rybohunter

Is it harder to find shot/choke combos that pattern well if you want to keep shooting 3" shells out of a 3 1/2" gun?
All the guns now a days come in 3.5" but would I be reasonable to expect to still be able to get good patterns if I still shoot 3" shells.
THanks.

Ihuntandfish

I really don't think that it matters if you shoot a 3" shell out of a 3" gun or a 3.5" gun. You will definately still get good results shooting 3" shells out of a 3.5" gun. That is what I do, and I get a very good pattern. Good luck.

ksfowler

I wouldnt think that there would be much if any difference between the two. I have only owned one 3 1/2" gun in my life and i shot 3" shells out of it with good results.

Hurricanespg

In reality a good amount of guns will actually pattern better with the 3" shell.
If you let me know what kind of gun you have I can recommend a choke/load combo that has performed well for me in the past.

NCZ09

I've also had good luck shooting 3" shells in my 3 1/2" gun. The right 3" load should work just fine.

the critter

i have always had good luck shooting 3'' out of 3.5. I actually think they pattern better than 3.5's

kdsberman

Personally, i shoot 3.5", but some guys have a lot better success with 3" over 3.5".

HuntingBry

The 3.5" shells will obviously give you more shot, but that doesn't necessarily mean it will pattern better. Sometimes what will happen is as the shot goes through the choke, especiall with high constriction chokes, some of the pellets deform and fly erratically. In some guns you may end up with more deformed pellets in the 3.5s than you do in the 3s so the advantage of having more shot is a wash.

I've found the best thing to do is to buy a bunch of shells and pattern them to find what shoots best and just stick with them for the long haul.

rybohunter

Thanks for the replies.

All I did was basically upgrade from a 3" camo 870 to a 3.5" camo 870 with the "sure shot" stock. My standard rem turkey choke with winchester supreme #5 patterned GREAT from the old gun. I am hoping the new one will do the same. I still have an assortment of shells from patterning my 1st gun that I will test out as well.

buttonbuckmaster

Ryan, I'm using a 870 Supermag. I had better results with 3 1/2" winchester HV #5's than any other shell. I have a ton of choke tubes for that gun if you ever want to experiment with them. I bought a Kicks for mine and have had great results. PM me if you want to try them out.