Downsides to 3.5"?
- Thread starter Shandley
- Start date
3.5" guns usually cost more, semi autos are harder to cycle target shells where thats all most use it for, Most also wont spend the $35+ per box of 3.5" 12ga shells.
- Location
- Ft. Mac. Alberta
Try as I might, I just can't get a 3.5" round to fit in my 2 1/2" 12 gauge hammer double!!:>/
Cat
Cat
Totally unnecessary in Canada. Only required in the southern States after a long season of ducks becoming educated all down the flyway and staying a long way out from anything that looks like a decoy. And then only if you have the skill to hit birds 60+ yards away.
I can't recall the last time I used a 3" shell while duck hunting. Goose, sometimes if they keep away, but 2-3/4" kills them great over the decoys.
Oh, and 30" would be appropriate on the trap field, less so for skeet or sporting clays.
I can't recall the last time I used a 3" shell while duck hunting. Goose, sometimes if they keep away, but 2-3/4" kills them great over the decoys.
Oh, and 30" would be appropriate on the trap field, less so for skeet or sporting clays.
Canada is a big place and in Nova Scotia many hunt divers in the Ocean and along the shores with a lot of long pass shooting. The times I hunted geese out west I didnot even need shells.So many and so close I would just grab them by the feet
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BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
Say what? Get out!
Seriously though, if you don't intend to hunt then you will have 0 need for a 3.5" gun. Now, if you're a hunter who occasionally shoots a few clay pigeons out in the back 40 with your buddies, then you might be able to justify a 3.5". Then again, you could buy a used 3" semi and a 2.75" o/u for the same money as a new Benelli SBE so you might consider that as well. While having only one shotgun is convenient, it's also lethally boring.
As has been said several times, cycling the light loads properly will be the biggest factor for a clays gun. Not all 3.5" guns can do light loads well so do your homework there. 28" barrel is lot's on a semi and will be a fine all rounder for the clay games. The receiver gives you and extra 4-5" of sighting plane in addition to the barrel length compared to an over/under.
The only downside to 3 1/2" is hearing the resentment expressed from the "all a good shooter needs is 2 3/4" crowd. They'll often reminisce about lead shot too.
You can shoot all three lengths in it - that's what I use for Partridge to Geese to Deer.
You can shoot all three lengths in it - that's what I use for Partridge to Geese to Deer.
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
Good call. I concur with the thought that its best to have a gun that will shoot all the 12 ga shells that are currently in production. Just because you can, doesn't mean you will, but should should the circumstances ever dictate that you have to shoot 3.5" or not shoot, you can still shoot. Its never a bad thing to opt for versatility. There might be an argument to be made that guns chambered for shorter 12 ga rounds are smaller and lighter, but if that is the criteria, a 20 ga is a better choice than a 12.
unstableryan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Beautiful Okanagan Valley
I have an 870 super mag 3.5" reciever. I'm not a tactical guy, but when I'm not hunting it either has the +6 extension tube on it to make it hold 11, Or my 12.5" barrel. I don't need any of it but need isn't why I picked this one. I'll deal with the not noticeable longer stroke to have a bigger opening on the side of the receiver to put a shell in quickly.
- Location
- Ft. Mac. Alberta
My son shoots an O/U with a 3.5" chamber and really likes the versatility of it when we are shooting closer birds or just ducks.
When the big guys come in or the wind is up he switches to big shot and the 3.5" shells, works for him!
Cat
When the big guys come in or the wind is up he switches to big shot and the 3.5" shells, works for him!
Cat
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We've got several 3.5" autoloaders and have experienced zero issues with target loads cycling. Perhaps with some models that is the case though. You don't need to shoot 3.5" shells but it's nice to have the option if you decide to.
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Being a range officer with the local trap&skeet club, I see many different shotguns being used at our range. For the most part, it is rare that a newer 3" gun has any issues with target loads, but some 3-1/2" guns, can be somewhat fussy as to which target loads they will cycle reliably. Of course I am referring to guns that are properly maintained, as any gun can cause issues if not cleaned and lubed properly.
Which ones are fussy? I know some of the low end autoloaders can be but we do some recreational shooting with quite a number of people all with 3.5 autoloaders and I've never seen one not cycle save for a Super Vinci and that is attributed to stance and the way the gun is held....kind of a weird thing with them. Once you learn to hold them properly the issue disappears. This issue is not unique to the 3.5" Super Vinci but also in the 3" Vinci.
Some SBEIIs, including my own, occasionally do not cycle with 2-3/4 dram loads, but they do well with 3 dram loads. My SX-3 with 3-1/2" chamber, will usually have one or two feeding problems with 2-3/4 dram Winchester loads, during a round of skeet, but it cycles the Kent and Federal 2-3/4 dram loads reliably. My SX-3 with 3" chamber has never had an issue with any target load, regardless of the brand. A friend's Maxus with a 3" chamber cycles every load it is fed, but another fellows Maxus with 3-1/2" chamber will occasionaly not cycle properly with the 2-3/4 dram Winchester loads. My 3-1/2" A-400 is 100% reliable with 3 dram loads, and most 2-3/4 dram loads, but it will cause an issue or two every 100 rounds with the 2-3/4 dram Winchesters. A friends 3-1/2" A-391 will suffer a misfeed or two out of 100 rounds if fed the Winchester 2-3/4 dram loads, but it is reliable with 3 dram loads, and with some 2-3/4 dram loads. A 3" Beretta used by another skeet shooter has never malfunctioned that I have seen, and I have seen him put a few thousand rounds through it.
As I posted, I am a range officer at the local club, so I am am present while several thousands of rounds are fired every week, so I am present to witness issues that someone that only shoots a few thousand rounds in a year might never see.
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I've never seen a properly maintained SBEII, A400 or Maximus not cycle 2 3/4" rounds....it sounds sporadic enough in your case not really to be a trend. Perhaps a problem with an individual gun or with maintenance. I was more looking for a pattern of several misfeeds with several different guns of the same model.
Only two regular shooters use SBE2s for trap or skeet at our club, and both are fussy about what they will function reliably with, especially the 2-3/4 dram loads. There are several 3-1/2" SX3s , and more than one has proven to have issues with certain 2-3/4 dram loads, most notably Winchester, yet the 3" SX3s function great with the 2-3/4 dram Winchesters. The 3-1/2" Berettas seem to be a little more tolerant with the 2-3/4 dram loads, but they aren't 100% . A couple of misfeeds per 100 shots may not seem like much, but it is noticeable when you are shooting several thousand rounds per year. As for the Maximus you post about, I have never seen one.
