to kill ducks. My daughter was top gun last week at our place in Arkansas using her Benelli 20ga pump.

Nice buncha greenheads! All my friends shoot 3 and a half. I prefer the 3", but I use 12 ga.

Me too pal, my Beretta will handle 3.5, but I never buy em, I think it is a wast of money, and I load 2 3/4 in the morning for wood ducks and teal................I like to eat the ducks we shoot.

You have a very attractive daughter. So do I, but she can't shoot worth diddly. Not into guns, although she likes the S&W M-60 .38 and may learn to shoot one better.

Nice bunch of mallards, too. Congratulations. If that girl cooks as well as she shoots, you're twice blessed!

Excellent pictorial report on what must have been a fun time.

And your dog looks v-e-r-y proud. Nice!

Regards,

Dyson

I agree, but alot of the 3 1/2 shell thing is just like everything else, theyread it in a gun rag telling them that to kill ducks or turkeys or whatever else it just has to be that or nothing. I blame the same element on the whole .30-30 won't kill deer, the .357 Magnum won't work for personal defense, and it has to be done with a 15 round mag or it can't be done crowd.

I have been using a 16 gauge or a 20 gauge for years on all sorts of game and have never been let down yet.

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Vaya con Dios

Congrats to your daughter.

Btw, that third pic is just begging for a caption....

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

More like a curse, as a father...

Congrats. I've never been a magnum fan, but have recently got into the 3.5" gun. I figure that I don't get to waterfowl much, and need every advantage I can get. I can use it for turkeys, too. It's all pretty new to me. (hunting is not, just those 2 types)

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I'd agree 3.5 is a bit over the top for most fowl ... its a goose round anyhow ... but my my my what a tube full of goodness with buckshot

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it just needs more voltage

The dog looks like he needs a milk bone and a nap!

I've never fired a 3 1/2 " shell in my life. Always use 2 3/4". I have some 3 inch ones, but the boxes are still full.

the dog works more than we do, that's for sure.

I would imagine a 3 1/2" load of Number 1 Buck would be some serious deer medicine.

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John 3:16 .

If you HAVE TO go 3 1/2", then just get a 10 bore and be done with it. JMO...,And congrats on the many blessings in the pics. Life is Good!!!

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Go big or stay home

Fine job by daughter and father!

That's a bunch of good meals on the tailgate, and a fine looking dog.

The shotgun shell mania is kinda nuts. Remington has steel now at 1700 fps--of you do much research on shotgun pellet ballistics you realize that they have by far passed the point of diminishing returns and are just appealing to a crowd that can't see past speed.

When the load hurts the shooter as much as it hurts the bird, reevaluate.

May you and your daughter have many more days in the field and on the water together, and may she continue to take the boys to school--I'm sure she will!

Ever hunted Tundra Swan? The biggest steel shot and 3 1/2" shells are barely enough. And your retriever had better had a good breakfast that morning if he is going to drag those things back to the blind.

If I hunt Tundra Swan or Canadas, I'll use the 3.5's but I've killed more ducks with a 20 ga than a 12. I used to use a Browning 3" A-5 20 ga with lead when it was legal. Went to 12 gauge 2 3/4 steel and then went back to 20 gauge steel #3's in my Ruger O/U. Right now I'm shooting my SBEII with 3" just because I have a bunch of 12 ga.
To tell the truth, based on the number of them that I see on the shelves right before Duck season vs the lack of any on the shelves halfway through the duck season it would appear that the most popular duck load around here is the 12 gauge 3" double X turkey loads by Winchester in #6 or #4 shot. Always wondered why they stocked so much turkey loads in the fall down in the marsh when Turkey season isn't until the spring-and I ain't never seen no turkey in the marsh no

For decoying ducks all you need is a 20.

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Forum consigliere

Cajun turkey say "quack quack".

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War Eagle! '10 BCS & '13 SEC

Even I know that this just ain't so.

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Vote Responsibly

......moon

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NRA Life Member

You guys make me envious; I sure wish I could hit something with a shotgun.

Okay...here she comes...if this don't impress that lil bitch, I'm giving up on women and going back to chasing cars...

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

3.5" shell would be what, around 88mm? Kind of small by todays standards but the Germans were very effective with their 88mm shell, from what I've heard. Seems a bit much for ducks though.

So what 20 ga load did she use?

I stick with the 3s, IMO those 3.5s are not necessary.

BTW, great pictures! Your kids look like they really enjoyed the day. Your daughter is a very pretty girl, nice to see her so accomplished in the outdoors. My daughter is just 2, but I'm hoping she grows up with an interest in the outdoors/shooting, as well... Great looking Lab you've got there, too, he had a big day!

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Back when lead shot was legal I used 2 3/4" no. 5 heavy loads for ducks just like I did for everything else. It worked fine.

Later after i got in the business of selling I noticed a big demand for lead shot turkey loads around duck season. More so actually than during turkey season. I assume if a guy pulls up with a boat load of duck decoys and wearing camo and wanting to buy lead shot turkey loads; he's probably going coyote hunting.

Great pics.
Nice truck.
Happy eating!

Nicely done. My SG is chambered 3 1/2", but I feel my best with 3" 4s. The extra 1/2" might matter in long range pass shooting, goose hunting or in finishing cripples, but is not really needed over decoys. I could show loads of dead examples of that. Three and one half inch shells are mostly a costly way to do not really any more than a 2 3/4 or 3" shell can do. More recoil certainly doesn't mean more efficiency.

3.5" shells do have there place. But, that place is not in a shotgun mounted to MY shoulder. Most of these were taken with 2.75" #4 steel in Canada a few years ago. They were taken in a cut barley field with the barley piled in windrows shooting over about 500 socks and 200 field shells.

Class III

Attached Images

Canada 019.jpg (111.7 KB, 33 views)

Best one yet, that was funny.

mostly 3" Blackclouds, some Win. Blindside. I would say roughly 80% one shot kills unless she missed which to the best of our knowledge was only once, keep in mind these were deacoying ducks 20 - 50 yards at most. She now shoots better than I do...........