Waterfold hunting without 3 1/2'' shell?

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agite12

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I'm shopping my fist gun it will probably be a pump 12 ga. A Maverick 88 or maybe a Remington 870.

I intend to use it for different hunting (mostly Waterfold, rabbits, Deer) and trap shooting. I've been told that I need 3 1/2'' cartridge to hunt waterfold. How necessary is it? I mean 3 1/2'' gun are more or less 150$ more expensive, more if you consider the still very capable Maverick 88 isn't offerd in 3 1/2'' chambering.

Alternatively would 12ga be too powerfull for rabbits? or does combining open choke with light load will be sufficient to collect the meat.

Thanks.

Etienne
 
Waterfowl will be fine even with a 2.75 inch shell. Sometimes I have used a 3'' on geese but never needed it. And I fill my limit most times I'm out.

You don't need 3.5 inchs. They are relatively recent as far as shotgun goes. Most old timers used nothing but 2.75 and kill in the 1000's
 
I shoot a lot of ducks and geese and I've never bothered buying a 3 1/2.They are not magic wands.If I'm shooting un-hunted birds in a good location the 2 3/4 does just fine.If you are hunting over good decoys and can call,a 3" will cover all your bases.I can see the need for a 3 1/2 if you're pass shooting,but it doesn't really give you much extended range,just more pellets in the pattern.After 44 years of waterfowling I've learned to pick my shots,and owning a 3 1/2 isn't in the cards for me! Mur
 
As Roscoe said, a 3.5" chambering is something relatively new. It is completely unecessary though. You can do everything with a shotgun chambered in 3", but a 2.75" shell will do the trick most of the time. Personally, I wouldnt bother with the 3.5" chamber.
 
Who is telling you this Etienne?

Unless you are going to be a dedicated GOOSE hunter, you will likely never want (never mind need) to shoot 3 1/2. Sounds like whoever is telling you this is trying to use their 12 guage as a pecker-extension.

A 3" 12 is more than enough for all your hunting needs.
 
3.5" in not required. I own two 3.5" chamber guns, and have never fired a 3.5" round!

3" steel is plenty. I've killed more birds with 2.75" than anything else... most didn't complain!
 
Mur said:
I shoot a lot of ducks and geese and I've never bothered buying a 3 1/2.They are not magic wands.If I'm shooting un-hunted birds in a good location the 2 3/4 does just fine.If you are hunting over good decoys and can call,a 3" will cover all your bases.I can see the need for a 3 1/2 if you're pass shooting,but it doesn't really give you much extended range,just more pellets in the pattern.After 44 years of waterfowling I've learned to pick my shots,and owning a 3 1/2 isn't in the cards for me! Mur
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I agree. 3.5 inch just means more pellets in the air and also more powder in the shell = big boom! My SxS 12g does the job perfectly fine with 2.75 inch shells and does it quieter and with less recoil.:D
 
the super mag gusn are more of a selling gimik in my eyes. before they came along ppl were getting great kill shots with 2.75, and 3. same thing for turkeys, before there was 3" guys were using 2.75 and doing fine. i would get a 3 just in case, but its not needed.
 
3.5" is that all? Heck I was hoping they would come out with a 4.5"! J/K. a 3.5 is overkill. The average shotgun shooter from what I have seen can't hit them with a 2 3/4 " which bamfoozles me when they say they need to shoot 3.5's. I guess they just want a "bigger" miss!:D 2 3/4" is more than enough for any and all waterfowling.:cool:
 
Pudelpointer said:
Who is telling you this Etienne?

Unless you are going to be a dedicated GOOSE hunter, you will likely never want (never mind need) to shoot 3 1/2. Sounds like whoever is telling you this is trying to use their 12 guage as a pecker-extension.

A 3" 12 is more than enough for all your hunting needs.
Click to expand...

3 1/2" for turkey shells or yotes with buckshot would be a couple good reasons to buy one. if making a purchase for an all around gun you might as well get a 3 1/2" so you can throw more lead when you need it. having the ability to shoot up to 3 1/2" may save your ass one day when you run outta ammo and your buddy only has 3 1/2's...

i wouldnt say a pecker extension. some just like to make the smart financial choice and buy one tool that will do everything.
 
I have an SBE and have shot maybe 4 boxes of 3.5 inch through it in 7 years. Maybe more since sometimes that was all that was left in the store for me to buy. 95% of all the ducks I shoot are with 2.75 inch shells in the #6-4 shot sizes. Most of the geese I shoot are with 3 inch 2's or BB. 3.5 inch is nice to have but nowhere near needed for reliably killing waterfowl. Even 3 inch is not needed -- it just seems that most manufacturers are making their waterfowl loads primarily in the 3 inch iteration so being restricted to 2.75 leaves a smaller selection of ammo for you to choose from.
 
2 3/4 inch steel shells

Please tell me what brand of 2 3/4" steel shot shells that kills ducks effectively??
WE hunt ducks over decoys and geese in the fields, but have never found a 2 3/4 steel load that was worth a s**t. The wind would blow the steel pellets back in your face!!
3 inch Kent fasteel with a pattern master choke seems to work the best for us.
 
syecod said:
Please tell me what brand of 2 3/4" steel shot shells that kills ducks effectively??
WE hunt ducks over decoys and geese in the fields, but have never found a 2 3/4 steel load that was worth a s**t. The wind would blow the steel pellets back in your face!!
3 inch Kent fasteel with a pattern master choke seems to work the best for us.
Click to expand...

Kent 2-3/4" 1-1/16oz fasteel @1550fps or the Win X-pert with the same specs are the first two that come to mind. I'm sure searching other manufacturers data bases might reveal a couple more. This is the same velocity and only 1/16oz lighter than my 3" goose load and I wouldn't feel undergunned shooting these at geese.

There is a wider variety of loads available in 3" though and if you are buying a new shotgun it will likely have at least a 3" chamber anyway. 3-1/2 " chamber will give you even more options in loads, but not enough to justify the additional cost in my oppinion.

If you are considering the Maverick 88, you should also look into the Mossberg 500 as well. It's pretty much the same gun (both built by Mossberg), but with the safety on the tang instead of the trigger guard. It also comes with 3 choke tubes instead of one, like the Maverick. At $20 to $25 per choke tube there is very little price difference between the two.

Jim
 
syecod said:
Please tell me what brand of 2 3/4" steel shot shells that kills ducks effectively??
WE hunt ducks over decoys and geese in the fields, but have never found a 2 3/4 steel load that was worth a s**t. The wind would blow the steel pellets back in your face!!
3 inch Kent fasteel with a pattern master choke seems to work the best for us.
Click to expand...

Man you are funny, that is some wind. If you can't kill a duck with 2 3/4 shells, especially over decoys, there is something wrong.

I kill ducks and geese with #3 or #4 for ducks and BB for geese. No 3" shells needed.

2 3/4" steel from Kent or SuperX Win is doing 1550 fps whatever shot size you choose. 3" just gives you better pattern density (usually) but no more killing power if the same # of pellets hit the bird.
 
3" is plenty for me. The 3.5" has me thinking more about the big kick that is coming rather than how much lead I need... Doesn't hurt to have though.

Jeff
 
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