Not for sure where this should go so just throwing this out there. I have always been taught and believed that you should not s

[ozarkghost]

Not for sure where this should go so just throwing this out there. I have always been taught and believed that you should not shoot magnum shells out of a shotgun that is not magnum rated. Going along with that one should never shoot a three inch shell out a 2.75 inch chamber. Am I correct in believing this or have shotguns improved to the point where this is not so critical?

[FirstBubba]

First off, I don't think you can chamber a 3" shell in a 2.75" chamber.
Secondly. I don't shoot mag ammo even though my 870 has a 3.5"chamber.

The only reason they build magnum shotguns is so the Cajuns in south Louisiana can feel pain and hear noise when they pull the trigger! Bill C.

Magnum makes people try shots they shouldn't.
Pattern density "kills", not shot size. I've taken 20/25 turkeys over the years. Every shotgun kill has been with standard, 2.75", 12 gauge, high velocity (high brass?) 7.5 shot.
I've never lost a shotgunned bird. Never had to shoot more than once.
Get 'em in range, shoot a dense pattern and put it where it counts! Pure and simple. Same with waterfowl.
On the turkeys. Shoot the neck where the feathers stop and the wattles start. One single #7.5 shot in the spine anchors any turkey. Head shots are for showboating and "no other option".

[FirstBubba]

BTW! If you handload, a 3.5" mag powder charge will fit in a 2.75" shell.
DO NOT TRY IT!! Even if you have the longer chamber. You don't want to inadvertently chamber a "hot" round in a non-magnum gun.

[canvasbackhunter]

First bubba, although I haven't shot as many turkeys as the rest of the folks on here, only three, I shoot magnums and won't take a shot over 35 yards.

[DakotaMan]

You can fit one in the chamber since the 2 3/4 chamber is three inches long to accommodate the uncrimped case after the shot. And it will go bang. Remember though that shotgun chambers must be long enough to contain the case at its full uncrimped length. The unfired magnum shell fits in the chamber but as it fires, the case hull protrudes a quarter inch outside the chamber and up into the smaller diameter barrel. This creates a much smaller diamheter case mouth for the shot to exit.

This small diameter exit causes much higher pressure than normal to occur in the chamber itself. Dangerous amounts of pressure can occur. Modern shotguns are made pretty well and often hold together under this pressure but you can't count on it. You have to really be willing to lose a hand or a couple of eyes if you choose to hunt that way.

[Ontario Honker Hunter]

Even if you do manage to fire a 3" shell in a 2.75" gun, don't expect it to eject without taking the gun apart (doubles and O/Us excepted).

Magnum loads are/were heavyweight shot shells. As we all know, shooting steel requires speed and therefore the shot weight is usually rather low in comparison to the old days lead "magnum" loads. High velocity lead shells may or may not be heavy shot weight. If they are, you can expect they'll kick the crap out of you. It seems that these days they want to use the term "high velocity" rather than magnum when speaking of 2.75" shells. Nowadays everything "magnum" is usually referring to 3" or 3.5". Back in the days when I started hunting a magnum shell could be either 2.75" or 3".

[Sarge01]

OH I shot the Federal 2 3/4 inch Magnum shells with buffered shot when it first came out for years before I ever owned a 3 inch gun. Now you are right they don't call 2 3/4 inch magnums.

[mspl8sdcntryboy]

You can also chamber and fire a 9mm shell in a .40S&W firearm, but why would you want to? 2 3/4in. shells will kill whatever you shoot at just as dead as a 3 1/2 shell.
BTW I have never seen a shotgun that does not allow for 3in. shells, even antiques, was the 3in. shell a later invention than 2 3/4in. shells?

[FirstBubba]

There was even a 2 9/16" chamber! It had to be reamed to accept 2.75" ammo.
I'm sure there were many, many more rattling around in the annals of history.

[ozarkghost]

OOOOOppppppsssss I was actually thinking 3 inch chamber and not 2.75 inch. Another case of my mind thinking one thing and my fingers doing another. When I worked sporting goods I had all sorts of hunters tell me that if it had a three inch chamber then you could fire three inch shells out of it. I never was daring enough to try that. I would think the over-pressure caused could be enough to burst the chamber or weaken it enough to cause failure in the future.