Shotgun opinion?

[mrbb]

your size doesn't really mean what recoil you can handle, some folks and how a gun fits can make a HUGE difference
I had a 50bmg, my 100 ;b girlfriend could shoot all day, about 3+ times the recola Ft LB's of a 12 ga 3.5
and seen some BIG guys that wouldn't shoot it

but lets says your fine with recoil
recoil does cause you to loose sight picture, fact of life we all have recoil shy or not LOL
next the simple price of shells of 3.5's over 2.75's, is a BIG factor on or for most on how often you will shoot it
plus I have never seen a guy yet that can do a full round of spotrting clays with 3.5's and not be a little tender in the shoulder(and yes I know folks don't do this often or any need to, just an example)
and to be honest the fact you mentioned a 3.5 in the begining, kinda told me you were not recoil shy of a shooter LOl

I was just trying to tell you that 99% of your hunting shooting will be done with NON 3.5 shells
so why add the costs of that to a gun you will use them in so seldom?
and if you really plan to shoot a TON of 3.5's
there are MUCH better shotguns ot there your WAY better off saving up for over said model you lstarted this post about
not bashing the model you picked, just saying, there are better one's to handle a ton of 3.5 rounds, that will pay off down the road for you and worth spending the extra for!

again, 99% of all modern shotguns(but cheap as you can find models maybe)
are more gun than most guys will ever need
shotguns are like tools, every one does "X" job better in one area
the most important thing is FIT, anyone that shoot a LOT will tell you this, 99% of all go bang every time you pull the trigger
how well a gun fits you, will make you a better shooter, or NOT
fit is a HUGE deal in a shotgun, something most folks take for granted and just live with
sure you can get buy with?? fit , but if you ever own one that fits right, you will see the difference first time you shoot it!

[nomad_archer]

Mrbb,
I agree 110% fit is the most important thing. Close your eyes shoulder the gun and when you open your eyes you should be looking down the rib or very close to it. If that doesn't happen then then gun doesn't fit and it can be an expensive process to make a gun fit correctly or close to correctly.

I am not recoil shy either but if a gun doesn't fit correctly I don't want to shoot very much because it will hurt or will eventually hurt plus I will not shoot very well. Getting beat up by a gun is no fun especially if you plan to shoot it a lot.

[mrbb]

Nomad, back when I had my store, I used to send folks all the time to a shop 100+ miles away from me, due to they carried over 1500+ over and under shotgun, from a couple hundred bucks to ten's of thousands
reasy being was NOTHING bat having a gun to pick up and hold and see how it fits
99% of the guys I sent there said the trip was well worth the drive, and 90% of the time, they had me order the gun for them, as I tened to be able to beat most folks on price, that shop had high prices to justify the inevetory they kept, plus it was actuallt in another state LOL
yes I sent customers out of state to a different gun store
and liek I said, most highly appreciated it, as when you buy a shotgun in the 5-10 k range, you kinda want to only do it once, or for sure make sure your getting one that fit you! HAHA
I stell recommend folks try guns, and in all honestly leanr what it means to have a fitted gun
its also about learning guns
and then how to pick what barrel length you want
you can get away on a semi (or a pump)with a shorter barrel than you would want on say a over under, as the reciver on a pump/semi, gives you a longer sight plane, where as with a side by side or over and under, you don't have that long reciever
a proper fitting gun will fit like a glove, every time you sholder it it will fall in the right spot
when you have to adjust to fit a gun, your always going thru a LOT more motions, and odds of getting one of them wrong, are a lot higher, the less it fits
same with bows too, you want things to work naturally as possible to get the most out of an item for said shooter, same with hand guns
a gun that fits , 99% of shooters will out shoot over a high dollar gun that doesn't fit
lots of little things can make or bear the fun you get out of things, or performance of them

[danger]

Nomad & mrbb,
I really appreciate your opinion. How the 3500 fits me is a big reason I'm favoring it. It feels better than other more expensive models. I originally had been looking at the remington 1100/1187. It doesn't shoulder as well as the stoeger.

[mrbb]

Well the price of the gun isn't the main thing to consider in buying a gun(Can be a limit you can swing for sure )
my suggestion with this is, this
if that fits you best, then buy it, BUt just remember its not going to be a great slug gun, but for other things it will be a fine shotgun for you
you can always buy a shotgun just for slogs, and to be honest that is a better idea, as you won't be re zeroing it every time you swap barrels
a decent slug gun in say a pump shotgun can be had rather cheap if you shop about too, all the more so on a used one
good luck

[nomad_archer]

If you where located close I would let you shoot my Stoeger 2000 so you could know for sure how the gun will work for you. I have no idea where you are located but I am in central PA so probably not close. Also if you get the stoeger a few things to watch out for:

1. Make sure the bolt is fully closed its a rotating bolt so sliding it forward slowly wont completely lock it up it has to be able to close freely about 1/4 - 1/3 of the way to lock up, other wise it wont go bang.

2. There are two washers that go in the end of the forend grip between the forend and the barrel. One washer is flat the other is bent. The bent washer has to be in contact with the barrel or the gun wont cycle. This will make more sense when you take the gun apart.

3. You make want to make sure the stock nut or bolt (cant remember which one) is tight. My stock came loose after like 300 rounds. Several hundred since then and it hasn't loosened up.

[tangyhunter]

I've used my 11-87 since 2005 and it is an absolute deer slayer. I shoot hornady SST slugs and they put the bucks down. Match the 11-87 with a good scope and you'll have a deer gun for the rest of your life.

[danger]

I ended up picking up the m3500. I couldn't pass at $499. Breaking it in tomorrow. I just need to figure out what shells to buy for break in.

[mrbb]

Well all depends on what you mean by breaking it in; and what you plan to hunt
if your setting up for turkey, I'd buy a couple different loads in either 3' OR 3.5'S
if for clays or skeet, I be shooting low brass 8's in 2 3/4's
if you just want to shoot, buy whats on sale
BUT, I would n't but a lot till I shot some and made sure they worked the action well
do yourself and the gun a favor
take it apart, clean it and use some good oil on putting it back together before shooting it
and congrats on the new gun
hope it last forever for you

[nomad_archer]

Clean that gun make sure you take the bolt and trigger Assembly out and clean it. They will have grease in those parts to keep from rusting on the shelf. Those areas of the gun get really dirty when you shoot