2 3/4" goose loads

[nwmndeerhunter]

I own a remington 1100 12 gauge that is chambered for 2 3/4" only. I am going to start goose hunting. I was wondering if a 2 3/4 load will be adequate for a goose. also what shells to get if you think 2 3/4 is enough. Or if i should pay $200 for a 3 inch chambered barrel that remington sells. I don't want to buy the 3 inch barrel but i will if i have to. I'm mainly hunting over decoys in fields if that helps any.

Thanks

[HD]

Canada's or snows?
I wouldn't use 2 3/4's on Canadians, they are a tough bird to bring down with a light load.

[kenhuntin]

You are seriously limiting yourself to really close in shooting with 2 3/4. You will kill birds but really not past 20 yards. Goose loads will be hard to find in that size as well. # 3 shot would be the smallest I would try. If you opt to use the 2 3/4 it is in your best interest to spend the dollars on a powerful shot shell. There is a huge difference in loads available. Black Cloud is my personal favorite.
 I am assuming that your locale is NW MN. It has been 28 years since I goose hunted up there. A three day rain made the gumbo field we were hunting nearly intolerable. The international scout was stuck in the field road, no human for 4 miles and each step we made to set decoys added a pound of mud and straw to our boots. It was even hard to kick the gumbo snow shoe off until it was about a three inch donut. Anyways, that is the nature of waterfowl hunting. It is a down and dirty cold and wet adventure and I love it to death. It all paid off on day two when there was a heavy fog and you could only hear the geese coming to our calls we could stand and point our guns in the direction of the sound and when they appeared it was go time they were right on you.
 My hunting buddy also had a Remington 1100 that hunt. Unfortunately they are near useless in those conditions. I think he got off three separate single shots and could not eject or reload each time.
 I know this is brutally honest but save the money for the 3" barrel and put a stash away for a lighter more reliable shotgun. I believe you are very fond of the old gun and perhaps it is an heirloom. Successful waterfowl shooting is fractions of seconds in reaction time and a lighter gun increases your bag exponentially. It may be a great gun but when they do not operate what is it?
 

[snow]

FYI, CHECK the year he gun was built,1988 and prior years the remington shotguns were in the midist of a class action lawsuit,steel shot in not compatible with remingtom shotguns from 1988 and older.

But yeah,most if not all 1100 were one-shot wonders back in the day,it was usually because of the o-rings if I remember correctly.

[HD]

I shoot an 1100, and love the gun...it accually saved my life in a bog one day (way off topic, and a different story) None the less, mine is chambered for 3 inch mags, and has never failed me. Yes, the gun is a little heavier than most, but I'm a little larger than most folks, and like the "swingability". IF I shoot 2 3/4 shells out of it, it will not eject the hull (great for reloading shooting trap)

So, if you are choosing to by a barrel for this gun, make sure the reciever can handle the shell. It might not even be able to eject the longer hull.

I would P.M. "Benny" on here, he is pretty knowledgeable about remingtons.

[Benny]

Do not shoot 3 inch rounds out of your Remington chambered for 2-3/4 rounds!! Even switching barrels will not help, the recoil spring and buffers are not strong enough to handle them.

And the longer hull will clip the front of the receiver ejection port causing a stove pipe. The length of stroke on the 2-2/3 actions are not long enough to get the 3 in hull out the port before it slams the next round in.

If you look for a while you can find 3 inch 1100's around for about $400.

Now to the 2-2/3 round, you can kill geese with these just fine if you shoot the magnum rounds and use nothing smaller than 2 shot. And don't try 60 yard shots either, with Geese it is all timing the wing beat to your shot. If you hit them when the wing is down covering the vitals your just going to bounce BB's off them. Try to fire just as the wing starts back up in flight.

If you don't mind a pump gun, there are several choices out there for under $500 that are 3-1/2 inch guns and all will kill geese just as dead as a semi auto.

Remington 870 express super mags go for $300, Banelli nova's go for about the same, and a good Mossberg 835 or the newer model is another good option.

Benny