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Old January 30, 2019, 12:48 AM   #26
bamaranger
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moss 835

We do have a Mossberg 835 in the family, but only feed it 3" lead turkey loads, with which it does quite well. With its 24" barrel, I can make out the fiber optic rifle sights we installed shortly after getting it,and it is a tad lighter than my steel Rem 870 with its 20" tube. I start carrying it about mid season when I start to get bushed. But technically the Mossberg belongs to bamaboy.......I just borrow it now and again in gobbler season.

I can tell you with certainty that the alloy Mossberg 835 with the 3.5" shells is a kicker, but.....Mossberg has factory ported and back bored the 835 guns and to help with recoil. We added a after market screw on pad (think it's a kick-eeze) and that really soaks up the 3" shells we shoot.
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Old January 30, 2019, 10:09 AM   #27
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It sounds like you want a 3.5" shotgun just because you don't have one. And don't get me wrong - there's nothing wrong with that. I have a friend who buys guns just because he doesn't have " one of those ". But, all said and done, most the guys are saying shooting one isn't pleasant. Matter of fact, they say they just shoot 3" shells. I have a couple of 10ga guns and normally shoot 1 to 1 1/8oz loads in 2 7/8" shells. If I want heavier, I can go to over 2oz loads. For a couple of hundred you could buy a used Mec 600 and some components to reload with. BPI sells everything you'll need.
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Old January 30, 2019, 06:03 PM   #28
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As much as I like reloading that seems like the more expensive solution. And take up a lot for space. Hulls, wads, shot, powder, charging bars, bushings, testing cartridges, inspecting hulls, hoping the crimps don't suck...

I have a friend who does all that and his best performing load for clays basically costs 50 cents more than than he could easily buy.

But it still brings up the question if I want a 3 inch gun why not step it up one more to 3 1/2.
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Old January 31, 2019, 04:56 AM   #29
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Components

The key for shotshell reloading is purchasing the components "right"

My old club would purchase reloading supplies and resell them to the members without a markup.

If reloading in volume for trap, skeet, or SC one can shoot your own premium shells for the cost of the cheapo promo shells. It's also nice to be able to dial in your practice loads using 1, 7/8 or even 3/4 Oz. of shot.

In my opinion shotshell is easier than metallic cartridge reloading. It's pretty much a "cookbook" approach vs. working up loads.

In my opinion shotshell is more forgiving of error. For instance it's difficult to over charge a shell, because the powder and shot fill the hull.

Good point on the space tho, hulls and bag of wads are large, bags of shot are heavy.
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Old January 31, 2019, 05:42 AM   #30
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You're probably right about it being easier when all set up. I made about 100 rounds on my friends machine and thought it was nice and quick but he did all the hard work of sorting hulls.

Pretty sure if I started reloading shotgun shells my wife would lose it since there's limited space here and I already reload for 6-8 rifles. And all with the Lee Hand Press because I don't have a good place to permanently mount my RCBS Jr. On reloading day everything comes out of its boxes and when done goes back into boxes to store.

In the meantime the safe has room for another shotgun and at least 4 more handguns.
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Old January 31, 2019, 01:44 PM   #31
Ricklin
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The careful detail oriented individual

I reload both metallic and shotshell. We are in the process of rebuilding my home after a fire, so all my reloading gear is stored.

Most guys who are not wealthy and play the clay bird games reload. The key is getting real wholesale pricing on components, esp. shot and powder. Purchased right a guy can shoot top of the line ammo, at promo pricing.

I started reloading shotshell on a progressive. I would recommend a progressive for a high volume clays shooter. That's given that they qualify with the title of my post.

I have an old MEC grabber that I got off Ebay and repaired. It cranks out excellent shells when I do my part.

Shotshell reloading is very much a cookbook approach. I would not want to reload shotshells on a single stage I do 500 or a thousand rounds per session and a single stage would be torture.

It's much more difficult to really screw up shotshells. One a one to ten scale if metallic cartridge is a ten, shotshells are a six.
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Old January 31, 2019, 04:00 PM   #32
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I reload more for sentimental reasons. And some because it's cheaper. My grandpa taught me and when he went to the VA Home. I inherited some guns and reloading tools. 6.5 arisaka isn't exactly something you can find on the shelf. Along with 30-40 Krag.

The rest are because I got a lot of projectiles and brass with the stuff. I have some Lee wack and smack reloading tools for 12 and 20 gauge but don't intend to use them beside making dummy rounds.
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Old February 7, 2019, 07:41 PM   #33
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3 months into the thread it seems like I was talked out of buying a new gun. Yesterday I found the brake hone that wouldn't fit, robbed the stones and rigged them into the other hone. Put in some time with the hone and followed up by polishing the chamber.

I'm not sure how much I fixed things but that part was free. Guess now the question is what to do with the money that would have bought a new shotgun for the upcoming turkey season.
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Old February 8, 2019, 07:51 PM   #34
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Guess now the question is what to do with the money that would have bought a new shotgun for the upcoming turkey season.
Buy a new shotgun for the turkey season
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Old February 8, 2019, 08:48 PM   #35
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I'm a pump gun guy. My first shotgun was a Remington bolt action .410. Then I moved up to the coast-to-coast 20 gauge, and my first 12 gauge, a Mossberg 500, with a 28 inch barrel. After watching some guys on public waterfowl hunting spot blast ducks and geese about 45 or 50 yards up I had to have a 3 1/2 inch gun. That was 20 years ago, and I got a Browning BPS 3.5" Shadowgrass blades. 26 inch barrel. It's overall length is about the same as the Mossberg, and it fits me well. Don't know the price of the current 3 1/2 inch BPS but probably $800-ish. I went with the Browning because of the thumb safety that you like. It shoots 3 1/2 to two and three-quarter inch shells very reliably. Now, I will say that 3 1/2 shells probably only gets you about five more yards of effective range than a 3 inch, so I quit shooting duck loads of that length. Every goose shell I buy is 3 1/2, just for the extra BB's. The gun has been great, I'm deadly with it. For years I shot the very dirty Winchester expert loads and just this past year finally cleaned it out really nice beyond field stripping and it was filthy inside. Replaced the cartridge stops because it had stopped loading new shells from the magazine to the chamber. Now it's back again and will serve me well for the next 20 years. So if you want a pump with a tang safety that's what I'd recommend. Bottom ejection great for a boat blind and your buddies cheeks. Now after saying all that I would like a semi automatic, primarily for Quail and maybe for the blind. And according to Randy Wakeman, both the Fabarm LS4 and Retay Arms Masai Mara would be excellent choices. If I bought a semi automatic I would go with a 3 inch, I just don't think 3 1/2 is necessary. Good luck on your hunt, enjoy it, the anticipation of buying a new gun is the thing for me.
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Old February 8, 2019, 10:02 PM   #36
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GoDevilMan,
Checked out the BPS online and it looks available at Cabelas. At the moment I was leaning toward the Mossberg 935, 930 which fits well and the Stoeger 3500, 3000 which would probably mean shortening the length of pull by 1/2 inch. I have the tools to do it and have done it before so that's no problem. I do think it's funny that Benelli sells several recoil pads of different lengths for the upper models but not the stoeger. Yeah I know. Even a 3d printed replacement plate would be worth the money if they made one.

I'm really leaning to getting a semi because i'm interested and I'm curious how much it would reduce recoil. Not that recoil is a factor but with all the guns saying they do it I'm curious.

5 yards more for geese wouldn't be that bad. Unfortunately I didn't get a single shot on a goose this year. The joys of hunting an overhunted area.
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Old April 23, 2019, 04:51 PM   #37
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Ended up picking up the Mossberg 935 Magnum Waterfowl and a box of 3 1/2 turkey shells. From what everyone was saying it was going to knock my eyes out of the socket. Well there still there.

3 1/2's seem to feel like 3's compared to my pump.
3's felt like maybe 2 3/4's
and 2 3/4 felt like nothing.

Once I get more shells through the gun I'll try to make a review. The one thing I can say is the forend retainer did not impress me. Either it needed to be over-tightened to hold it firm or it flexed. Bought the Or3gun retainer which is metal and it's solid and I don't have to worry about breaking plastic.
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Old April 24, 2019, 08:30 AM   #38
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Nice. Happy trails dude.
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Old April 24, 2019, 11:23 AM   #39
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Good for you. As usual requests for information on this board go astray. Sort of like - What's the difference between and orange ? A monkey because an elephant can't ride a bicycle.
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