I have used nothing but 2 3/4" shells for Canada Goose hunting for the last 5 yrs. This past year I adopted a Smith Long Range Gun that performed flawlessly- I carried it every day I went out. My load(s)= 1 1/8oz Nice Shot #2's @ 1200fps/ 1 1/4oz Bismuth #2's @ 1200fps. Even though it has 3" chambers I stick with 2 3/4" shells. Kills were from 20yds. to 50+ yds. and everywhere in between. Clean kills, no fooling around. They aren't Super Birds.
Some of the guys in our group are re-thinking the heavy magnum approach and downsizing themselves after seeing the success I have with the "old girls" and light loads. The only downside I can see is the horrendous cost of the premium non-tox shot, but that can be abrogated to a degree by using less of it in a load.
