How many still limping along with 2 3/4 ste

[Specklebelly]

I hate to say it but you may want to consider the upgrade to 3".  Any excuse to buy a new gun is a good excuse for me. :wink:

I went to 3" 12 gauge and 3.5" 10 gauge not because of competition, but because of cripples.  I didn't want to risk not having enough knock down with steel on the big mallards and geese.

If you mostly hunt the small ducks and very little goose shooting the 2 3/4 is OK.  Teal and Gadwalls etc take little "muscle" for dropping in the water.

[Specklebelly]

If your going semi, look at the 11-87 or SP-10 if you want to go all out.

I wouldn't trade my Remington auto's for any other auto on the market.

Just my $.02

[dukkillr]

I shoot 2 3/4 steel 3s out of my winchester Model 12 early in the season and 3" 2s out of my browning BPS late in the season.  I absolutely love my BPS as a work-horse gun and would recommend one to anyone.  It never EVER jams, or refuses to cycle, even if you get mud or ice in the action.

[Doc T]

Sometimes I shoot 2 3/4 steel in 12 ga. Sometimes I go all the way up to 3.5" Hevishot and sometimes down to a 3" 20 with steel.  It all depends on what shotgun I'm in the mood to shoot that day.  Honestly though, I can't tell a lot of difference in ANY steel load.  Most of the time the dog brings back a live bird and you have to ring its neck anyway. And yes, I am an experienced duck hunter and a good shot.  For that reason, I seem to shoot a 20 gauge more and more.  With bismuth or Hevishot, its better than a 3" 12 steel load anyday.  I keep a 3.5" O/U loaded with Hevishot in the blind for the "tall" geese.

[Tom H.]

I shoot 2 3/4 #2 steel exclusively and haven't even found the need for bismuth ..yet.

I don't know if you mentioned whether or not you patterned your gun, but it definately helped save me the cost of the other shot.  Tried both the Rem, and later the cheap Winchester and well, that's it.  The short shells patterned as well as if not better then the 3".

The only place I have had any problems is taking cripples on the water past 50 yards or so.  Switch over to the #6 for that.

I choke ic/mod in my stoeger and the loads are good on geese out to about 40 yards. (at that range the pellets were making it to the skin on the far sideof the bird)  and I shot some teal with them and they were just as dead.

Good shooting

Tom

[fffffg]

this is a very interesting subject, and it gets really deep really fast.. the old lead three inch 1 7/8 oz lead  shot for example had a lower velocity than the 2  3/4 inch shells..  to get the same  pennetration with the slower velocity you would need bigger shot, this thinning the  pattern..   steell looses velocity very fast becouse of its low specific gravity, so large shot needs to be used.. this is hellped by a bigger hull to carry larger steel shot, but it still need velocity..  the size of the bird needs to be taken into account, wheather its flying away, toughness or how  big of a  bird, time of year giving more or less plumage..  once a gun gets past a certain shell size it gets heavier to reduce the effect of recoil..  if the gun is too light, or the load is too heavey some hunters cant hit the broad side of a barn..   all of these things need to be taken into consideration..  if one knows his game, shells, and is a skifull hunter, the 2 3/4 will work very well for him..  pass shooting high flying geese by a person who doesnt mind recoil can work well for that person using a 10 gauge..  the guys i know who get lots of geese usually, not always, dont have big guns, they know lots of places to go, have decoys, and are skillfull hunters and they out do other hunters by determination and skill..  its a very interesting subject.. and everyone has thier own way.. Tom roster published some very intersting data as to the number of pellets and size of pellet for differnt tyhpes and sizes of water foul.. for instance teel need 110 pellets in a 30 inch circle at shooting distance if i remember correctly,, and each bird had its rating for a three pellet hit  on that bird thru the pattern.. this was published in the montana waterfouling  fish and game annual rules book years ago. i stull use it , pattern board, and phone books (for pennetration tests) to work up shot gun loads for black powder hunting.   its effective also for flintlocks with cylinder bore..the range needs to be shortened, the shot needs to be larger becouse of lower velocity, and the number of birds brought home is reduced significantly... ive watched many thousands of ducks fly over while stuffing powder wads and shot down the bore.. and gone home many times without a bird.. but it doesnt bother me a bit.. its all what you want out of your day off..    dave..

[Selmer]

I'm going to be a rare dissenter here and tell you that there is nothing wrong with 2 3/4" steel loads for ducks OR geese.  The shot in 3" shells or 3.5" shells travels no faster, the only advantages are more shot, therefore longer shot strings.  I shot a SXS Fox Model B/Savage for years with 2 3/4" steel for ducks and giant canadian geese, not exaggerating, just the local subspecies in NE South Dakota where I grew up.  It's not about the length of the shell, it's about being on the target and doing a little bit of PATTERNING with different shot sizes and brands.  I shot dozens of giant honkers with BBB 2 3/4" Remingtons, but Federals didn't pattern worth a darn.  I a huge fan of #2 shot in my guns for ducks, I just think the larger shot hits a little harder.  I actually shot the lock out of that SXS with heavy steel loads, it was traded for a Browning Citori, yes, with 3" chambers, but 2 3/4" is still cheaper to shoot and it's what I use early in the season.  
Selmer