What barrel length would you buy????

[Grouse]

I plan on buying a new shotgun. I will not be shooting much sporting clays at all. This guns primary job will be hunting. Crows, Pheasants, and maybe some Grouse once in a while. I really wont even hunt Geese with it. I really cant decide which barrel. I'm favoring the 26" barrel.

 

[goosehunt2]

Tom, I have 26" barrels on most of my shotguns that I hunt with. I like the way they swing for me. The bottom line is what fit's you the best and what you are comfortable with. Hope this helps.

 

[Loggy]

Tom. went through same analysis before buyin my Browning Gold & BPS a few years ago. Both sport 26" bbl's & I have never regretted decision.

 

[Doohan]

I agree Tom. 26 will do everything! 24 isnt bad either..

 

[Grouse]

Thanks guys. I ordered a 26" Stoeger 2000 semi automatic today.

 

[choc-dog]

shotgun's

Tom,

I can remember when the most common barrel length on a skeet field was 26 inches. The sporting clays game changed all that. Now a 30 inch barrel is the most common with the 28 in a close second.

Once the barrel lengths started to increase the market was full of 26 inch barreled skeet guns nobody wanted.

The 28 inch is just fine for a sporting clay 5 stand gun but sporting clays
a 30 inch in standard even on a auto loader.

My Winchester super X model 1 Pheasant guns and skeet gun are 26 inch shotguns. My Winchester Super X model one 5 stand gun is 28 inches.

The Winchester Super X model 1 is un-questionably the best "automatic" shotgun ever built in the USA. John Saterwhite shot super X's before Benelli picked him up. A Winchester employee told me 3 years ago that if they built that gun again it would cost $2,000.00 per gun.
Winchester built less that 90,000 guns but are available on the used market. The shotgun is 100% steel in an out, built like a Model 12 that you do not have to pump.

The longer the shotgun barrel the less percieved lead to the target.

I remember a shooter in Conn. that had over 250,000 rounds in his Super X skeet gun and it still was going.

Greg

 

[IndianaHunter]

28" has a bit more fps but only marginally... 26" is a lot easier to handle...especially when grouse hunting. My Nova in 24" still works well for all the upland game I've hunted with it. I have a 20 ga Winchester with a 28" barrel and it handles well also..Still I'm going to get a 26" SBE soon... That's my two cents... The choke tubes make all the difference in the pattern but some say a back-bored barrel helps as well. Not sure how length affects that combo... Still my two cents....

 

[nugbuk]

Thanks guys. I ordered a 26" Stoeger 2000 semi automatic today.

Good choice Tom!

About a barrel length. If I?m not mistaking effectively burn powder you only need 18?? or 19?? shotgun barrel, but fill of the gun in your hand (printability) starts to play a big role in choosing barrel length. The other factors also apply:
1. Action. Semiauto with 24?? barrel may be longer then break action with 28??.
2. Use. Hunting in the dense cover will call for shorter barrel (22?? - 24??).
3. etc.

 

[HunterJim]

I shoot 28" barrels on my double game guns, and my wife shoots 26".

With a semi-auto or similar longer action I shoot a shorter barrel.

jim