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jmr40 · March 7, 2012, 10:18 PM

I've never had a turkey make me mad enough to want to shoot it with a 3.5" shell.

They have no place on a turkey hunt. I shoot 3" shells just for a little extra insurance and could probably do just as well with 2 3/4"

The 3.5" shells were designed for goose hunters who needed more room in their shells for large steel shot, and wanted the versatility to shoot lighter shells when not goose hunting. With 1980's steel shot that made a little sense, and to a lesser extent does today.

Since steel shot is not needed for turkey there is no real reason to use those big shells with recoil approaching elephant gun levels to kill a small bird.

March 7, 2012, 10:18 PM	#2
jmr40 Senior Member Join Date: June 15, 2008 Location: Georgia Posts: 10,805	I've never had a turkey make me mad enough to want to shoot it with a 3.5" shell. They have no place on a turkey hunt. I shoot 3" shells just for a little extra insurance and could probably do just as well with 2 3/4" The 3.5" shells were designed for goose hunters who needed more room in their shells for large steel shot, and wanted the versatility to shoot lighter shells when not goose hunting. With 1980's steel shot that made a little sense, and to a lesser extent does today. Since steel shot is not needed for turkey there is no real reason to use those big shells with recoil approaching elephant gun levels to kill a small bird.