gowest Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 I'm just curious. Does anyone know how much difference there is, ballistically, between a 3" shell and a 3.5" shell with same shot size, etc. Is there really that much? Does the 3.5" outperform the 3" when it comes to patterning, knock down power, speed? I read once that a shot column length that is closer to it's diameter will perform better, which would lead you to believe that nothing is gained by shooting the 3.5" shells. Crazy Question I know. Duck season has been out for months and I may be going crazy!!! [ 03-14-2006, 02:44 PM: Message edited by: gowest ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleric Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 My understanding is that 3.5" shells typically just deliver a larger payload than the 3". Thus, you should have a denser pattern. However, that is best determined between you, your shotgun, a handful of shells, and some paper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yankeejim Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Originally posted by gowest: I'm just curious. Does anyone know how much difference there is, ballistically, between a 3" shell and a 3.5" shell with same shot size, etc. Is there really that much? Does the 3.5" outperform the 3" when it comes to patterning, knock down power, speed? I read once that a shot column length that is closer to it's diameter will perform better, which would lead you to believe that nothing is gained by shooting the 3.5" shells. Crazy Question I know. Duck season has been out for months and I may be going crazy!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yankeejim Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 There are many knowledgeable shooters who feel that the 3 1/2" 12 gauge shell offers marginal advantage but at a much greater cost in dollars & recoil. But in this day of "bigger is better" magnumitis, you will surely find defenders of the 3 1/2". Cheers, YJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 It is a payload issue, i.e. a Kent Fasteel 3.5" and 3" (having the same size shot) both travel at 1300 FPS. The 3.5" has 44.29 grams of shot and the 3" has 38.98 grams of shot. The 3.5" has about 13% more shot by weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paolo Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Personally I don't see enough difference or maybe I should say a big enough advantage to spend the extra dollar and take the extra recoil of a 3.5" shotshell. In my opinion it's more a marketing gimic. 3 1/2" vs 2 3/4" ... yes you will see a difference. 3" is more than enough. Again ... to each their own! I still use 2 3/4" and have no problems ... just have to know your limits and know your firearm. Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tucker301 Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 I shoot 3" on ducks and 3.5" on geese and turkeys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudhen Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 I rarely shoot 3.5" at ducks, maybe in the wind so I can go up to a larger steel shot. Geese and 3.5" BBB's go together nicely It's simple math people. There are 400 pellets in a 3" Winchester XR #6 and 460 pellets in a 3.5" XR #6. When I'm traveling and spending hard earned time and cash, I'm going to shoot the best combination I can. The 3.5" outpatterns the 3" in my guns, plain and simple. I've shot toms and found 2-3 pellets in the neck. Maybe those 2-3 pellets came from the extra 60? Maybe not. I'm not willing to take that risk on some trips. I notice little difference in recoil from 3" to 3.5", so I'll stick with the 60 extra pellets when I want to, thanks... mudhen - CA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imajeep Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 ive found there to be a fairly substantial difference. Of course thats an opinion and we all know how those are.. But heres how i see it, and yes i'm likely full of crap! Because of the payload advantages, i figured that i could drop to size 2 instead of 4 and have the best of both worlds, (lots of pellets and energy) from my experience, the 2's fly farther and hit harder too, so thats my explination for taking the occasional longer shots.. crap or not, my kill percentages went up substantialy, as did the pain in my shoulder, and the drop of cashflow leftover in my wallet... --- now im back to 3's for the regular ducks, but the geese get 3.5's and so do the turkeys.. i also like the 3.5's when jump hunting ducks, at longer ranges, when they are headed away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imajeep Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 Sometimes when my benelli is loaded with 3.5's and i see one duck flush in front of me..... just before i pull the trigger, i ask myself... is this really going to be worth the punishment? and every time, that has been followed closely with a loud -BANG- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mishtub Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 after running several different shot sizes(7 1/2, 4,5,2,F and T) all of the same make and powder charge (per shot size) through my SBE1 over a chrono, I recorded a drop of 350-500 fps drop in velocity with 3 1/2 in. over 3 in. The 3 1/2 's have more shot with the same powder charge= greater recoil. Using patterning test targets and changing chokes made a greater difference on hits/shell than anything else I've tried. Having no way to test shot string length other than visual observation of the stream , it seems that the 3 1/2 is slightly longer. I stick with the 3 in. (more velocity= better penetration/knockdown) [ 03-14-2006, 10:23 PM: Message edited by: mishtub ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usmarine Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 I've never really broke in a shotgun.....Just started shooting it for hunting. Is that wrong? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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