shootgun Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 Right folks, i have narrowed down to three guns and my dilema now is the lenght of the barrels. What is the recommended barrel lenght for O/U for clays, semi-auto for pigeon/rough shooting and pump for wildfowling, and why? The guns in question are Berreta Silver Pigeon 1, Berreta A300 Outlander and Benelli SuperNova . Any advice welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 Strange to narrow it down to three types . The pump will not make a serious clay gun IMO , I would suggest 30 " minimum for the O/U and 28" on the Auto. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fruity Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 Just my choice , which dosen't make I correct but I use a 28" outlander for rough shooting , but I prefer my 30" o/u for clays I just find the weight,balance etc good for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayhallam Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 (edited) I used to shoot 32" o/u but it;s all down to personal preference but semi yes 28" but again some people like them shorter for in the hide ray Edited December 5, 2013 by rayhallam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shootgun Posted December 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 Strange to narrow it down to three types . The pump will not make a serious clay gun IMO , I would suggest 30 " minimum for the O/U and 28" on the Auto. Sorry , perhaps i did not made myself clear. I will buy all of those guns, each for a different purpose. I do not intend to shoot clays with the pump... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnfromUK Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 It depends on you - and to some extent your size/build. Very long barrels don't suit short people particularly well. I have guns in 27", 28" and 30". Overall I prefer 28" on both o/u and s/s - used both on clays and occasional game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sishyplops Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 (edited) 30, 28 and 28 in your order , would be my choice having said that I use a 26" for clays, well you have to give them a chance Sounds a nice shopping list you have I would go miroku MK38 ( the Teague version) and then just get a semi hp proof for pigeon and water fowl, a pump is gonna kick like stink with big wildfowl loads, they are no where near as soft as a semi on recoil I would also go second hand on everything no need to spend out on new there are some beauties used , spend the savings on carts Edited December 5, 2013 by sishyplops Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shootgun Posted December 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 30, 28 and 28 in your order , would be my choice having said that I use a 26" for clays, well you have to give them a chance Sounds a nice shopping list you have I would go miroku MK38 ( the Teague version) and then just get a semi hp proof for pigeon and water fowl, a pump is gonna kick like stink with big wildfowl loads, they are no where near as soft as a semi on recoil I would also go second hand on everything no need to spend out on new there are some beauties used , spend the savings on carts Actually i think i'm gonna go for 30, 28 and 26 If the pump is gonna kick harder than what i am used to, it means i something wrong with it And i do fancy new guns... i cannot buy 2nd hand all in the same day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alycidon Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 (edited) Right folks, i have narrowed down to three guns and my dilema now is the lenght of the barrels. What is the recommended barrel lenght for O/U for clays, semi-auto for pigeon/rough shooting and pump for wildfowling, and why? The guns in question are Berreta Silver Pigeon 1, Berreta A300 Outlander and Benelli SuperNova . Any advice welcome! 3 guns, I assume you are either a novice or have limited experience. I would suggest you buy ONE gun only, stick with it for 2 years and learn to shoot it, you will have good days and bad days but you will learn how to shoot. Chopping and changing between guns really is an uphill battle. Of the 3 you list the semi and the pump are specialised, the pump personally I would not touch, a semi is OK but tend to be heavy and not as nicely balanced as a double, you certainly wont be welcome on a formal game shoot with it. I would buy the O/U, if you are of normal height and build then 28 inch barrels will suit well in a 12 bore, you could go to 30 inch on a 20 bore. It will kill anything the others will but it will be easier to achieve, A A Edited December 5, 2013 by Alycidon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 3 guns, I assume you are either a novice or have limited experience. I would suggest you buy ONE gun only, stick with it for 2 years and learn to shoot it, you will have good days and bad days but you will learn how to shoot. Chopping and changing between guns really is an uphill battle. Of the 3 you list the semi and the pump are specialised, the pump personally I would not touch, a semi is OK but tend to be heavy and not as nicely balanced as a double, you certainly wont be welcome on a formal game shoot with it. I would buy the O/U, if you are of normal height and build then 28 inch barrels will suit well in a 12 bore, you could go to 30 inch on a 20 bore. It will kill anything the others will but it will be easier to achieve, A A That makes sense! No need to ask here if you know what you are doing, buy 1 gun, learn and then move on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GingerCat Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 As above, one gun, barrell length is largely irrelevant at this time (whatever is in fashion), an oh with 3 or 3 1/2 chambers for the odd days wildfowling and your done. Move on later if needed. Gun fit is everything. Pumps are great fun but not to learn on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoggysreels Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 A while back l visited a gun shop with a mate .. he intended on purchasing an over and under shotgun. He was asking me for my opinion of the guns we were handling .. the Browning l immediately thought felt like a "good gun" but not a special quality piece.. the Miroku l felt was a wee bit nicer and broke with a nicer quality feel to it ... but neither felt on par with the Beretta Silver Pigeon 5, quality wise imho ... " he bought the Miroku " because it was what he wanted !! ... what lm saying is !!! The gun that feels right in your hand, the same hand that digs into your arze pocket, to pay for it, is the right gun ... opinions are subject ... pick what you want. ... then you know you have the gun of your choice ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shootgun Posted December 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 3 guns, I assume you are either a novice or have limited experience. Of the 3 you list the semi and the pump are specialised, the pump personally I would not touch, A i have limited experience with shotguns indeed, but i have 20 years of fullbore and 12 years of pump shotguns(slugs) shooting behind me. In full bore rifle , the correct lenght of the barrel is crucial and i know about centre fire ballistics but not much about shotguns, hence the question. I take on board any advice and i'm more than gratefull to the people who took their time to enlight me. 3 rifles may sound to much for some of you guys, but i'm coming from a military background where every gun have a different purpose. I have no problems whatsoever adapting to different types of guns and i'm a quick learner. This is a whole new world to me and i hope i'll enjoy it as much as the rifle shooting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wj939 Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 I think you also need to consider gun fit. It's unlikely all 3 will fit you spot on, it's probably the most important aspect of shotgun shooting over anything you will have come across in rifles. Longer barrels promote a slower steadier swing. Faster barrels change direction with less effort. Barrel length in my opinion is a bit of a fashion, if all the top shots moved to 25" like Churchill did years ago then we'd all be seeing them on shelves rapidly. 28 or 30 are fine for most people. Remember that with the auto and pump the length of the Receiver Adds to the overall feel of the length. I.e 28 may feel more like 30 or 32. Unless your looking to the pump for tactical targets there's not much it will do that a semi won't do better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 (edited) i have limited experience with shotguns indeed, but i have 20 years of fullbore and 12 years of pump shotguns(slugs) shooting behind me. In full bore rifle , the correct lenght of the barrel is crucial and i know about centre fire ballistics but not much about shotguns, hence the question. I take on board any advice and i'm more than gratefull to the people who took their time to enlight me. 3 rifles may sound to much for some of you guys, but i'm coming from a military background where every gun have a different purpose. I have no problems whatsoever adapting to different types of guns and i'm a quick learner. This is a whole new world to me and i hope i'll enjoy it as much as the rifle shooting. The world is full of different people with different requirements and expectations. I'm still not getting this I need 3 guns malarkey, but if that's the route you fancy atb! PS..the length of the barrel isn't crutial, but it obviously has some bearing! Edited December 6, 2013 by Dekers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bostonmick Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 There are to many factors to take into account to say what length you should go for.my own case is that 28inch are to fast I use 30 and 32 and that is what suits me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 Pump short as you can, Semi 28" (there is some ground in longer with certain powders but they get too long in a hole or cramped hide etc) you add the action length to the barrel on a pump or auto as regards sight line so they always appear longer when mounted! As for clays I haven't the foggiest, never liked the taste of the things myself- very gritty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshwarrior Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 Forget your military experience it's rifle shooting shotguns are different trust me I did long enough teaching both in the Army. One gun for a year or 2 is very good advice and would be well heeded the balance handling if a shotgun has a very large effect once you can shoot well it's easier to chop and change. Barrel length is a personnel preference but 28-30" will see you right as a novice and has not ballistic effect like a CF rifle. An OU would be my advice for just one gun, as it is for all my clients for a first gun. PM me if you would like more advice or to chat through you thoughts. WW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westward Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 There are a couple of myths floating around about choosing barrel length that need dispelling. 1) The physical size of the shooter is not relevant. 2) Longer barrels do not necessarily promote a slower steadier swing. 3) The longer sighting plane does not improve accuracy. And 4) I still occasionally hear people say that 32" barrels have longer range. Smaller people and women can and do handle 32" O/Us. Some 28" guns are sluggish and erratic to handle whereas some 32s - even some 34s - have quick handling, and if you can see the sighting plane whist shooting you're not doing it right. Range and ballistic performance are not affected by barrel length in any ways that could be measured. The things that really matter are balance and weight distribution along with fit & feel. Get these things about right and barrel length becomes relatively unimportant. Having said that, lots of more experienced sporting clays shots prefer 32s over 30s or 28s but that sensitivity comes only with experience, and plenty of really good shots are happy with 30s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wj939 Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 I think points your making are more generalisations than myths. There is method behind the madness so to speak for longer barrels and higher birds or more distance but that as you pointed out is more balance than ballistics. Longer barrels in general are more steady hence 26" being the norm for skeet; although now I'd expect to see most competitors using 32". With regards to sighting planes they do play a part, a SxS for instance, not everyone will like the sighting plane being as wide, hence why o/u are more popular now. It's all down to opinion really, there's been some good advice given by other people on here you won't go far wrong to try a few of each to see what works for your style. And as they say....Beware the man with one gun, chances are he's good with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 I think you will find that some powders and wads will give an increase in velocity, although generally don't expect miracles just a little more wiz for the bang. Like other firearms its the combination of burn rates and the ability to hold the gasses, things have moved on especially with certain Steel powders with new more modern concept wad designs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIGHTCHOKE Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 There is of course a simple answer to all of this; Rather than worrying about the length of barrels, spend more time finding a gun that balances well in your hands. I shoot a Semi-Auto with a 24" barrel in the hide and a 32" O/U for clays. Both of them have their centre of gravity nicely between my hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kes Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 I have tried a 30" 20 bore for game and couldnt enjoy shooting it because of the recoil ! I have always bought Berettas have a fixed choke 687 1/4, and 1/2 for game, a 32" extrema for wildfowling and an H&H (oldie) for 'special days - 30". Of all, I prefer the 28" 12 guage but can shoot the others well enough for me. I think the keys are fit, balance and handling in that order. 28" for game is good as ranges tend to be closer, gun handling quicker - most old guns are shorter for those reasons. The 32 " is great, now and then, 30" in a s/s is a bit long for me. I'd go 28" but consider 30" JMO In the end, try it and carry it for a while I bet you go for 28". variable helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudpatten Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 (edited) Deleted - sorry, misread the initial post. Edited December 6, 2013 by mudpatten Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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