ShotgunJones, I really don't think it's a matter of double talk on my part but rather semi-literacy on yours.
Please read the last paragraph of my last post once again.
Now let's try to parse the comment in question which is the first sentence of that paragraph.
The first part says I've owned "many" 3" 20 gauge guns, the first one being the Mossberg 500, so I'm familiar with the cartridge and it's capabilities. Fact is that early on I touched off hundreds of 3" twenties before deciding they didn't perform as well as a comparable twelve.
And then the second part of that sentence says "including several SKB SxS's and O/U's that never saw a 3 incher." You see, my friend, it is the "several" SKB doubles that never saw a 3 incher. Had I wanted to indicate that all the guns mentioned in that sentence never saw a 3" shell, I would have placed a comma after the word "O/U's".
Most people evidently recognized my meaning there, but you obviously didn't. So, before you go around accusing people of double talk (and, for reasons of your own, impuning all gun writers in the process!!!), my suggestion is that you get hold of a book on basic English grammar and devote some time to reading it.
As for the price of 3" 20 ga shells vs COMPARABLE 2.75" 12 ga ones, the Winchester Ammunition website lists MSRPs for shotshells.
Win Supreme Shotshells:
3" twenty ga, 1.25 oz = $28.81/bx
2.75" twelve ga, 1,25 oz = $21.65/bx
Their SuperPheasant loads are actually the same price but the 12 ga shells have an extra 1/8 oz of shot so they're definitely NOT comparable.
Gunflint Charlie, you have a valid point there. There aren't many entry level 12 ga guns in the less than 7 lb range. But, as I said in the post, I'm not a kid and have bought and sold a quite a few guns over the years and managed to work my way up to some "mid-level" guns. And by all means, don't forget that I started out with a Mossberg 500 and a Savage Fox double--those were my entry level guns.
Also, if any of you 870 fans got the notion that I was demeaning pump guns and, in particular, the Rem 870, all I can say is that you're preaching to the choir. I am a very big fan of pumps in general and the 870 in particular. I own two 870's right now--a 12 ga SP and a 12 ga TC Trap, and have owned at least eight more over the years. They're one of the best guns ever produced in the US and I'll take one over any semi-auto anytime.
Granby
