Are 3 and 1/2 Inch Chambers Required?

[Coffee Table 43]

Hi All.

I'm going to be joining a wildfowling club this coming season so I'm starting to think about picking up a suitable semi auto.

I've shot mainly clays to date and I really don't want to be dropping an expensive over and under into the salty shite of the Severn estuary so I've narrowed the choice down to one of the cheap Turkish brands. If I drop a cheap semi into the mud then it's not a massive issue and I'm not going to be so precious about it. Besides that the Beretta O/U only has 3 inch chambers anyway. 

I've a budget of £450 max for this gun which is quite limiting if 3 and 1/2 chambers are an absolute must have for wildfowling.

The club mentioned mallard, teal, widgeon and pintail as the main quarry with most other quarry species available but not in such numbers. There are Canada's and a few other geese species in the area but I'm not too sure on exact quarry restrictions at this time. The ground the club has seems to a muddy foreshore and sea wall type ground rather than an expansive marsh with tidal islands etc. 

The question is do I really need a 3 and 1/2 chambered gun or will a 3 inch gun be fine?

Will a 3 and 1/2 Inch gun be fussy with cartridges? Say a 70mm 30 gram 6 shot or a 28 gram 7.5 shot?

This gun will also be a general use gun for Pigeon, rabbits etc as well as clays when the mood takes me. 

Having a 3 inch chamber opens up the selection of available guns quite considerably when second hand guns are included.

All replies greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Richard.

[Stavross 13,711]

For me 3” is more than enough for duck and sensible geese the only advantage I can see from a 3 1/2” is a bit more punch for far out geese 

[Coffee Table 43]

19 hours ago, Stavross said:

For me 3” is more than enough for duck and sensible geese the only advantage I can see from a 3 1/2” is a bit more punch for far out geese 

I went with a 3" gun in the end simply because there weren't any 3 1/2" guns available and my local RFD doesn't stock many 3 and 1/2 Inch cartridges. 

[ollieollie 766]

Gloucester wildflowers??

[Coffee Table 43]

1 hour ago, ollieollie said:

Gloucester wildflowers??

A bit further west, Wentloog wildfowling club. If they'll have me that is.

Based on the marsh and foreshore between Cardiff and Newport.

[ollieollie 766]

7 minutes ago, Coffee Table said:

A bit further west, Wentloog wildfowling club. If they'll have me that is.

Based on the marsh and foreshore between Cardiff and Newport.

I did a few flights years ago on a guest ticket with gwa, I really enjoyed it! Once my kids are a bit older I intend to do it properly as it’s my kind of shooting!! I just don’t have the time currently 

[Dervburner 2,548]

1 hour ago, Coffee Table said:

I went with a 3" gun in the end simply because there weren't any 3 1/2" guns available and my local RFD doesn't stock many 3 and 1/2 Inch cartridges. 

Yerr, you’ll be fine with 3 inch chamber. I’ve got a 3:1/2 inch beretta and it cycles anything, including 2 inch carts. I rarely use 3:1/2 inch carts. Gamebore mammoth 3 inch are good enough for most situations in my opinion.

[DIDO.1 20,804]

I think 3.5 inch are only a fairly recent thing in the UK. In the late 90's when I was taken to the solway a lot a 3" magnum was considered a wildfowling gun. I think a 3.5 was meant to compete with a 10 bore. 

Obviously I'm not a gun man or a serious wildfowler so I'm happy to be corrected. 

Almost all the geese I've shot with a 12 bore were shot with a two and three quarter inch chambered gun. Mainly decoying and flighting but they were still at maximum range for a 12 bore, I wouldn't have shot at longer range with a 3".  Think the cartridges I used were called DOC 10. Certainly DOC something, I've still got a hundred or so somewhere, we bought a thousand between a group of us years ago.

 

[KimE 487]

I use 2,3/4 on roedeer plenty of gun.

[terryd 8,024]

Mostly use 2 3/4 on ducks and geese but some times pop in a 3 inch for geese but 3 1/2 is certainly not needed

[Coffee Table 43]

Thanks to everyone who posted.

I picked up a Hatsan Escort 3" in the end. Not a single shop had a 3 1/2" gun in stock that suited what I needed.

Shot some clays with it and it's definitely more pointable than a dedicated sporting O/U, maybe at the expense of a little finesse. Felt like I was pointing a walking stick at then rather than a 7 1/2 pound sporter. Scored equal on both cards though so it's not a bad little gun.

Shot a few different cartridges (all 28g plus) and had no issues with cycling.

Bring on the seasons so I can get a few magnum 3" out of it.

[Waxed Canvas 14]

You’ll be fine with a 12 Gauge 3” Magnum. While I own a 3-1/2” Magnum, I rarely shoot 3-1/2” shells.

We hunt Ducks a little differently here in the States and where I am from, we wade into the flooded timber with chest waders and hide next to a tree on the shadow side.  Decoys are placed in the water and we speak to the Ducks with a Duck Call to coax them in.  It is not unusual to have a Duck land in the Decoys inside of 20 yards.

In many cases, 3” shells are overkill and 2-3/4” shells will do just fine.

Welcome to the world of Water Fowl! Some of the finest people you will ever meet are wild fowlers. Next up will be a Lab. They take the experience to another level. 

Posted is a pic demonstrating how we hunt in the flooded timber of Arkansas. The Ducks feed in the surrounding rice fields and go into the timber to loaf, pair bond for breeding or to consume invertebrates as a source of protein for their migration back to Canada and the Prairie Pot Hole Region of the U. S.