Shotgun Barrels -Does Length Matter
11-25-2007, 10:44 PM
#11
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: NY
Posts: 2,820
RE: Shotgun Barrels -Does Length Matter
You have to remember, all those F.P.S.(feet per second) claims pertaining to shotgun shellvelocities are all based on a 30" barrel length.
So by going to a very short 21" barrel, your not getting the "advertized velocity claims"!!
It all depends on what your using your shotgun for? For Duck, Geese, and any other "Wing" shooting, you want a longer barrel length for easeof swing like mentioned above, but also a better sight picture with that longer barrel as well. So by using a 28" or 30" barrel length for this type of hunting, itwill also shoot much faster than a shorter tube!!
Yes, a shorter barrel in the turkey woods is easier to maneuver around with, but I really feel that a 24"-26" barrel is a great compromise for speed and maneuverability!!
So by going to a very short 21" barrel, your not getting the "advertized velocity claims"!!
It all depends on what your using your shotgun for? For Duck, Geese, and any other "Wing" shooting, you want a longer barrel length for easeof swing like mentioned above, but also a better sight picture with that longer barrel as well. So by using a 28" or 30" barrel length for this type of hunting, itwill also shoot much faster than a shorter tube!!
Yes, a shorter barrel in the turkey woods is easier to maneuver around with, but I really feel that a 24"-26" barrel is a great compromise for speed and maneuverability!!
11-26-2007, 07:05 AM
#12
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Texas - BUT NOW in Madison County, NY
Posts: 6,270
RE: Shotgun Barrels -Does Length Matter
ORIGINAL: popeye
I would like to hear everyone's opinion on shotgun barrel length.
Let's assume that you have two shotgun's, same make, model and gauge.
IMO a shorter 22 or 24 barrel is handier than a longer 26 or 28 inch tube and will pattern just as well....what do you think?
Does barrel length matter in the field to Average Joe hunter.
I would like to hear everyone's opinion on shotgun barrel length.
Let's assume that you have two shotgun's, same make, model and gauge.
IMO a shorter 22 or 24 barrel is handier than a longer 26 or 28 inch tube and will pattern just as well....what do you think?
Does barrel length matter in the field to Average Joe hunter.
11-26-2007, 07:23 AM
#13
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Blissfield MI USA
Posts: 5,293
RE: Shotgun Barrels -Does Length Matter
Actually everything I have read lately says that with the newer loads and powders they reach velocity in barrels as short as 18-19 inches. A long barrel does two things, effect the balance of the gun and lengthens the sight radius. And when using a shotgun on moving targets you really shouldn't be aiming anyway.
Paul
Paul
11-26-2007, 03:23 PM
#14
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: va USA
Posts: 580
RE: Shotgun Barrels -Does Length Matter
Thanks for all the comments. The question arose from a conversation I was havingaboutwhat makes a good general purpose use shotgun. The type that most of us probably had at one time or another, where you use it for everything from rabbit and squirrel to upland birds to dispatching farmyard varmints.
