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Barrel length


B725
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12 minutes ago, London Best said:

When I complained that the hearing aids with which I had been fitted were of no use to me as I still could not hear the birds sing, I was told, “well, we cannot enhance what you cannot hear.”  Not used them since.

Do you mean that you have not used your hearing aids or the company that supplied them ?
 

If the latter, then I suspect that they were NHS hearing aids. I have been told that I have severe hearing loss. Without my hearing aids I hear very little in my garden or in the fields.  With them in and tuned correctly, I hear every bird clearly, plus conversation in a crowded place is now possible, which has been a no no for a few years. Not cheap, but as explained elsewhere on the forum, it has changed my life.

OB

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4 minutes ago, Old Boggy said:

Do you mean that you have not used your hearing aids or the company that supplied them ?
 

If the latter, then I suspect that they were NHS hearing aids. I have been told that I have severe hearing loss. Without my hearing aids I hear very little in my garden or in the fields.  With them in and tuned correctly, I hear every bird clearly, plus conversation in a crowded place is now possible, which has been a no no for a few years. Not cheap, but as explained elsewhere on the forum, it has changed my life.

OB

You are correct. The aids were supplied by NHS. I found that they magnified all the stuff I didn’t want to hear in a crowded place so conversation was still impossible and I could hear tyre noise from a mile away, but no birdsong.  May I ask what make/company you used successfully?

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That’s exactly the problem that I had with my NHS aids.

I was recommended the company Regain Hearing and must confess that I have been impressed by their attention to detail to make sure that I am getting the best from my aids and even had them on free trial for a month until I was 100% satisfied. As I mentioned elsewhere on the forum, not only did I have a very thorough hearing test, but an extensive word test to establish which words and sounds I was not picking up clearly.

Well worth the investment and reduction of my kids inheritance 😂.

Should have bit the bullet years ago.

OB

 

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14 hours ago, Gerry78 said:

I’m over 6”2 in height I’ve tried 26-28-30 inch barrels from clays to Wildfowling  I always shot better with 30in barrels every one is different I was told by a old wildfowler “it’s all in the mind “if you think you shoot better with a longer barrel then buy a gun with a longer barrel 

Yep, I am 6' 2" in stilettos (not good on Boggy groung) and have selective hearing, like the above post if your convinced you need something go for it 

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6 hours ago, London Best said:

You are correct. The aids were supplied by NHS. I found that they magnified all the stuff I didn’t want to hear in a crowded place so conversation was still impossible and I could hear tyre noise from a mile away, but no birdsong.  May I ask what make/company you used successfully?

 

6 hours ago, Old Boggy said:

That’s exactly the problem that I had with my NHS aids.

I was recommended the company Regain Hearing and must confess that I have been impressed by their attention to detail to make sure that I am getting the best from my aids and even had them on free trial for a month until I was 100% satisfied. As I mentioned elsewhere on the forum, not only did I have a very thorough hearing test, but an extensive word test to establish which words and sounds I was not picking up clearly.

Well worth the investment and reduction of my kids inheritance 😂.

Should have bit the bullet years ago.

OB

 

Try the New NHS models I’ve been really impressed by mine they are better than my 3 year old expensive private ones. 
 

A real step change from my first NHS jobs 10 years ago, an audiologist friend recommended them.  Yes they aren’t rechargeable but they do have the Bluetooth bells and whistles as well, as looking and working well.

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I've never understood the logic that longer barrels are somehow suited to longer shooters. Balance, weight distribution and a little thing called polar moment of inertia are what have most effect on handling and responsiveness and within reason the shooter's size makes no difference to those factors. There are plenty of ladies shooting full size 12 gauge O/Us with 32" barrels.

Longer barrels seem well suited to sporting clays and on most modern guns the 32s weigh less than the 28" barrels of 20 years ago. Browning 425 anyone?

Virtually all the top 20% of sporting clays shooters use 32s and that's by choice because they shoot better scores with them; they're not just following a trend.

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10 hours ago, Old Boggy said:

Yes, I can relate to that having shot with 25 inch barrels for years at a time when we weren’t fully aware of the damage we were doing to our hearing without ear defenders. 
Fortunately, hearing aids have advanced significantly and so even severe hearing loss can be improved upon. Fortunately shooting folk are more enlightened these days. However, how many of us blame a lifetime of shooting on our hearing loss, not admitting that old age is a contributing factor.

OB

PARDON!!

53 minutes ago, Westward said:

I've never understood the logic that longer barrels are somehow suited to longer shooters. Balance, weight distribution and a little thing called polar moment of inertia are what have most effect on handling and responsiveness and within reason the shooter's size makes no difference to those factors. There are plenty of ladies shooting full size 12 gauge O/Us with 32" barrels.

Longer barrels seem well suited to sporting clays and on most modern guns the 32s weigh less than the 28" barrels of 20 years ago. Browning 425 anyone?

Virtually all the top 20% of sporting clays shooters use 32s and that's by choice because they shoot better scores with them; they're not just following a trend.

BUT we are not ALL clay shooters.

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Personally, I do not think shooting is the cause (chief cause?) of my hearing loss. Most of my shooting friends are not hard of hearing.
I tend to blame industrial deafness from a lifetime spent working with noisy, rattling machinery and screaming, tortured metal. Most of my old workmates are very hard of hearing.

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25 minutes ago, London Best said:

I tend to blame industrial deafness from a lifetime spent working with noisy, rattling machinery and screaming, tortured metal. Most of my old workmates are very hard of hearing.

Interesting.  I had a work contact some years ago who was quite (read quite seriously) deaf and had worked in a bottling plant.  He had been told by his hearing people that rattling glass bottles were one of the biggest contributors to deafness.

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Last five years has seen a total loss in my left ear and 50% in my right ear. I am fast approaching 82 yrs and have shot guns since I was seven, with 410s since 12 yrs and in the first 30yrs really did not take much notice until starting to shoot high powered handguns and heavy calibre rifles when ear p[rotection was mandatory, so I think loss can be two sided, age against noise.  Still not a bad idea to take precautions of which there are numerous choices.

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28 minutes ago, Walker570 said:

Last five years has seen a total loss in my left ear and 50% in my right ear. I am fast approaching 82 yrs and have shot guns since I was seven, with 410s since 12 yrs and in the first 30yrs really did not take much notice until starting to shoot high powered handguns and heavy calibre rifles when ear p[rotection was mandatory, so I think loss can be two sided, age against noise.  Still not a bad idea to take precautions of which there are numerous choices.

I think age does come into it some of use are a fair bit younger (near half your years) and wear hearing aids.  Mine is definitely from a result of shooting, well some was shooting and the rocket he fired landed near me, but I’d done my fair share of shooting that trip with out the ability to wear ear defence. 

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This thread seems to have degenerated into comparisons of hearing loss( PARDON! ) which is fair enough, but to get back on topic, barrel length doesn’t make a **** of difference at our level. 
I decoy with 28” barrels, unless I’m  using my Benelli, which is 28” but the receiver makes it seem longer. 
I shoot game with anything from 27” ( Winchester 101 ) to 32” ( Renato Gamba Daytona ) and it doesn’t  make a difference that I can tell….‘you’re either on em or you’re not’. 

I shoot clays with anything from 28” to 32”, which CAN make a difference dependant on the discipline ( that Westlands driven tower is sublime with a 32” gun ) but again at my level it’s not worth worrying about…..‘you’re either on em or you’re not’. 🙂

 

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16 hours ago, Walker570 said:

PARDON!!

BUT we are not ALL clay shooters.

I know, but most clay shooters also shoot live quarry and often use the same gun for both.

The handling and feel of a gun matters to many of us. The much revered Beretta 682 Gold E was probably the first mainstream O/U to have light barrels and has often  been described as too whippy in 30" but just about spot on with 32s. 

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I am now going to type this all over again this system just wiped a complete reply.....

No, I went last year and yes, it was very well run and a great location but I shot maybe a couple of thousand a month 50yrs ago and now it nores me rigid, same with make believe days. If it doesn't have feathers then I am not interested.    The word not appreciated is ANTICIPATION and on a proper driven shoot there is anticipation as to if or when or how birds will arrive and to be that is the exciting part of the days shooting. There are the occasions, fortunately very occasional clay shooters who turn up and expect to shout PULL and birds will appear over them and get grumpy when they don't and shoot anything and everything but they are a minor irritation.

I am certain that it will be a great day, very well organised as always by Richard Gray and the West Mids is a great location although the food last year was abysmal.

2 hours ago, Westward said:

I know, but most clay shooters also shoot live quarry and often use the same gun for both.

The handling and feel of a gun matters to many of us. The much revered Beretta 682 Gold E was probably the first mainstream O/U to have light barrels and has often  been described as too whippy in 30" but just about spot on with 32s. 

Westward, does that gun work for you?  Then great and that is what I was refering to.

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My two penneth. I find gun balance to be much more important than barrel length on its own. Some 28” barrels give horrible muzzle heavy handling. Conversely some longer barrels can be light and responsive. The opposite can also be true. Barrel length alone, as a measure of good handing, is pointless. 

I think the reason heavy 12 bore dedicated clay bashing guns are popular (the better examples) is two fold. 1. They are usually weighty for soaking up recoil and 2. have fairly neutral balance in the very popular 30” barrel length. 

P.S and yes they tend to be steady on the long shots as mentioned. 
 

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On 23/06/2022 at 13:36, B725 said:

All of my shotguns have had 28" barrels and it's suited me just fine , Tuesday I was breaking clay's off the 118 foot high tower so if it had been a pheasant or other I would have been happy. Unless it's just me there seems to be a trend of 30" or even 32" I with my limited knowledge don't really understand the need to be swinging something as long as a yard brush about, so just interested in others thought's. 

All depends on what and where you are shooting ,There are only opinions .I knew people who could shoot extremely well with short barrels others who swore that it was impossible to hit a cow at 6 yards without 34" barrels .

When I started out in the trade every one wanted 26" & 28" for game old 30" guns were hard to sell . Its trends that come and go .

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8 minutes ago, Gunman said:

 

When I started out in the trade every one wanted 26" & 28" for game old 30" guns were hard to sell . Its trends that come and go .

And virtually every one of those old SxS, whatever the barrel length, pointed and handled beautifully.

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14 minutes ago, Gunman said:

All depends on what and where you are shooting ,There are only opinions .I knew people who could shoot extremely well with short barrels others who swore that it was impossible to hit a cow at 6 yards without 34" barrels .

When I started out in the trade every one wanted 26" & 28" for game old 30" guns were hard to sell . Its trends that come and go .

Exactly when I started shooting in the late 1950s 28 inch barrels were the most sought after, now its anything from 30 inch upwards seems to be the trend.   Whatever suits but I do not think many 6 foot plus shooters would  want 25 inch barrels.

 

Blackpowder

 

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I have a theory about this - the shorter the barell the better for snap shooting, the longer, the better for driven birds (pheseants at lest).

I have guns from 26' sxs to 30" o&u, and my experience tallys with the above (for what it's worth). Although - I'm happy to admit - short barrels are better for traditional driven partridge (I haven't shot grouse, so I can't say, but I am lead to believe that short barrels are better for them also)

Someone may tell me otherwise - and I will be happy to agree given they have experience - but from what have read - pheseants have got higher in the last 30 years (I'm 33). A 28 sxs takes a lot of effort to get into a high pheseant. A 30" o&u takes far less.

Victorian / Edwardian guns needed long barells for pressure (and as a rule, only good things get kept) - after WW1 / the great depression and then WW2, with a lot of big estates broken up, shorter barreled guns for smaller (and walked up) shoots become the norm. The whole time, everything becomes more egalitarian and a trend is followed - hence more 'good' guns being made with 28" barrels (and Robert Churchill doing his bit for 25" barrels).

Exit the 1980s and 30" o&u guns are established alongside clay shooting as a norm - it's no coincidence that (with another generation of shooters) the hight of pheseants begin to rise (and as traditional partridge shoots decreased - and not many of us have the money for grouse) guns switch from 25" /26" / 28" sxs to 30" o&u - and walked up shooting isn't so important anymore (due in part to a change in agcultural practices) - so heavy 30" + o&u's dominate that are great for on the peg and with clays.

 

Anyway, that's my theory after a number of cans of Leffe (Brun/Bruin)...

Edited by PeterHenry
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