32” barrel

[Scully]

As I’ve said before; I’ve no doubt people will advocate the use of 34” barrels over any other length ( especially the manufacturers! ) of barrels if and when they eventually become fashionable. 

With the basic design mechanism of the modern shotgun having been perfected with Brownings ‘Superposed’, manufacturers find themselves in a never ending marketing strategy. 

Call me cynical but I still believe it’s the user more than the product.

[miroku_fan]

34” in my opinion is a step too far unless you have the need and ability to use them. 32” on the other hand have been around for so long that they cannot be considered fashionable or gimmicky unless you are relatively new to shooting.

[Scully]

?

[miroku_fan]

To watch an accomplished shot using a long barrelled shotgun with the minimum of movement is elegance personified be it on a high pheasant or clay target.

[Scully]

50 minutes ago, miroku_fan said:

To watch an accomplished shot using a long barrelled shotgun with the minimum of movement is elegance personified be it on a high pheasant or clay target.

But doesn’t that depend on the accomplished gun rather than the length of the barrels? I very much doubt the accomplished gun would miss more often with shorter barrels. 

Are manufactures trying to imply well miss less if we use longer barrels? 

[bornfree]

3 minutes ago, Scully said:

But doesn’t that depend on the accomplished gun rather than the length of the barrels? I very much doubt the accomplished gun would miss more often with shorter barrels. 

Are manufactures trying to imply well miss less if we use longer barrels? 

Of course its easier with 32" barrels. Your 2" closer to the clay.

[ShootingEgg]

I shoot a 32 a 30 and a 28. And i miss with all of them....

Occasionally hit the target too. 

[Scully]

43 minutes ago, bornfree said:

Of course its easier with 32" barrels. Your 2" closer to the clay.

?

[welshwarrior]

I shoot 32" and 28" barrelled guns of my own but also lots and lots of other people's guns a well made longer barrelled gun seems to require less driving than the short barrelled gun of same standard. 

[grrclark]

4 hours ago, Scully said:

As I’ve said before; I’ve no doubt people will advocate the use of 34” barrels over any other length ( especially the manufacturers! ) of barrels if and when they eventually become fashionable. 

With the basic design mechanism of the modern shotgun having been perfected with Brownings ‘Superposed’, manufacturers find themselves in a never ending marketing strategy. 

Call me cynical but I still believe it’s the user more than the product.

Cynical ?

100% accurate however.  Whatever the barrel length it still needs pointing in the right place and the person holding the gun is 100% responsible for that.

People choose to shoot with whatever barrel length they believe gives them best advantage, same as they do with cartridges and brands of choke (woo), and if that gives confidence then it makes a difference.

Edited November 26, 2017 by grrclark
Typo!

[KB1]

On clays I use a B525 O/U 30" and B725 O/U 28" with extended chokes……. Both hit all the same clays I'm proficient at  I honestly find no difference at all

[miroku_fan]

24 minutes ago, grrclark said:

Cynical ?

100% accurate however.  Whatever the barrel length it still needs pointing in the right place and the person holding the gun is 100% responsible for that.

People choose to shoot with whatever barrel length they believe gives them best advantage, same as they do with cartridges and brands of choke (woo), and if that gives confidence then it makes a difference.

This is all very true. The point that I wish to make is that in my case the longer barrels inspire confidence because they are so pointable and encourage a smooth controlled swing and follow through. The longer barrels also appear to change your perception of lead. This has led to greater consistency. I do concede the point that we are all different and should shoot with a gun and barrel length that we feel comfortable with.

 

Edited November 26, 2017 by miroku_fan
Typo

[grrclark]

43 minutes ago, miroku_fan said:

This is all very true. The point that I wish to make is that in my case the longer barrels inspire confidence because they are so pointable and encourage a smooth controlled swing and follow through. The longer barrels also appear to change your perception of lead. This has led to greater consistency. I do concede the point that we are all different and should shoot with a gun and barrel length that we feel comfortable with.

 

For the record I shoot with a 32" barreled gun too, that is also relatively heavy between the hands, for exactly the reasons you describe.

A good friend has a Krieghoff Parcours with 32" tubes and it is way too lively for me, i cannot slow myself down enough with his gun.

If the longer tubes work for you that is all that matters and you are at no less of an advantage on any target because of the barrel length.

[Scully]

10 hours ago, grrclark said:

Cynical ?

100% accurate however.  Whatever the barrel length it still needs pointing in the right place and the person holding the gun is 100% responsible for that.

People choose to shoot with whatever barrel length they believe gives them best advantage, same as they do with cartridges and brands of choke (woo), and if that gives confidence then it makes a difference.

?

[Hamster]

If you want to find a fine "handling" gun in the confines of a gun shop you'd choose a lightish 30" that glides and points , if your mortgage depended on hitting as many as possible then you'd select a 32" gun of minimum 8lbs though more likely closer to 9 lbs in weight. This sweeping public service announcement can easily be verified if you study the guns used by top shots against the weekenders and general happy go lucky crowd. 

The "fad" for 32" is now in its fourth decade - there IS a point of diminishing returns and even pro shooters have tended to dismiss the 34" version as an all round performer. 

One interesting though plainly daft charge is that manufacturers benefit from putting 32" guns in their sponsored shooters hands because that enables them to sell more guns ! Well duh  .................what a way to give away 2-4" more steel on every gun for nothing ! 

 

[TIGHTCHOKE]

17 hours ago, miroku_fan said:

34” in my opinion is a step too far unless you have the need and ability to use them. 32” on the other hand have been around for so long that they cannot be considered fashionable or gimmicky unless you are relatively new to shooting.

How did you arrive at that statement? I use 32" have used 34" and also use 24" and 28". The C and G 34" guns are a joy to shoot!

[TriBsa]

I would have thought that the shooters height and indeed stature has a lot to do with what you feel comfortable with.

In 1914 30" barrels were popular and statistics show that on average the male and female height had increased by 4" by 2014.

[Hamster]

1 hour ago, TriBsa said:

I would have thought that the shooters height and indeed stature has a lot to do with what you feel comfortable with.

In 1914 30" barrels were popular and statistics show that on average the male and female height had increased by 4" by 2014.

You wouldn't start a young or slightly built person with a 32" but the notion that size dictates what barrel length experienced people use is a fallacy. 

[buze]

42 minutes ago, Hamster said:

You wouldn't start a young or slightly built person with a 32" but the notion that size dictates what barrel length experienced people use is a fallacy. 

Citation Needed. If you want to discuss a topic, come up with arguments, not postulates.

It's as much an argument as 2" closer to the target, which at least is, technically, true.

[Hamster]

18 minutes ago, buze said:

Citation Needed. If you want to discuss a topic, come up with arguments, not postulates.

It's as much an argument as 2" closer to the target, which at least is, technically, true.

Anyone who's been around the clay circuit for 5 minutes can see the argument is a false one, take the top 50 shooters in the country for example, women included, 95%+ use 32" guns and nobody can deny they vary wildly in size and height. The same theme can clearly be seen moving down the skills rank, the more experienced shooters regardless of size tend to use 32" guns which in turn tend to be heavier than average, sorry but didn't think something so obvious needed detailed clarification. 

[buze]

Oh, you mean the 50 top shooters who are sponsored by the various brands to showcase their brand new range of... trendy 32" barrels and expen$ive guns ? You mean, these?

As a parallel, do you see your 50 shoot the 1) entry level model of their sponsor or 2) the super fancy high grade models? Meep Meep Meep Meep *yes* you are right, they all shoot the fancy ones.

So, given your own argument, you can't possibly shoot clays properly if you don't have the top of the range *as well as* 32" barrels.

Sorry, I didn't think I needed to explain something that obvious to you, I apologise I thought it was self evident... You must be such a nice customer to have!

 

[Hamster]

31 minutes ago, buze said:

Oh, you mean the 50 top shooters who are sponsored by the various brands to showcase their brand new range of... trendy 32" barrels and expen$ive guns ? You mean, these?

As a parallel, do you see your 50 shoot the 1) entry level model of their sponsor or 2) the super fancy high grade models? Meep Meep Meep Meep *yes* you are right, they all shoot the fancy ones.

So, given your own argument, you can't possibly shoot clays properly if you don't have the top of the range *as well as* 32" barrels.

Sorry, I didn't think I needed to explain something that obvious to you, I apologise I thought it was self evident... You must be such a nice customer to have!

 

Oh come now Buze, you invariably make complete sense on most subjects I've known you engage in, maybe you just haven't been around clays long enough to know. I have already blown the "fad" thang (as have others) about long guns; the move over to these started in the early 80's and will never be reversed because for target shooting (in the ESP world at any rate) they present the best "compromise", if you think they hold you back on close targets you simply lack experience. 

Sponsored shooters can pick anything they like from their manufacturers line up, why on earth would they hold something they're not 100% happy with, who cares what size their tubes are, what possible difference does it make to the bottom line ? Nothing is the answer. 

Plus it's not just about sponsored shots (oh by the way thinking that the top 50 shooters are sponsored is fake news in itself), serious A/AA standard registered shooters as well as regular good club shots use 32", what's their excuse ? 

[Westward]

34 minutes ago, buze said:

Oh, you mean the 50 top shooters who are sponsored by the various brands to showcase their brand new range of... trendy 32" barrels and expen$ive guns ? You mean, these?

If you seriously think that any of the above comment bears out in practice you're way off beam.

George, Richard, Ben, Ed and about half a dozen others are fully sponsored and that means they choose the model and specifications that they want. About 20-25 more have partial sponsorship from either a maker or a shop or both. Again, they have a lot of freedom when it comes to the specs.

Why do you keep banging on about 32" barrels being "trendy". Read Hamster's post above.

[welshwarrior]

1 hour ago, Westward said:

If you seriously think that any of the above comment bears out in practice you're way off beam.

George, Richard, Ben, Ed and about half a dozen others are fully sponsored and that means they choose the model and specifications that they want. About 20-25 more have partial sponsorship from either a maker or a shop or both. Again, they have a lot of freedom when it comes to the specs.

Why do you keep banging on about 32" barrels being "trendy". Read Hamster's post above.

This

[grrclark]

2 hours ago, buze said:

Citation Needed. If you want to discuss a topic, come up with arguments, not postulates.

It's as much an argument as 2" closer to the target, which at least is, technically, true.

No sense of irony in making that statement when you so very clearly postulated about long barrels being a "significant disadvantage" on fast and close in crossers, or suggesting the the top 50 shooters are given top of the range 32" guns to sell the image?

Within ESP & FITASC there are actually relatively few fully sponsored shooters by the manufacturer, plenty will wear branding to have you believe they are as that builds up a bit of reputation and serves to intimidate a little bit, i.e. they must be really good to be given that gun.

In Scotland, where I know the shooting community very well indeed, there are 4 shooters in ESP/FITASC who have a manufacturer provided gun, i can give cast iron assurance that those 4 shooters got to choose the gun that suited them the most.