# 3 inch vs 3.5 inch



## jgibby (Feb 6, 2010)

I was out patterning my 835 and browning gold today. I noticed little difference between  the loads, other than my shoulder.  Any opinions or advice?  

  835  (fed. 3.5inch 2.25 oz  #6

brown. gold  (fed. 3inch  2oz  #5


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## Kevin Farr (Feb 6, 2010)

I shoot an 835.  It is one I got when they first came out with the 3.5 in. and it has a 28 in barrel.  My gun patterns awesome with the "old" Federals without flitecontrol wad in 3.5 in 2 1/4 oz 6's and my Rhino choke.  Probelm is, you can't get those "old" Federals anymore.  However, my same gun/choke combo is even better with either Hevi13 2 1/4 oz 6's or even better again with the Nitro 3.5 in shells.

Hope this helps some.  good luck


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## J Gilbert (Feb 6, 2010)

My SX3 will shoot both size shells, but I'll probably buy the Hevi 3-2-7's unless all I can find are the 3.5-2.25-7's.  I've seen several accounts where the 3" actually shot better than the 3.5" shells for whatever reason, so I'm hoping I can find the 3"ers


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## sman (Feb 6, 2010)

I see no real added bonus for shooting 3.5's with todays Hevi loads.  Why take the abuse?  I have an 870 super mag and 3's and 3.5's patterned well out of it.  The only problem I had was when I was shooting 3.5's patterning I kept flinching from the expectation of the mule that was about to put his butt in my face then raise one of his legs and kick my shoulder. 
When hevi loads came out, I stopped buying 3.5's.  Call the birds within 40 yards and you will be just fine with 3's and your shoulder will thank you for it in the long run.


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## dmc308 (Feb 6, 2010)

never had the need to shoot a 3.5".


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## Brad C. (Feb 7, 2010)

My 835 will with a Star Dot choke and the 3.5" Hevi-13 2 and 1/4oz #6 loads will shoot circles(night and day difference) around the Hevi-13 3" 2oz #6 loads.  

I myself have always had more luck with the bigger payloads as long as we are talking about quality shells and not the cheap shells like Kent.  Some say the 3" lighter loads will pattern better and give them a better pattern efficiency when talking about the shot they can get in a 10" vs the total amount of shot in the payload.  That might be true in some instances, but from what I have seen about shooting and testing various shotguns over the years has led me pretty much to say that I'll take the added extra shot that the extra 1/4oz of shot gives me in a 10" circle at 40yds by using the heavier 3.5" turkey loads than worrying more about what shell actually has the better pattern percentage.  Even if it's only 10-15 more shot I am talking about in a 10" circle, I will take the added numbers with this way of thinking that maybe some of those extra 15 shot will and can help make the difference in killing a bird and help increase your effective range.

I hear so much talk on here about keeping your shots inside of 40yds.  And that is all fine and dandy.  But you tell that to the turkey.  These same hunters tell you that passing on a turkey that is 45yds or 50yds is the wise thing to do.  I say the wise thing to do is to change your set up combination that will allow you to shoot that turkey with a gun, choke and shell combination that will take that turkey everytime very easily like most guns would do at say 35-40yds.  The old phrase I'll kill him another day just don't make much sense when another hunter has got a gun that will and can do the job that you should have got done when you had the opportunity and passed because your combination couldn't do it, and he is packing out the same bird later that day.


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## Double Gun (Feb 7, 2010)

Brad C. said:


> My 835 will with a Star Dot choke and the 3.5" Hevi-13 2 and 1/4oz #6 loads will shoot circles(night and day difference) around the Hevi-13 3" 2oz #6 loads.
> 
> I myself have always had more luck with the bigger payloads as long as we are talking about quality shells and not the cheap shells like Kent.  Some say the 3" lighter loads will pattern better and give them a better pattern efficiency when talking about the shot they can get in a 10" vs the total amount of shot in the payload.  That might be true in some instances, but from what I have seen about shooting and testing various shotguns over the years has led me pretty much to say that I'll take the added extra shot that the extra 1/4oz of shot gives me in a 10" circle at 40yds by using the heavier 3.5" turkey loads than worrying more about what shell actually has the better pattern percentage.  Even if it's only 10-15 more shot I am talking about in a 10" circle, I will take the added numbers with this way of thinking that maybe some of those extra 15 shot will and can help make the difference in killing a bird and help increase your effective range.
> 
> I hear so much talk on here about keeping your shots inside of 40yds.  And that is all fine and dandy.  But you tell that to the turkey.  These same hunters tell you that passing on a turkey that is 45yds or 50yds is the wise thing to do.  I say the wise thing to do is to change your set up combination that will allow you to shoot that turkey with a gun, choke and shell combination that will take that turkey everytime very easily like most guns would do at say 35-40yds.  The old phrase I'll kill him another day just don't make much sense when another hunter has got a gun that will and can do the job that you should have got done when you had the opportunity and passed because your combination couldn't do it, and he is packing out the same bird later that day.






If you or someone does not have the calling skills or woodsmanship to work a bird in to say 40 or under by all means get you an outfit, even a drilling gun where law permits and use it. But since you stated that it does not make much sense to you why a lot of hunters pass on 45- 50 yard birds its obvious you just do not get it.

If another hunter gets a bird I passed on congratulations to him. I am not competing against another hunter as it so sounds you are. There are other birds out there.

I for one pass on lots of birds a year, even at 20 yards where the shot is not right, brush, etc. I hope you do the same and not think big powerfull loads can eat through brush like I heard folks say and then not retrive the bird. 

Because if I do not get that one I know there are other birds around that I may get on. Back in the day I remember that if you heard a bird gobble in the spring or found a flock in the fall you had better put it all together because you may not have another chance for a week or better.  

I still use the 2 3/4 in my Foxes and 3" in my LC Smith Longrange, and still kill turkeys as dead and even more birds today with all the great turkey populations and opportunity that we are all so blessed with. 

So why change something that works?

So jgibby, use what you are confident with, heck I even know a fellow that shots a 2 3/4 in his Benelli.


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## Brad C. (Feb 7, 2010)

When I got a gun that will consistently and I do mean consistently kill a gobbler at 50yds, why would I want to pack a gun that limits me to only 40yds?  I guess you could say the same thing about a call that will only call a bird into 50yds.  I'm going to buy a call that calls them into 40yds everytime.  LOL!  You and I both know there is no such call.  I'll take the better shooting combination every single time.  I myself would rather be packing my own bird rather than let someone else do the packing.  Dead is dead whether it happens at 50yds or 40yds.  I know my guns capabilities.  I worked my butt off to up the annie so to speak by shooting a lot of guns over the years and shells.  I now have one of the best turkey combinations you can obtain without shooting Nitros.  At 50yds it will throw a pattern better than a lot of guns will throw at 40yds.


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## bearhunter39 (Feb 12, 2010)

well folks i don't want to hurt anybody's feeling's but that turkey is coming or he ain't so be patient and wait for your shot


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## gobble79 (Feb 12, 2010)

3"  #5's for my 835.  No need for anything else with mine.  totally satisfied


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## coyota (Feb 12, 2010)

Easier to load and unload a 3" shell without taking gloves off when temp is below zero.


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## howl (Feb 12, 2010)

A difference could be in the length of the shot string. One use for a longer shot string is having some pellets in the back left to hit the bird after the ones in the front clear the way through an obstruction. If you're not interested in taking those kinds of shots, you'll probably find that the lighter payloads pattern better and more consistently.


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## deersled (Feb 13, 2010)

I just use 3" flight whatevers from fed. #6. Cheap stardot choke. Knock on wood......never missed one. Killed em out to close to 50 yds. Don't like shootin em that far, but sometimes "ol' Mossy" can't help herself, haha. Not much of a 10" circle guy. To each his own. I have shot 3 1/2" before. Actually 2 shells! And that was 2 too many. No thanks!


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## NwRedFisher (Feb 14, 2010)

Me and a buddy was comparing patterns between 3" and 3 1/2" shells. The 3 1/2" had a better pattern but we noticed that the 3" would blow though the 1"wood stake that the target was stapled to and the 3 1/2" would not pass though the stake. Thats all I needed to see. I stuck with the 3".


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## Lane_H (Feb 14, 2010)

I tried 3inch and 3.5 Hevi shot and the 3 inch patterned the best


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## bnew17 (Feb 14, 2010)

go big or go home. 3 1/2" hevi 13's for me


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## Sloppy_Snood (Feb 14, 2010)

timbawolf98 said:


> My SX3 will shoot both size shells, but I'll probably buy the Hevi 3-2-7's unless all I can find are the 3.5-2.25-7's.  I've seen several accounts where the 3" actually shot better than the 3.5" shells for whatever reason, so I'm hoping I can find the 3"ers



Do not be overly shocked if you see a bit of a more open pattern with the .665" IC BDS.  .665" works just fine but you can get 10-20 more pellets in a 10" circle at a measured 40 yards by using a .655" with Hevi-13 7s and winchester Extended Range 6s in the Invector Plus .742" barrel bore.


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## Sloppy_Snood (Feb 14, 2010)

bnew17 said:


> go big or go home. 3 1/2" hevi 13's for me



Fact is that many 3.5" shotguns will outpattern their 3" counterparts with the bronze 3.5" Hevi-13 2.25 oz. 6s shotshell *if* one experiments enough with choke exit diameter to find the best pattern.  Understandably so, most do not want to spend the time, energy, money, and 3.5" recoil pulses to find out.


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## J Gilbert (Feb 14, 2010)

Sloppy_Snood said:


> Do not be overly shocked if you see a bit of a more open pattern with the .665" IC BDS.  .665" works just fine but you can get 10-20 more pellets in a 10" circle at a measured 40 yards by using a .655" with Hevi-13 7s and winchester Extended Range 6s in the Invector Plus .742" barrel bore.



I'm basically just setting it up for a back up/change of pace gun, i'm not going to worry too much about 10-20 pellets because I have no doubt it'll still be a killing pattern, I still havent decided between the Magnum Blends or the straight 7's yet though


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