3 1/2
 

Does anyone here shoot three and a halves for turkey on a yearly basis? I plan on using it for turkey this spring and just want to know what everyone thinks the effeciveness is up close and what the effective range is. Thanks
BigBuck95:fighting0007:

I think three inch does just fine. To each his own, but the pros don't outweigh the cons to me.

The effective range is whatever the pattern tells you it is. I have seen some that will shoot well to 73 yards (Nitro's), and I have seen some that will shoot well to 34 yards.
Take your gun and shell of choice and pattern it. When you get down to 100 pellets in a 10" circle that is your farthest effective range.

I agree, patterning your turkey shotgun is like sighting in your deer rifle, it just needs to be done, except you don't have to pattern every year. Spend the time with a variety of shells of 3 and 3.5" to see which one shoots the best. I've seen 3" outpattern some 3.5" and the other way around. It is really just a matter of what your gun likes. Once you figure out which one patterns best at like 40 yards, you should be able to find one that hits out there good, you can step back to 50 yards with that round and see what it does. I like to think that about 40 yards is the longest range I will ever shoot a turkey. Those little balls start losing velocity quickly out at that range. They may pattern good, but the oomph is starting to disappear. I read and hear and know people that shoot longer shots than that at turkeys, but that is my personal feeling.

I use 3.5" and will continue to every year.

Same here. Why, because they work real good.

I hope your not trying to tell this guy that a turkey gun can kill a gobbler out to 73 yards:nonono2:

3.5 is all I use for turkey. Smaller shells will kill them but I like to throw as much at them as I can.

And what's your average shot at a gobbler?

Yes sir. Long thread on the second page addresses the topic. I shoot 3.5 Nitros and Hevi-13 7s from a Mossberg 835.

If you dont mind the little extra recoil there is no reason not to shoot the 3.5".

Agreed. I use 3 1/2 inch shells because it has been my personal experience that a 3 1/2 inch shell will (despite what some say) usually outpattern a 3 inch shell of the same type in the same gun. I also agree that your maximum range should be the distance that your gun/choke/shell combo will still put 100 evenly dispersed pellets inside a ten inch circle. No turkey head can find a spot to live in a pattern that's still that dense. I also believe in the denser than lead shot if you are trying to extend your range. I know, not I think, I KNOW it kills farther than lead will.

3 1/2 inch shells aren't that much more expensive than the 3 inch shells especially considering how few of them you will use a year. It's not like we are taking them on a dove shoot here. I can only kill 5 turkeys a year in Alabama so even if I limit out every year one box of ten will still last 2 years.

As for recoil? Yeah it's stout but once the guns been patterned with them all you will every use them for is killing a turkey. And I have never noticed the recoil when I pulled the trigger on a gobbler.

Anywhere from as close to 15 all the way out to about 45. WHY??

That absolutly not the message I got and believe me I will not take a shot of that length. Too much risk of harming the animal, and doing something like that would be unethical. Thank you,
BigBuck95:cool15:

I have had guns that pattern best with 2 3/4" shells and that's what I used very effectively out to 30 yards for years. But then I wanted to have a little extra umph so I bought a Mossberg 12 gauge 835 and started shooting 3 1/2" shells. That gun was a brute to shoot. After I took it out to pattern it, it would give me a headache like I had been in a boxing bar room brawl. I thought, well, I'm not going to feel it shooting at a turkey, but 5 turkeys later resulted in 5 more headaches. Figuring I didn't want to end up like Mike Tyson :hit:, I got rid of it and bought a 10 gauge Browning Gold that shoots 3 1/2" shells. Now I know what you're thinking, that the Mossberg really did knock me bonkers, but that Browning with the 3 1/2" shells doesn't kick anywhere near as much as the Mossberg. And it patterns very well. Talk about throwing everything you've got at 'em, this gun will do it!!

I personally dont think you need 3 1/2" shells. I am going to bump down to 2 3/4" reloads this year. Even then I am still throwing an ounce and a half of lead at them. But since it is not my money I am not going to tell you how to spend it.

Let us know how it patterns.
O.K.

I use three inch all the time I ususally just shoot about 30 yards.

I shoot 3 1/2 but i dont think they are a necessity,

Here's a testament to some 3 1/2" Federal #5's, and maybe a little to my ability to get him so dang close :s4:. You asked how 3 1/2's shoot at close range, this turkey lost his head not even 12 steps from me. Speaks for itself.

SS56 that is a little to close for me!!!

haha, naaaah it's way more fun at close distances.

I shoot 12 ga., 3 1/2's , #5 shot in a Benelli Nova. Choke is a ported .670 "turkey choke". I do not know what the effective range is. I do know that I have taken gobblers cleanly out to about 40-45 yards. For 25+ years, my so called "turkey gun" was the only shotgun I owned ... an old Savage SBS, 30", 2 3/4", F/F. So for sure the 3 1/2" is not necessary. What you are mainly accomplishing is getting more shot in the pattern, but you pay for it on the butt end. I have a chart Winchester put out that that compares the typical recoil for dozens of popular center fire ... and also lists several shotgun loads. It rates the recoil of the 3 1/2" , 12 ga. turkey load at roughly 4X the recoil of a 30.06 Spr., and greater than that of a 416 Rem Mag.