New to shotguns

I have fished my whole life, but never really got into hunting. My oldest son is now a teen, and has been beggin forever for me to take him hunting. I'm not new to shooting, I have owned handguns my adult life, and carry daily. But new to shotguns.

My question is this. I have been looking at a few different make and model 12 ga. guns, and am not so much concerned about your choice of make, but shell length. A couple that I'm considering take a 3" shell. We would like to go after rabbit, and turkey, and maybe later get into deer hunting. Is this the length I want? What shell is the most economical to shoot?

Thanks for any help.

Now this is just my opinion on this all my O/U and semi auto in either 20 or 12 are chambered for 3" but I shoot 2 3/4 all the time. Dove, Rabbit and Deer if I want can be hunted with this setup.

If your looking at Turkey and are serious about it then 3 1/2 magnum for a better advantage. You can hunt with anything you want but if you want to stacks the odds in your favor....toss more lead.

Your not gonna Goose hunt are you? If so bigger is better!

I would suggest borrowing or getting with a friend that has a shotgun chambered for 3 or 3.5 inch shells and shooting a few before making a final decision. Depending on your sons age and perhaps his build he might not be comfortable shooting the magnum loads. If he is not ready for them it could cause him to develope a flinch. Of course just because the gun is chambered for 3.5 inch shells does not mean that you have to shoot them, but it will add some weight to the gun. Normal 2.75 inch shells are great for small game such as rabbit, squirrel, etc. Many turkey have been killed with 2.75 inch ammo with large shot, but as was said before you increase the odds in your favor with a larger load of pellets. Good hunting.

I've never had any issue flattening turkeys with 3" shells. I did buy a 3.5" auto for waterfowling, but that's because of the extreme limitations of steel shot and Canadians are that tough. If you're looking for a good multi-season gun a 3" chamber will at least get you out there for all the seasons. If I'm chasing cottontails I certainly don't want to pack my 3.5" auto just because of the extra bulk in the action. My dad jumped on the bandwagon and bought a 3.5" pump for turkeys. He still uses it, but loads it with 3" shells and saves the abuse on his shoulder.

Thanks for the replies guys

If he's planning on spending a lifetime hunting, I would get a gun chambered for the 3.5" shell. You can shoot all available sizes then, whether it's 2 3/4", 3", or 3 1/2" - having that flexibility will cover all species. I've had a 3.5" chambered gun for 14 years now, and couldn't be happier. Ducks, geese, rabbit, squirrel, turkey, crow, quail, etc. - you name it, I've shot it, with deer being the only exception...I like a .30-06 for that application.

Best value out there in a semi-auto, just released this week by Benelli, is a Stoeger 3500
[url]http://www.stoegerindustries.com/firearms/stoeger_model_3500.php[/url]
3.5" semi-auto, inertia driven (not gas), for around $650 or less depending on what you color you pick

I've had the Super Black Eagle since 1997 - only let me down once in all those years, and it wasn't the gun's fault - it's because my shells got a little too wet on a retrieve

I'm a Remington fan.

The 870 pump platform is tried and true, rock-solid. It was my first shotgun...believe I got it when I was 13 or 14 maybe. You can get them chambered in just about anything if you want to have that gun for everything from doves to rabbits to turkeys to waterfowl. It's just a solid/versatile gun that will not cost you a fortune. It doesn't have gold trimming and super cool modern looking stock or anything, but it's a dang good gun. Has slug barrel options for deer hunting, etc. There are plenty of comparable pump guns out there (Browning BPS, Mossberg 500, etc.) but I just have a fondness for the old trusty Remington. Perfect first shotgun for a teenager...or his Dad, for that matter. I think the pump is a good simple and effective option. He will add others to his collection as he gets older....a semi-auto, an over-under, a big synthetic coated 3.5" waterfowl/turkey gun if he gets serious.

I'm actually looking to pick up a Remington 1100 semi-auto myself, chambered in 2-3/4", to bust clays and birds. Hoping to find one used, in good shape, with the Rem-Chokes, for decent money.

I bought a Stoeger 2000 that came with 4 or 5 choke tubes. 24 inch barrel that carries very well in the woods.