HR,
I agree with Dick on this...you really don't need a 3" shell for pheasant. More than that, you will find shooting 3" shells will lead to heavy flinching and eventually you're likely to do worse than shooting more appropriate shells. Shooting a 3" shell in a sub 7lb gun will beat you up and second shots will be less accurate. Lightweight guns and big shells are a bad mix for accurate/consistant shooting.
Killing a pheasant doesn't take a huge amount of hits from the shot, but it takes penetration. That's where larger shot size helps. I go to the Dakotas every year with nothing larger than a 20g with one ounce loads, and lately more and more with a .410. But I use large shot.
A well fit gun by someone that really knows gun fit and some professional instruction and practice will go further in filling your bag than larger and larger loads.
Last edited by Chuck H; 03/01/12 08:32 AM.
