The age old debate ........Is length really important????

[DUCK KILLA]

What size of barrel does your shotgun have and do you belive that a gun with a 30" barrell will out preform a 26" barrell? If the powder burns up with in the 18in it seems like the rest would be just friction to slow the shot down. What is yall opinion? [img]images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

[Jeff]

I have a 32" barrel on my 10 ga. it is a smoother swing, and it is probably all mental, but I feel that it is a bit better at longer distances than w/ a shorter barrel. However with todays technology with shot, chokes and everything I am not sure that barrel length makes any difference except for the fact that you may be more comfortable. Now all that said, 32" is way to long to swing at fast movin' ducks, it's just too heavy. I have a 28" barrel on my 12 and I like it lots, can't always shoot it right, but when I put it on a duck the right way the duck is in trouble. I woudln't feel comfortable with a turey gun in the duck blind, for one thing the barrel is so short you'll go deaf with the amount of noise they make, I like a barrel long enough to make get the sound out of the blind. Now if only everyone I hunted with felt the same way [img]images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

[Jeff]

Just went over to surf SDH, didn't know you was on there too.

[DUCK KILLA]

Try'n to get as many opinions as a I can. [img]images/smiles/icon_razz.gif[/img]

[judge jb]

Jeff is right on all accords, just a preference from shooter to shooter... i personally like the 24 for flooded timber, which is most of my duckin, but the 28 feels so good at times.... with choke selection like it is today, you can make any barrel a killer...

judge jb

[goosebruce]

The barrel aint the part that kills, its the man swinging it. Anything from 22 to 32 inches will get job done, and if someone has a prefrence, they will shoot what they like better. Personally, I shoot 26. Jeffs right, those short barrels aint worth a flip to sit next too, and them hole drills in the barell you can keep that too. Almost got my barrel ported, till I shoot trap one day with a feller who had on of them seminole guns. He shot and I thought he had blown his damn head off. And we where standing 4 foot apart, with muffs on, and trap loads. No way he'd bring that thing into a duck blind with me. BTW, it didnt help his trap shooting. travis

[Black_Dawg]

I shoot 3 guns-one has a 21 inch barrel,a 26, and a 30. I can't say what Barrel feels better---but I shoot the 21 incher more than the others! mossiberg,boat paddle pushpole,sledgehammer! all in one

[Greenhead22]

These 23 and 24" turkey guns aren't going to outshoot a 26,28,30" barrel, unless a super full choke is used. I shoot a 26 or 28" inch barrel in the duckholes, and all my buddies shoot 21 to 24's, and like what goosebruce said, it's a sad sight. The longer barrels will hold the pattern better than the shorter one's. Plus, longer the barrel, the better your sight plane is, and it will aid you to follow on through with after the shot.

[mallardhunter]

Started out with a 30' Model 12 shooting lead and hated it (the barrel length). Too long, too heavy and too unwieldy in a brush-covered blind.
Switched to steel and a 2&3/4" 870 with a 26" plain-barrel and loved it! Light and easy to manuever in brushy blinds, pits, and especially in the timber - everywhere.
Have now switced to a 3" 870 with a 28" vent rib barrel. Am hunting a 26" plain barrel for the three inch gun. The 28" is okay, but I'd rather have a 26" plain.
Have shot next to a 21" barrel and it's rough on your hunting partners. Deafening to hunt near. I'd probably like the length, but it is rough on your partners hearing.

[GulfCoast]

It is pretty much all relative to the individual. With modern powders, barrel lenght does not make enough difference to count, maybe 8 more fps in a 30" than a 26" barrel.

I prefer longer barrels, at least 30", and have played with 32" on O/Us, which have short recievers. That is a personal preference, since I also add weight to the forends of all my guns. The simple truth is 98% of all misses are behind. Stopping the swing accounts for a fair chunk of those misses. It is harder to stop the inertia of a longer barrel, so that helps some folks out a little. You will hear that some people hate longer barrels because short barrels are "quicker" or easier to "start." I will buy that argument from a grown man only if you are too weak to do a short arm curl with a 16 oz beer [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] Maintained lead and pull away shooters also like the longer "sighting plane" of longer barrels, or so you always hear. If you ask me though, if you look at your barrel to "sight", you just shot behind a duck, so take that "sighting plane" philosophy with a grain of salt. [img]images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

With all of that said, I would agree with the majority that 28" on an auto seems to be a good compromise for most folks.

And everyone who says really short barrels are LOUD is right as rain. They hurt! Some porting is super loud (Seminole, Browning) and some not bad at all (Lazerport, Angleport). My guns are ported, but I tape the holes with electrians tape if I am in a blind with someone, to be curteous. I have been in a pit blind with someone with a factory ported Browning, and thought I was going to DIE.

I would be interested to hear what DD says about this one, I think he shoots a 28" on his SBE.

[ July 22, 2001: Message edited by: GulfCoast ]

[Delta Duck]

I shoot a SBE 24" hunting Ducks, and Geese. Would not have anything else.

I shoot a Super 90 24" @ doves and sporting clays. I shoot that old gun okay. I would really like to have a 391 gold 28" for sporting clays. I think the longer barrel would help. My wife told me I could either buy the gun or diapers. I got tired of my baby girl running around the house naked so I had to buy the diapers.

[GulfCoast]

Oh well, that shows how much attention I payed this weekend!

[goosebruce]

Longer barrels don't do anything for the pattern of steel shot. Steel don't even touch the barrel, if it did, itd tear it up in a box of shells. Thats old timey stuff over from the days of chilled 9 shot and fiber wads. Even the latest magnum lead loads have wads that keep them off the barrel. Steel shot going through a barrel is one wad of shot, with a slight spin imparted on it. Thats why the best way to make steel pattern the tightest, is to stop the spin of the wad, therefore not slinging the outside pellets out of the string, and let the steel fly out of the barrel unmolested (hence wadstripper chokes like the patternmaster I shoot, or grooved barrels like the hastings steel barrel). No where does barrel lenght have anything to do with patterning steel or any hard no toxic shot. travis

[Delta Duck]

Goose,
Your right, the stripper chokes do help. I sent my guns to ballists and had the barrels worked on. Got the ported chokes as well.

It does make a big difference over factory chokes.

[Unkljohn]

I shoot a 26" barrel for most of my shooting. I think anything less would be too short for me.
JT