I own 3 Browning Gold shotguns and they are all EXCELLENT shooters. With the gas operated semi-auto, you can't tell the difference between the 3's and 3.5's as far as recoil goes. If you want to get a good all around chambering for anything from Doves to Big Canada Geese and Turkey's, I would suggest the 3.5". You can shoot any length shell you want, and you can shoot a combination of 3.5's, 3's and 2.75's if you would want to. Mine will handle them all flawlessly. Plus, this would be better for re-sale value, if you ever needed to get rid of it! The 10 gauge is noticeably heavier and is capable of only handling 3.5" loads, therefor making it useless on anything except Waterfowl and Turkey's. IMO the 3.5 12 gauge is a better choice if you can only afford to buy 1 gun.