want your in put? 10ga or 12ga 3 1/2"

[matt bradley]

Just looking for your input guys and gals, I'm thinking of buying a new shot gun this spring for turkey and goose hunting this fall and was woundering what i should go for, I was leaning towards a browning 10ga semi but want your opinion. Not sure how a 12 3 1/2 performs does it have that extra reach that the 10 has?
Thanks Matt.

 

[Zey]

Not really size of the gun that matters, but how you use it. Use the proper loads and you will get ethical kills shots. Practice with your equipment before the hunt.

I hunt turkey with 3" 12ga. Dumps 'em like a stone. Geese, same thing 3" 12ga. 3.5" and 10ga is just going to pound your shoulder to mush. Plus you want to eat what you shoot too, large firepower is only going to ruin the meat.

 

[farmer47]

i have shot a ten ga. semi 3.5 and got an excellent pattern out to 35 yards out of a cylinder bore using number two shot . i would think the ten would pattern better compared to a 3.5 12 ga.shooting equal amounts of shot . as for recoil the semi 10s are heavy and soak up recoil and in my opinion recoil less than a pump with a heavy load in 2. 75. are you comparing a semi to a pump in3.5 as i would shy away from a pump because of recoil.the tens are rated highly by owners on u.s. gun sites for geese at distance but i have no personal experience.good hunting whatever you choose

 

[albertaal]

I shoot a Remington SP10. The combination of heavy gun, good recoil pad, gas gun, and it's 30 inch barrel make it a easy kicking smooth swinging geese and duck swatter. The mod choke stays in all the time. 10 gauges do have more reach, like the old lead shot days.

But for turkeys, 2 3/4 Federal premiums #6 copper plated shot out of the full choke of my Model 12 was all I ever needed or used.

Alberta Al

 

[mlehtovaara]

Who the hell uses a 10 guage anymore. I imagine steel shot shells would be outrageously priced.

 

[Johnn Peterson]

I use an AYA 3 1/2" 10ga SxS. I was going to have the chokes opened and use steel shot but as well as it patterns the plan is to go for Bismuth instead.

After regretfully getting rid of the first, this is the second AYA 10ga I've had. Nicer wood in this one as well.

 

[Winchested]

The only time you are going to feel recoil is when you pattern the gun. My Sx3 is one of the more light semi's and hunting geese with 3.5" shells I have never felt the recoil.

 

[FLHTCUI]

You want input, here is input.
870WingMaster in 12 gauge 3 inch.
Nothing will get by you.
Well, provided you do your part .
Good Morning tiss Friday and I gotta go to work.
Rob

 

[Wrong Way]

I shoot both...BPS 10 ga and an Xtrema II 3.5" 12.

I would 100% reccomend sticking with the 12ga.

Why?

Well....it is true that a 10ga will throw a denser pattern than a 12 with the same amount of shot, and the 12 is more prone to stringing out the shot pattern....*but*

With a properly patterned 12 you are not going to notice. I mean, a top level competetive shooter may be able to tell the difference, but for all practical hunting purposes they are so close they could be interchangable.

Other considerations:

Weight: 10 gauges are HEAVY.

Ammo cost/availability: Premium 12ga ammo is a bargain compared to even moderately decent 10 ga stuff.....and you can actually find 12 ga when you need it.

Flexibility: I can shoot 3 1/2" BBB for high flying geese, slap in some 3" #5 for ducks, switch it up with 2 3/4" #6 lead for bunnies and then do some skeet with 2 3/4" #8.....you just cant get that much versatility with a 10

In short: If you don't mind a heavy gun, cost is not an issue or you love reloading, and you can afford to buy multiple guns for each application, get the 10....but from a purely practical standpoint a 12 will serve you better.

Oh yeah: Turkeys......you don't need a 3.5" for gobblers.....that's just marketing. I've limited out on birds every season since it started, and have never used anything but some old 2 3/4" high brass #4 lead I needed to use up. Turkeys are generally close, arent moving real fast (generally standing still) and are easy to kill. Find a cheap lead load that patterns well in your gun and just use that

 

[Caboose]

I went with a 3.5" 12ga. Mainly to avoid the outrageously priced "premium" 2.75" / 3" Waterfowl loads. The 3.5 inchers put a few more pellets on target, and the Callenger stuff is cheap to shoot - effectively killing decoy smart geese.

 

[bubba682]

I owned a few pumps an semi 3.5 12's then i bought a gold 10 after using it i sold most of my 12's.Theres no goin back for me as far as geese an ducks go i reload because factory shells suck.I use 1.5 steel load in #1,bb,bbb doin 1560 ft per sec its a killer plus i reload a 1 3/4 ounce hevi shot for a longer shot. Theres less kick with the ten than any 12 i ever shot lol.Most guys down here run 10's for seaducks an geese we don't have those big feilds filled with geese down here like Ont an out west.We don't have near the #'s of geese you guys get we got to make our shots count .I'd love to get a chance to hunt in a feild with a couple of 1000 geese pitchin into the decoys shootin a 10 lol

 

[Johnn Peterson]

If I was going out today to buy something for Ducks & Geese, it would most likely be one of the big 12's. However, as things sit, I have the AYA 10ga, like new condition, it patterns tight, I have a good supply of wads and hulls so the best route for me is to stay with what I have.