3.5" Chamber - Is it worth it?
Looking to buy my first semi-auto shotgun. I want it to do alot, I don't want to buy multiple shotguns. It'll pull duty on migratory, upland, and perhaps predator defense. Is a 3.5" chamber really worth it? Seems shotguns were around as 3" for a long time. Thoughts and practical applications appreciated. Thanks.
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My opinion-- If you hunt geese a lot, yes 3.5" is worth it. While I normally shoot 3" shells the majority of the time it is nice to have the option to switch it up.
I find myself loading 3.5" shells later in the season with the bigger, heavier, fatter geese showing up and being much more reluctant to commit to the decoys. |
I have a shotgun with a 3-1/2" chamber, but I never use 3-1/2" loads, because they just aren't required.. 3" waterfowl loads are plenty for geese, we have killed many geese over the past few years with 3" loads, from early season, to late season. If you place the pattern properly, the geese fall. I only purchased the gun with a 3-1/2" chamber, because it was on sale for less than the same gun with a 3" chamber , because it had an older camouflage pattern.
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I’ve got a 3-1/2” chambered semi for waterfowling.
I load a 3-1/2”er, as my last shot most times(heat of the inrush, it’s what ever in whatsoever order), I’m also lucky if I get that third shot off 50% of the times I open up on geese. So I seem to do pretty good with 3”, 1-1/8, 2’s, and blast the odd goose with a 3-1/2”, 1-3/8, BB sometimes. I dunno, but the 3-1/2” shells were bought on sale, so I’ll shot maybe a box to a box and a half each season(~10 days hunting) it’ll take me about 5-6 seasons to deplete my current stock, so why not...... |
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Smoke 'em if ya got 'em!:sHa_sarcasticlol: Seriously though, my partner shoots a 2 3/4" gun , my son shoots a 3.5" gun, and I shoot mostly BP cartridge loads and muzzle loaders- sometimes I shoot smokeless whatever I have in the Pedersoli if I run out of black powder cartridges. however most of my waterfowling is done over decoys with a 20 gauge! https://i.imgur.com/LCI5Akf.jpg If they are decoying well all is good, and where we hunt they are either decoying right on the deck or they are not in the air at all!:) The geese in this This tailgate photo were all past shooting targets.:sHa_shakeshout: I may not kills as many birds as some guys do but my shot to birds killed is pretty good because we know the fields we hunt and how to set a spread on them, and I practise a lot . Cat |
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Get a semi-auto that handles everything from 2 3/4 to 3.5.
Beretta A400. Buy once, cry once. On geese it’s nice to have the option and that third shot. Load 2 of the 3 and for the final shot a 3.5. Gets you the distance shot you’d normally miss due to range. Flame suit on. |
I could kind of mathematically figure out about how many percent "better" it is, but only you can figure out if it's needed.
One thing to consider, is how many shells that are actually the big 3.5" you'll actually put through it. If you are shooting mostly 3" your pattern won't be quite as nice having to go through the longer chamber. So there's a bit of a trade off, depending your usual choice. Not sure how big a difference, but it makes sense, and that knowledge was gleaned from guys that should be more knowledgeable about shotguns than myself. |
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This seems to be less of an issue with shotguns with 3" chambers. |
100% worth it
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As the others already said. You do not need a 3.5" but its nice to have it.
3" will cover almost all waterfowl hunting situations. For long shots on fly by birds, I would think a 10ga is a better option. |
I have 2 guns capable of 3.5 inch, just never use 3.5 inch shells.
Buy the gun that you like. Don't worry if it is 3 inch chamber. Sky busting doesn't have a good percentage return anyway. Get em in close, and birds begin to fall. |
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I'm not sure why Kreighoff uses 3" chambers. Prejudice? Marketing? Or maybe they don't agree. That's fine, too. Browning seems to have thought the opposite, and cited a difference of 10% pattern loss. Seems to be no real consensus. I have also heard that there is a pattern loss in the ultra long shells versus going up to the next bore, and shooting the same weight. My newest shotgun only has a 2 3/4" chamber, so maybe they are in the other camp. I haven't done formal pellet counts with multiple shells, so can't really say one way or the other. If I knew that I'd only shoot the shorter shells, I'd probably just get the one (if there was a choice between 2 exact guns) with the shorter chamber to maximize my chances of getting the best patterns. I'd argue pattern uniformity is more important in a hunting shotgun. You will break a clay with a couple pellets, but hitting a duck with half a dozen likely means losing a the bird, to die later or crippling it. |
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The 3.5” became all the rage on the duck marshes in an attempt to duplicate 10ga performance back when steel shot became mandatory and we didn’t have all the new non-toxic load options that we do today such as bismuth,tungsten etc. I really don’t see any appreciable difference in birds hitting the deck with 3.5 vs 3” or even 10ga vs 12ga.A couple of my waterfowling partners back in the 90s were shooting 10ga semis and they didn’t knock down any more birds then me with 3” 12ga pump on most days,some days they hit less....it just cost them a whole lot more for ammo every day,lol I think it just comes down to either you are good wingshooter or you’re not,trying to compensate for weak shooting skills by putting more pellets in the air ain’t gonna help ya much. |
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A clay is a small target when it's sideways that far out for sure. Probably isn't an issue now, and Browning doesn't seem to mention it anywhere now. Different ways cutting a chamber and different choke styles may have either made up for it, or magnified it. But that there is no real agreement leads me to believe that it is a non-issue. |
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3.5” chamber
I have hunted waterfowl for over 45 years, and had my own waterfowl company for a few years, until I realized it was too much while for me working a full time job to boot. Geese are 75% of our harvest each year. In my opinion, a 3 1/2” chamber is a waste. When shooting over decoys, all I ever use is 2 3/4” ammo. Pass shooting is where 3” comes in. The price of 3 1/2” ammo is not worth it. It’s like the big magnum caliber for big game hunting. I would much sooner hunt with a guy who shoots an old .270 that he has used for years and that he can shoot very well, than someone with a big bore rifle that makes them nervous to shoot. I shoot all the time beside guys with 3 1/2” shells, and over decoys they don’t have any advantage over my 2 3/4” loads. This is the voice of experiance talking.
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However, when it comes comparing 10ga with 12ga, the 10ga has some clear advantages. It can handle big shots (BB, BBB, T) much better compared to the same payload of a 12ga 3.5". Exactly the loads used for long shots - this is where the 10ga really shines. Aside from that is sooo much fun to shot, at least the 10ga SXS my father had. |
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Grizz |
I have layed in a coffin blind shooting geese with a 3-1/2” pump. Kind of takes the fun out of goose hunting when you get pounded into the ground. I tried a 3-1/2” semi on geese and yes they do have a little further reach but I don’t think it makes any difference on filling your daily limit whether you are using 3” or 3-1/2”
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wil be about 12" long (depending in Choke used) and the barrel is usually moving. The bird could be moving in any direction at approx. 33 ft per second. What's your secret? I'm thinking every Clay you shoot must be a duster. It's not that I don't beleive you, just that I would like to see you do it. |
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