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Barrell length


dead-eye-dick
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What are your oppionions on barrell length??

 

Is there any benifits to having, say a 30" barrel to a 28" ??

 

I was thinking a 26" would be more suited to a cramped hide,

but was unsure if I would notice any diffrences to a 28".

it would be lighter and easyer to swing :thumbs:

 

Is it, like most things in shooting, just down to personal preferance??? :what:  :what:  :S

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Theres a big difference in the performance of your gun as regards barrel length. 26" barrels are best left for close range work such as driven partridge etc. You will also find that the chokes are usually pretty open - cylinder and and a bit more. This will seriously hinder your effective range.

The short barrel gun is also harder to swing well.

 

Longer barrels are far more effective when it comes to effective shooting especially at ranges beyond 35 yards.  They are far more pointable.

 

If you visit your local clay shoots you will notice that most of the guys except skeet shooters are using longer barrels such as 30-32 inch.  

The longer barrel also improves your swing, in fact the barrel will virtually swing for you.

The only disadvantage to the longer barrel is as youn say they can be a bit tricky to use in the hide.  But really its just a

case of geytting used to it.

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My previous O/U was a 30" sporter whereas my current one is a 28" game. I used the same cartridges in both so can give a bit of comparison between the lengths.

The 30" certainly had a bit more stopping power at the longest ranges and was good to swing.On the down side the times I got caught up in the net when trying to reload quickly were many.

The 28" seems to swing and balance just as good but then it is a much more expensive gun. I notice a slight reduction in the killing range but still find it adequate for the shots I should be taking anyway.

It still gets caught up in the net but nowhere near as often.

As the game version is also much lighter than my sporter was ,I have to say that it is the 28" for me. :thumbs:

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Ernya, do you find that your game gun doesn't soak up the recoil as well as your sporter used to.  This is something I feel pigeon shooters should take into account before buying a gun.

 

During a long busy day in the hide recoil is always going to have an affect and fatigue will usually become apparant and as a consequence your shooting will normally suffer.

 

I agree with you on barrel length,  i feel 28 inch barrels are enough for hide shooting, although not as good down range.

I use an automatic for all my pigeon shooting.  Three reasons for this are the obvious lack of recoil, easy loading and obviously the extra shot.

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In my opinion,the length of the barrel has more effect on swing and the overall weight of the gun, than on effective ranges.

 

Longer(heavier) barrels, slow down your swing and "smooths" it out.

Increased weight, reduces recoil effect and holds your "aim" steadier.

 

With multichokes and various cartridge combinations, you should not lose any range effectiveness, between26" and 30" barrels.

 

I know a chap who shoots a sbs, 26" barrels, full and three quarter choked, English game gun.

He shoots high pheasants that I only dream about.

 

Barrel length can be a nuisance in the hide, but I think an auto is the best solution for that.

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One things certain I would far rather have the heavier longer barrel gun when it comes to a day in a pigeon hide with plenty of birds showing.

 

Not sure about the slower swing from the heavier gun, once the guns swinging the heavier longer barrel will gain momentum and be quicker than the short barrel gun.

 

The muzzle flip as cranfield mentioned with the heavier barrel is reduced.  Reduced muzzle flip means straighter shooting, surely a benefit on longer targets.

 

But when alls said and done its down to what the individual is happy with. But I will add that the top clay shots are well worth listening to.

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I prefer 28" as a general rule. I find that these are a bit long on an s/a giving you a gun lenght simmilar to a 32". But then a S/A is that much easier to use in the hide. I find the 27.5" of my 20g side by sides realy good for snap shooting, as you hardly have a chance to get the swing going in a woodland ride.

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I posted a while back that if I think that the prospects of a good day are on the cards then I take my 28"auto and as already  stated this gives an overall length of a 32" O/U.However the obvious advantages of the auto  are the ease of loading and the lack of recoil.

On the occasions that I get it wrong and end up putting 100+ cartridges through the O/U then I do feel the bruises in my shoulder a bit the next day but this is compensated for by the fact that I had a better days shooting than I expected. :thumbs:  :D

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Sorry bout that fella's will never leave te forum while i am logged in. Ernya Mrs YP says we've been living together for 7/8 years so she's me common in law (very bloody common at times if u ask me lol hope she dont read this)wife. And yes i get marryed next year in june the 26th i think she said.

 

all the best Y.I.S

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I have the Beretta AL391 Urika sporter (30inch semi auto) and my mate has the field version (lighter and 28"). I'd say he has the better gun when we share a hide, but I also use mine for shooting clays etc, and when I'm shooting by myself I use a hide with a long forward vee to try and avoid snags - they still happen though!

 

Reading all that back - why does it sound vaguely smutty??

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Forget the barrel length arguement and talk about gun fitting. If the gun fits and suits you, you will kill at all ranges with it. I shoot better at any range with my 25 1/2 inch Mod 23 s/s proofed for 1 7/8 oz than I ever did with the 32 inch Midland s/s proofed for 1 1/2 oz. Mainly because the stock is a little longer, I think. Longer barrels will tend to shoot low, especially if the stock is a little short, like they usually are on wildfowling guns to allow for extra clothing. Holding the forend, like a lot of people do, instead of the barrels, will also cause you to shoot low.

If the gun fits you properly, kick should be no problem either.

I think this incident I witnessed in a gun shop sums it up. A fairly newcomer to shooting was looking through the range of guns in the racks and asked the chap behind the counter which was the best one to buy. "It doesn't matter. They're all better than you are." Was the reply.

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Give me a 26" barrel anyday for decoying pigeons, if you have your decoy pattern right and done the homework you have the ideal length of barrel,

I cant aford driven shooting, if I could I would have 26" barrels, less it was for high pheasants which I probably would use a longer barrel with cartridges of 32grams, to get the high birds

For rough shooting I would prefer 28" barrels.

for ducks and geese 30" or 32" barrels

I dont shoot clays so cant coment on them ( you cant eat clays ).

 

cheers

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