill hundreds of geese every year. My daughter only shoots 2 3/4 inch and she has no problem knocking down 12 lb honkers. The shells we use are Winchester Expert and Kent, so no expensive hevishot for us.

[Benelli-man]

Shoot were they take in the corn not were it exits and you will be fine. I have been taking my own advice and doing some serious shotgun time on the clays course. A freind of mine says concetrate on the leading edge of the clay. I was amazed when I really focused I could tell by the breaks I was getting ,I could hit the leading edge of a 4'' disc. I will be trying to head shoot a few honkers with my 20 Ga and Hevi- shot.

I say 3 1/2 is not needed if you hit-em in the head and neck/ leading edge.

[Norsky]

Pattern your gun out to 60 yards. You will find your 3 1/2 inch offers more pattern density. For those that shoot steel. Shooting closer than 40 yards it is not real hard to find loads that can kill geese. 20, 40 ,60 yards alot changes in shotshells.

[DSM16428]

Pattern your gun out to 60 yards. You will find your 3 1/2 inch offers more pattern density. For those that shoot steel. Shooting closer than 40 yards it is not real hard to find loads that can kill geese. 20, 40 ,60 yards alot changes in shotshells.

60 yards with steel huh?! The only ethical shot I'm ever gonna take at a big, tough honker at 60 yards is gonna be with larger heavy shot or federal heavywheights. To me, and I might be alone in this but, 60 yards at a big goose with steel, is just asking for a cripple or a wounded flyer...at best. Pattern density means bubkis if you can't cleanly flip that bird on its butt with authority.

[17MS]

my h&r 10 ga with 1 5/8 #2 @ 1350 fps in 9 lb gun but has only has 40 ft lbs of recoil 29 ft lbs with 1 3/8 oz loads . this is really managible

[Norsky]

The increase of operating pressure and opportunity of increased payload with speed it is a no brainer. From what I have observed very few people I know can judge 40 yards in the air on ducks or Geese.

[theircommited10]

For me its a confidence thing. I shoot better when I am confident and know whatever I aim at will fall( or at least thats the plan ! ! ). Late in the year that means 3.5 inch 1 3/8 BB Federals for honkers.

A 1 3/8 ounce load of BB has 99 pellets. A 1 1/4 ounce load has 90 pellets. So are the extra 9 pellets making or breaking me . . . probably not. Actaully Id probably say definatly not. But I get more punch and faster speeds with 3.5 .

But its just a confidence thing. This year I am really going to give 3" 1 1/4 BB and #1 a fair trial this year. Because when I was younger thats all we shot. (poor highschool kids common ! ! Bwhahaha) and I remember just mowing down geese down with even 2 3/4 " loads when I used to shoot my Rem 1100 ! ! ! -Gary

[Hunter52794]

Shoot were they take in the corn not were it exits and you will be fine. I have been taking my own advice and doing some serious shotgun time on the clays course. A freind of mine says concetrate on the leading edge of the clay. I was amazed when I really focused I could tell by the breaks I was getting ,I could hit the leading edge of a 4'' disc. I will be trying to head shoot a few honkers with my 20 Ga and Hevi- shot.

I say 3 1/2 is not needed if you hit-em in the head and neck/ leading edge.

We have our own skeet thrower at my house and can make shots doubles triples in all different kind of combinations and I took your advice yesterday shooting clays and boy was there a difference in my shooting!!!
i shot 26 of 28 with the only 2 misses 1 the gun jammed on a double and i tried to get the shot of anyway and missed. the other on a simple single. but also smashed a triple first time i ever tried it then we shot 15 more apiece and i didnt miss one so overall 41out of 43 and over half the shots were on doubles.
Thanks for the advice it should help me a ton in the field

[goosehunter64.]

Do you need a 12 ga 3 1/2 inch...no no no.
Like most have said, you can gun geese out to 40 yrds with a good load of steel, and can extend that with heavy shot or tungsten matrix.....do I recommend long range shooting...no again!!.
I keep my shots to 20-35yds. That is with and without the good stuff.

Heck, I have killed geese with m PM choke and #3 shot at 30-35 during mid season. The hype of 10 ga. or 12 ga 3 1/2 is hyped for, non shooters.

Pile on big gun shooters

[archeryrob]

I shoot 3" # 1's with a factory MOd. choke. I have clean kills out to 50 yards

Ditto, I went through many different rounds and settled in Kent 3" 1560 #1's and I use it on ducks and geese. I stay with the mod choke mostly and a IC when hunting ducks in flooded ditches on little creeks where they come in so close. They all die in front of 3" #1's.

I started with 3 1/2 to avoid using hevi-steel and stuff and found I really don't need it with Fasteel, even in 3". At 120, them rounds must be really beating you down. I'm 200 and I think they kick a little too much sometimes.

[duckman1106]

The only reason I shoot 3 1/2" is because they don't make 4" shells.

Seriously, there is some extra shot and zip in the additional 1/2", but it's not absolutely necessary to kill geese. No reason you can't kill with 3" for the reasons already stated. I shoot a 10ga because there's really no such thing as too dead. I want to pack as much whallop as possible, but there's no shame in shooting 3" 12 ga at them if you're light in the pocket book or don't have much arse in your jeans. Heck, I had youth shooting big nasty 12lb honkers with a .410 (of course they were shooting bismuth).

So go buy some 3" and pattern your gun. If you aren't killing geese at reasonable distances, it's because you're missing.

[Dandy Don]

My shotgun is 3-1/2" capable and this one fact can't be denied, the 3-1/2" shell will always offer the shooter a larger payload than the 3" shell! Now combine this with a choke that you've patterned for this 3-1/2" load and you will make longer shots, providing you as a shooter are capable. Does this mean you start taking long shots? I don't think that's the best option, use your decoys & calls to get them in as close as possible. But there are those times when no matter what you do the birds work at the edge of your spread! Now the extra shot capacity of the 3-1/2" shell will give you the pattern density to take that shot that would otherwise be, at best with a 3" shell a cripple sailing off with the chances of finding it slim! I'll finish by saying about the 3-1/2" shell its better to have gun that can handle it and not need it than need it and not have it!!

[32-40win]

At 5ft6 and 120 lbs, a 3-1/2 will let you know who's home. I don't like shooting mine this time of the year, don't have enough clothes on, and it seems to boot me a lot more standing, than my .338win mag does off the bench. If the recoil is an issue, you will only hurt your shooting by using it. I've seen people your size that could handle it, and guys bigger than me (6ft,200) who couldn't.
The only reason to go to the 3-1/2 is more shot in the pattern with bigger shot. It was developed for steel shot because people were stepping up 2 sizes from what they were using in lead shot, and that is what was needed to get up to those shot counts in the load again.
If you are not comfortable shooting with the 3-1/2, don't use it. If you are pointing the gun in the right place, a 1-1/8 oz load at the same speeds with the same size shot in a good pattern, will kill them just as dead when it hits them.

[Dandy Don]

32-40, I agree if recoil bothers you avoid using the 3-1/2 I'm happy I use a gas operated auto!! The only thing I don't agree with is this part of your post....If you are pointing the gun in the right place, a 1-1/8 oz load at the same speeds with the same size shot in a good pattern, will kill them just as dead when it hits them. Not if your at the point where you no longer have the pattern density (Due to range) to make a kill shot. The difference in the amount of shot between a 1-1/8 vs. 1-1/2 or 1-5/8 is substantial and those extra pellets allows you to bring down game. But there's no doubt the recoil especially with a pump or O/U will wake you up!

[2jzpgt]

I noticed a big different going from shooting 3" to 3 1/2". I started killing a lot more birds with 3 1/2"er's