Downsides to 3.5"?

stubblejumper said:
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.
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From what I have seen how they take care of them is 99 % of the problem or cheap shells. Do they clean them on a regular basis nope some once a year if they are lucky
I clean mine after every time out and all of my 3 1/2 will cycle down to 1 oz rounds (even though some were never designed to do so ) but they are all good AA or sts style hulls and quality reloads no cheap wally mart ect. A bad year for me when I was shooting 12ga was 5000 rounds and a good year would go 20,000 plus
Bet the winchesters are not AA. Nothing will cycle that other crap they make it even screws up pumps. Pure garbage shells
My shooting included 3 1/2 golds. x2, x3 ,400 and a maxus
Next time you see a screw up ask when the last time the gun was cleaned just for giggles and see what shells they are using
Like trying to run an old big block chev on pump gas and wondering why it is working like crap. They have to be given the proper feed just like these 3 1/2 semi's and any quality shotgun for that matter
Cheers
 
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3macs1 said:
From what I have seen how they take care of them is 99 % of the problem or cheap shells. Do they clean them on a regular basis nope some once a year if they are lucky
I clean mine after every time out and all of my 3 1/2 will cycle down to 1 oz rounds (even though some were never designed to do so ) but they are all good AA or sts style hulls and quality reloads no cheap wally mart ect. A bad year for me when I was shooting 12ga was 5000 rounds and a good year would go 20,000 plus
Bet the winchesters are not AA. Nothing will cycle that other crap they make it even screws up pumps. Pure garbage shells
My shooting included 3 1/2 golds. x2, x3 ,400 and a maxus
Next time you see a screw up ask when the last time the gun was cleaned just for giggles and see what shells they are using
Like trying to run an old big block chev on pump gas and wondering why it is working like crap. They have to be given the proper feed just like these 3 1/2 semi's and any quality shotgun for that matter
Cheers
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Very few people at our club shoot AAs, and I am one of those people that doesn't shoot them. We don't have a great selection out West, so we buy what we can get a good deal on, and lately that has been Kent, Top Gun or Winchester Super Targets. And it doesn't matter which ones I feed my 3" SX-3, it cycles them all, the same with the 3" Maxus and Berettas. My 3" SX-3 has been through three or four flats of the Super Targets, and it cycles them just fine, as has a friends 3" Maxus, and some 3" Beretts guns. However, some of the 3-1/2" guns do have issues with some of the cheaper 2-3/4 dram loads, which is what I mean about them being more fussy about what they will cycle. If everyone bought AAs or Gold Medals, it wouldn't be an issue, but people are buying the lower end ammunition, and it does cycle fine in many guns, and people are shooting clean rounds with them.
 
stubblejumper said:
Very few people at our club shoot AAs, and I am one of those people that doesn't shoot them. We don't have a great selection out West, so we buy what we can get a good deal on, and lately that has been Kent, Top Gun or Winchester Super Targets. And it doesn't matter which ones I feed my 3" SX-3, it cycles them all, the same with the 3" Maxus and Berettas. My 3" SX-3 has been through three or four flats of the Super Targets, and it cycles them just fine, as has a friends 3" Maxus, and some 3" Beretts guns. However, some of the 3-1/2" guns do have issues with some of the cheaper 2-3/4 dram loads, which is what I mean about them being more fussy about what they will cycle. If everyone bought AAs or Gold Medals, it wouldn't be an issue, but people are buying the lower end ammunition, and it does cycle fine in many guns, and people are shooting clean rounds with them.
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Understand but .Selection out west is a hell of a lot better than it is in eastern canada that is for sure. I shoot all reloads now since I don't compete any more which have always performed well for me in AA STS and nitro 27 hulls when I shoot 12ga .Most of my gold metal hulls I sold off to a friend here. I have never let shell quality become a factor in my shooting and been pulling the mec handles since the 60's to ensure I can shoot a lot and quality rounds. I did try a few boxes of the federal 4 packs when they first came out probally 12 years ago and they were Ok until I took a few apart and looked at the lead shot and patterned them
In the end to each their own but I could not see me in any shoot off even for a turkey with the promo garbage they sell today nor would I use it to evaluate any shotgun performance
All depends I guess what is acceptable to you. Think one would ever break 396/400 with this ammo regardless of gun . Not in my experiences with the promo stuff I have seen or the guys that use it but know first hand AA 's will
Today they seem to buy as cheap an ammo as they can and show up in a 60K truck and a 2500 plus gun. I just don't get it
Cheers
 
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I think it is a mistake to purchase a specialty long range shotgun and think it will be most versatile. Most versatile is a medium weight, fairly lively gun that fits perfectly and can serve for upland birds in close cover and on the skeet field, is ideal at moderate ranges for sporting clays & ducks over decoys, and can serve adequately for long range turkeys or geese. A 3" gun can do all those jobs well. The 3.5" guns that I have handled have all the handling finesse of a 2x4. I shoot a lot of waterfowl every year, and have gone away from even using 3" shells any more. They just aren't required if your'e hunting right. If you want to bang away at every bird you see 3.5" might put a couple more in the bag, but few shooters have the skill required to take advantage of the extra range capabilities and hit those long high birds.
I have made the same point on this forum with rifles and all the current hype about long range rigs. Just not needed for the great majority of hunting if the hunting is done well before the shot. And specialty long range rifles are actually a handicap in many situations that require quick, instinctive shots.
 
What 3.5" guns have you handled and what makes them a "specialty" long-range rig? In most shotguns there is very little difference between their 3" and 3.5" models.....very little.
 
stubblejumper said:
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.
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I'd agree with this. A 3.5" Benelli generally needs a minimum of 3 dram 1-1/8 ounce shells to function reliably while the 3.5" Berettas are a little more accommodating. My 3" Beretta 391 functions with everything I've put through it including including Winchester Low Noise Low Recoil, a round not recommended for semi-automatics. I don't have a 3.5" gun and don't feel the need.
 
Sheephunter, the 3.5" guns I have handled are mostly pumps. Browning's 3.5" BPS handles like a club. Remington is not much better, but a little. The lighter ones like the Italians are a little better handling but still have a very long pump stroke. The Beretta O/U that I handled wasn't heavy enough to be comfortable shooting the 3.5" shells it was chambered for. The Browning Citori that I handled was far too heavy for an upland gun. I admit to not having handled any semi auto 3.5". There may be some Italian 3.5" semis that are versatile and worth a look. I doubt that they can shoot 7/8 oz or 1 oz. loads, something i do a lot of. But my opinion about the specialized nature of 3.5" shells remains, based on a hell of a lot of waterfowl shooting.
 
Longwalker said:
Sheephunter, the 3.5" guns I have handled are mostly pumps. Browning's 3.5" BPS handles like a club. Remington is not much better, but a little. The lighter ones like the Italians are a little better handling but still have a very long pump stroke. The Beretta O/U that I handled wasn't heavy enough to be comfortable shooting the 3.5" shells it was chambered for. The Browning Citori that I handled was far too heavy for an upland gun. I admit to not having handled any semi auto 3.5". There may be some Italian 3.5" semis that are versatile and worth a look. I doubt that they can shoot 7/8 oz or 1 oz. loads, something i do a lot of. But my opinion about the specialized nature of 3.5" shells remains, based on a hell of a lot of waterfowl shooting.
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i have a few friends who shoot the Browning Maxus in 3.5" and shoot lighter loads with them
Cat
 
I use a SX3 for deer hunting, duck hunting, and small game hunting. It's my go to gun.

I don't use 3.5'' shells for anything except for buckshot as it will put a few more pellets in my target.

I never use 3.5'' shells for ducks as it's a waste of money and I certainly wouldn't waste the money for cheap small game loads or clay loads.

If I had to do it over, I would have just bought the 3" as it's a hair lighter.
 
Longwalker said:
Sheephunter, the 3.5" guns I have handled are mostly pumps. Browning's 3.5" BPS handles like a club. Remington is not much better, but a little. The lighter ones like the Italians are a little better handling but still have a very long pump stroke. The Beretta O/U that I handled wasn't heavy enough to be comfortable shooting the 3.5" shells it was chambered for. The Browning Citori that I handled was far too heavy for an upland gun. I admit to not having handled any semi auto 3.5". There may be some Italian 3.5" semis that are versatile and worth a look. I doubt that they can shoot 7/8 oz or 1 oz. loads, something i do a lot of. But my opinion about the specialized nature of 3.5" shells remains, based on a hell of a lot of waterfowl shooting.
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Sounds more like an issue with the models you've handled and not the fact they are 3.5" guns. The difference between 3" and 3.5" guns in most models is negligible. I rarely use 3.5" shells but to say they are never required just demonstrates a lack of hunting experience under a wide variety of conditions. Not saying you don't have a ton of waterfowl experience...just that you haven't hunted in areas where they definitely offer up an advantage. I agree, for most Canadian waterfowl hunting they likely aren't required but for me personally, I still don't see the downside to owning one...or several.....for those odd times when I do. They definitely aren't specialized long-range rigs!
 
brybenn said:
3" is all you will ever need. I find I use 2.75" more and more for everything.

When I feel I need 3.5" shells I grab my 10 ga

Owning 3.5" 12 ga guns I can honestly say it's all marketing. Some will argue that they're better for long range goose hunting but chances are the same shot with a 2.75" shell most likely would have worked just the same
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I have to agree with this theory
my grandson proved to me (is as natural a shooter as anyone I have ever seen out shooting most veterans) that a 3 inch is all you need in a 12 gauge
his first time out in the goose hunting group I let him use my o/u stoeger (condor supreme)
that kid was consistently #### canning snows at 80 yards fast flying ducks at 70 to 80 yards
let him try a 3 1/2 maxus browning because of recoil his shots closed up to 50 to 60 yrds
let him try the browning gold 10 gauge he consistently made 90 to 100 yard pass shots on snows and ducks
the 3 1/2 12 ga has just way to much recoil to be consistenty accurate
but if you get a gun that is capable of using 3 1/12 in you have the option of shooting it if you feel the urge or need arises
the cost of ammo for 3 1/2 is quite a bit higher but still not as expensive as a 10 ga
 
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