doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com 3 1/2 inch 20 gauge?

I'm buying PA24's view lock, stock and barrel. This drefful-big-this-or-that consumerism gives us a bad name. Around here generations of rural people have lived with and welcomed goose and duck hunting as a time of the year. Now, land is being closed to access because of the noise from the 3 1/2 inchers. Put plainly, these guys can't shoot. They don't conceal themselves properly, put out a decent spread and feel a need to skybust with cannons. There's not a bird in Eastern Canada that can't be taken cleanly with a 2 3/4-inch shell and 1 1/4 oz load.

I'll bet the 3-1/2" 20ga shell is as bad as the 1oz. 28ga Max load. Just don't tell all the dead birds about it.

You hit the nail on the head perfectly...!! The same type of person who buys a "camo" shotgun, will buy the 3.5" 20...probably buys his hunting garbs at LL Bean...needs the "catalog" look you know....can't shoot, but needs the look...
Folks hunted turkey's for years without camo covered guns, just put an old coat or sleeve over it, the critters don't know the diff...AS LONG AS "YOU" KNOW HOW TO HUNT.........same with all the rest, just something to sell....
Sky-scraping will always be sky-scraping no matter what cannon you are using or where you bought your duds.....the duds and the engraving belong on the trap/skeet range....with the golfers.

A little more about these guns. This barrel has the O.D. of a 10 gauge with a 20gauge hole through it. I don't know the pressures these cartridges are loaded to, but it seems to me the only way that longer is an advantage is if they are higher pressure.

I started with the attitude that the gun seemed to be a gimmic but if the website is accurate, they actually developed a decent round.
If the slug is actually staying supersonic beyond 200 yds then it can do what a 3" Brenneke does at 100 and do it accurately.

As far as skybusting and the like, there have always been those who have had limitations in the ethics department and that was regardless of skill or what gun you put in their hands. (The Ithaca mag 10 has been around for a long time)

I forsee a double in 3 1/2. Could be interesting.

Tom

Bob Brister's bill board testing showed the 3" 20 to be dreadful. Awful stringing. Brister's wife might have to tow 2 bill boards to measure the 3 1/2" shell pattern

Really? He had trouble with 3" slugs "stringing"?

I love a fat girl but I think I'll stick with my 10 gauge when it comes to 3 1/2 inch shells.

DLH

If one was inclined to tinker....one could waste a bit of time (and money in reamers etc.) making this work with steel shot and "steel" powder for waterfowl, both of which take up lots of hull space in a 20. No idea why one would do that...but you might duplicate the fast 12ga 2.75" steel load ballistics...and hard shot might mitigate the assumed pattern issues?

Don't think I would want to shoot a 6# 20 with that kind of recoil though?!

Probably pointless, but?

Best,
Mark