What are the advantages or disadvantages of shooting 3.5" turkey shells. I have been patterning 3.5 shells and haven't been getting good results. What will I be losing if I step down to a 3" shell? I think I have magnum envy, that is why I am afraid to shoot 3" shells. (new to turkey hunting)

LA.People been killin turkeys for alot of years usin 3".If they pattern good out of your gun use em.

La;I did the same as you,got a mossberg 3 1/2.went back down to 3".did have trouble with the mossberg though,that caused me to go back.
that said,I have taken a lot of birds with 3".could not really tell the difference in the two.
pattern your gun with different shells to see which one works best.
you can use 3" in the 3 1/2" with no problem.give them both a try.
you ask the adv. and the disadv.
the adv. is an extra 5 maybe 10 yrds.not really that much.call and be patiance,get them in that extra 10 yrds. thats really the game.get'em close.
the disadv. is it kicks like a mule.


I am not a hunter I am a whitetail population reduction specialest

remember keep your back to the sun, your knife sharp, and your powder dry.

Edited by - tree climber on 03/02/2002 06:51:48

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..Ive killed lots of turkeys with 3 inch shells,but it came out in the remington pump i went for it,,,3.5 magnum.....

..JESUS IS COMING BACK BE READY...

I have just come back from trying to pattern my shotgun again and with the same results. I have tried Fed 3.5" #5, Win 3.5" #6, Win 3.5" #4, Fed 3" #6, and none of these pattern worth a hoot in my gun. I am shooting an 870 with a ventilator choke from 40 yards. I get an average of 4-10 in the entire head (not vitals). The highest # in the head was 14. I then moved up to 30 yards and the pattern was better, but not what I was expecting. My wife says I am spending to much money on shells and I am actually beginning to agree. Do you think it is my gun? If I lengthen the forcing cone do you think it will tighten up my patterns? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

LAHUNTER ,Have you tried a 4foot by 4foot piece of cardboard,to see if your gun is hitting point of aim.Maybe it hitting off center.You might have to put a sight on your gun to get it to hit where the shot has the best pattern,Maybe you allready tried this,Just a Thought.

3" magnums work great! you want to see something interesting look at the velocities for some of the 3.5" shells......you might be surprised at what you see.

I don't know about ya'll but I think 14 in the head is pretty good.Just my opinion.

ur afraid of a 3inch but shot 3 1/2ers?? ur backwards....the longer one will kick harder...steping down ur loosing some shot...depending on the shells u buy u may loose a decint amount or a handfull...3 1/2 inchers are also supposta be able to shot farther...depending on the pattern...disadvantage to 3.5ers...they hurt as sed b4...try diffrent shells and choke combos...step down from a xtra full to full..maybe its to tight for the shot size...move closer to the target...bout 30yds is enough for patterning and kno where it hits close and far....or step down to 3 inchers...they are more than enough with a pattern thats not great....experiment

mauser06