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3" or 3.5"


mpage24355

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I just want to see some opinions on this one. What should you shoot a 3" or 3.5" shell. I have heard everything from a 3 is as good as a 3.5 because you loose speed with the 3.5, unless you get nitro shells that are loaded with more powder. Well then comes to play what about the new Hevi-Shot Magnum blend. The speed is increase to 1200 fps.

 

Then you look at the ounces of shot. Some of the Hevi-13 3.5" only has 1 3/4 ounces of shot, others have 2 1/4 ounces.

 

What to shoot what to shoot?

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I just want to see some opinions on this one. What should you shoot a 3" or 3.5" shell. I have heard everything from a 3 is as good as a 3.5 because you loose speed with the 3.5, unless you get nitro shells that are loaded with more powder. Well then comes to play what about the new Hevi-Shot Magnum blend. The speed is increase to 1200 fps.

 

Then you look at the ounces of shot. Some of the Hevi-13 3.5" only has 1 3/4 ounces of shot, others have 2 1/4 ounces.

 

What to shoot what to shoot?

 

 

I shoot 3 1/2 #5's hevi shot but I'll switch to 3's when this box is done. Its all what patterns the best.

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I just want to see some opinions on this one. What should you shoot a 3" or 3.5" shell. I have heard everything from a 3 is as good as a 3.5 because you loose speed with the 3.5, unless you get nitro shells that are loaded with more powder. Well then comes to play what about the new Hevi-Shot Magnum blend. The speed is increase to 1200 fps.

 

Then you look at the ounces of shot. Some of the Hevi-13 3.5" only has 1 3/4 ounces of shot, others have 2 1/4 ounces.

 

What to shoot what to shoot?

 

The 3.5" 1.75 oz H-13 was part of the original H-13 launch a few years back. Many consider it to be an inferior load when compared to the 2.25 oz 3.5" load, although some do claim to get decent results with the 1.75 oz load.

 

Rumor has it that EM has a ton of the 3.5" 1.75 oz left, hence the heavy rebate promotions at $5.99 per 5/pk. I sold a bunch of 1.75 oz the other day for less than $1/shell.

 

I shoot the 3.5" 2.25 oz H-13 in #6's and #7's. I've tested the 3" theory, and it does not prevail on paper for me. I've never had a 3" load with fewer pellets outpattern the same shell in the 3.5" version.

 

I've tested the Magnum Blend, and the POI is so different than the standard H-13 POI, that I stopped testing at that point.

 

I find the kick on the 1090 fps H-13 to be acceptable. No problem telling that the MB is a hotter load, but even the MB can't hold a candle to the Nitro for felt recoil for me.

 

If you have time to kill, the Old Gobbler shooting forum is heavy with info on shells & choke info right now.....

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If you have time to kill, the Old Gobbler shooting forum is heavy with info on shells & choke info right now.....

 

yeeeeahhh. I think they must have heard of me. hmmm.. I cant seem to get accepted by the administrator. Think some people i know might have had a hand in tipping the admin??? you know who you are.. i read it all. Seems like the only way I can contain myself is on this website.. haha atleast im famous.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
been thinking about buying a bps 10 along with 500 rds of 2 1/4 oz of copper plate #5 or #6 be the last shotgun i buy for the next 5 yers .

 

We had one BPS 10 we used for goose hunting in the Wharton/Eagle Lake areas of TX. Nobody liked as as it kicked like a mule even though it was heavy and fitted with double recoil pads. The Ithaca 10s were our go-to goose guns until the 3.5" 12ga. SBE came available. We bought 5 SBEs in '91 and pretty much parked all the 10s & other shotguns. IMO, a 3.5" 12ga like the SBE/SBEII is about as close as you can come to a do-all shotgun from doves to geese & turkeys.

Edited by leid
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leid, I dont think you know needinga8 very well do you?

 

hes like me, he has to have to biggest and baddest thing around. i have a 10 gauge of my own. SBE is great... but everyone knows a supernova is just as good! hehe

 

The BPS 10 will suit him well then as it is Big and it is Heavy. Makes the SBE look & feel like a toy. And I am the first to admit, that 10 was capable of killing geese that were WAY out there. But by the time you got your supernova, I had already been married to this SBE for quite a few hunting seasons.

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Recoil of a light 3.5" 12ga is sharp especially when shooting 2.25 OZ lead loads. The original wood stock on my early 3.5" SBE went to pieces upon firing the first year I had it. HK/Benelli quickly sent me a new plastic stock set as a replacement. The stock I wanted to use was the M1 pistol grip stock but HK/Benelli had told me repeatedly thru the years that it would not fit the SBE. After finding out the M1 pistol grip stock will in fact fit the early HK/Benelli SBE, I put one on for this turkey season (below). Feels very good and has a natural pointing ability. Will do some run & gun turkey hunting with it next week. After Briley lengthened the force cone and experimenting with several different turkey choke tubes, it patterns right at 90% at 40 yds. with 2.25 OZ #6 loads. The 26" barrel was Pro-Ported to keep recoil under control.

 

 

91HKSBEwithM1pistolgripstock.jpg

Edited by leid
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i dont want to hear about turkey hunting.. i had one come in yesterday to about 70 yards and i forgot my decoy at the house so i just had to rely on calling. Welp, i must suck because all it did was strut at about 65 yards and taunt me before it dove back into the woodline and was lost forever! son of a ***** lol. im glad this thread was brought back up to the top.. it was bumped down because of some damn turkey and Rigatoni!

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Long ago grainy pic of the first bird with the '91 SBE before the wood stock shattered. Dropped him dead as a stone at just under 50yds. Just one of those fond hunting memories along with the bird deep fried in peanut oil.

 

1991turkeyhunt.jpg

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