Totemkopf

Rebel Hog,
Yes it does. Rebel, I don't think there is anything wrong with 2-3/4" shells, I was just trying to point out the small difference between 3" and 3-1/2" shells.There are some 3-1/2" shells that have better ballistics and more shot then thier 3" counterparts, but the calculated recoil (fps x shot weight)is higher. If you look at the Federals Prem. Mag-Shok your only looking at a 15 fps difference between 2-3/4 and the 3" or 3-1/2" but a difference of a 1/4oz and 1/2oz of shot. If you look at some of the other brands,there is adifference of 75fps to 100fps for only a change of an 1/8oz of shot.

The ammunition manufactures light load the 3-1/2" shells compared to the 3" shells, because there is a lose of patterning quality in the fully loaded 3-1/2" shells. Which makes the 3-1/2" loads just marginally better then the 3" loads. It's almost like you need the extra shot in a 3 1-/2" load just to get the same pellet count in the kill-zone compared to a 3" shell, but to match the pellet count you have to lose fps and have more calculated recoil. 3-1/2" loads were really designed for shooting steel shot where there is a noticeable difference in preformance, but with lead or the new alloy shots the 3 1/2" just really don't offer that much of an advantage.