bigalc

I have tested all three lengths side-by-side out of the same gun, as well as shooting them out of shorter-chambered guns. What I found in my tests was:

1: The 3.5" shells did not pattern as well as the 3" shells when fired from a 3.5" chamber.

2: The 2.75" shells patterned slightly less well than the 3" when fired from a 3.5" chamber.

3: The 3" and 2.75" shells patterned almost identically when fired from a 3" chamber.

4: The two tests above were all fired using the same brand/lot numbers, and using the exact same choke tube.

5: I dont have a 2.75" gun that will take choke tubes, but for comparison I fired my browning fixed choke (Improved cylinder, 2.75" chamber) and compared it to my remington (3" chamber) using a Imp. Cyl. choke tube. Using 3" ammo in the remington I got better pattern density (no big surprise), but when using 2.75" in both guns the browning had better density. So this was sort of a toss-up.

In the end I decided to use 3" or 2.75" for turkeys or smaller game. Why get beaten up by the increased recoil for poorer patterns? However, I do use the 3.5" shells for deer hunting with buckshot. I like throwing as many pellets as possible when the deer are running.