Shotgun camber length

[aghoover]

I'm still looking for and reading up on a shotgun for geese and upland. I plan on using 2 3/4" and 3" shells, but may end up with a 3 1/2" chambered gun. I read this Chuck Hawk article which illustrated the problems associated with a 3 1/2" chambered gun. Is this something I should worry about.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/chamber_length.htm

Thanks

[catnthehat]

This is a theory witch has been refuted by more than one critic.
The cons to the theory argue that the same thing happens at the choke
end!
Wads tend to take a lot of upset when getting out of the shell itself, and some even have multiple seals to help hold back the gases.
Whether or not a 2 3/4" shell or a 3" should not be shot out of a 31/2", is a mystery to me, because I never heard of a problem with shooting a 2 3/4" out of a 3" chambered gun, and this was common years ago!
IMO, most competition guns are chambered for a particular chamber , because they likely use a tighter chamber, sometimes with relieved forcing conses which is quite common.

My 3 1/2" goose gun was ordered with relieved cones and a set of 34" barrels to try and compensate for recoil - which it does to an extent.
However, it's still too much gun for me so I think I am going to stick to my 20 gauge and sell the big cannon!
Cat

[bobinthesky]

It's common for 12 guage target guns to have 3 inch chambers even though most (or everyone) uses 2 3/4 inch shells for target shooting. The theory is that the longer chamber allows more room for over length cartridges to open up when fired and not create a constriction. A lot of target shooters reload their shotshells and they tend to stretch a bit after a few firings. Thing is, this is only a quarter inch jump from the shell to the bore diameter as opposed to a 3/4 inch jump that firing a 2 3/4 inch shell in a 3 1/2 inch chamber. I can see where problems may arise such as deformed pellets producing poor patterns.
So for me, the few waterfowl I shoot each year just don't motivate me to go to a 3 1/2 inch chambered gun as I can get by just fine with a 3 inch chamber.
Sounds to like you have a great excuse to get two guns instead of one!