what do you guys think 26, 28 or 30" barrels ? Do longer barrels increase velocity & distance ? How about when combined with different choke tube combinations ?
That is one massive gun. I might even be able to hit something with it. As long as it is standing still.... at 6 yards.... I like the longer barrels myself. The swing is more natural and smooth for me.
-- Edited by PA Crownut on Friday 5th of November 2010 09:41:25 PM
Remember the old Marlin bolt action goose guns with their 36" barrels? Well Marlin went beyond that. I remember seeing a Marlin Model 120 pump gun for sale back in the 70's with their "Long Tom" 40 inch fixed full choke barrel. It really stood out in the gun rack of the store!
On a serious note longer barrels provided more velocity in the days of black powder. Smokeless powder changeed that. A longer barrel gives a longer sighting plane and thus better for long range deliberate shooting such as trap shooting. Short barrels make for faster handling shotguns preferred for skeet shooting. However there was shift to longer barrels in sporting clays a few years ago. Barrel length preference in general seems to drift back and forth in popularity as time goes by.
One has to compare apples to apples, a 26" double gun will be much shorter overall than a 26" barrel on a repeater. On doubleguns I like a 30" barrel for most shooting. On a repeater I prefer 26". This is really an area of personal preference rather than any real difference in performance.
My son disagrees with me, I like shorter barrels, he likes longer. The gun I have the most confidence in & I shoot the best, is a 20 ga skb200 sxs,it has factory 25 1/2" barells. The fact that I have thousands of rounds thru it has a lot to do with it
Pepsi vs. Coke I guess. The Ithaca SKB's are probably the most gun for the money when it comes to an affordable quality modern sideby. They are overlooked by collectors of the american classics and they have been out of production long enough most people don't know about them. The Miruko built Charles Daly 500 sideby is another quality doublegun that is very affordable. I saw a 20ga 26" IC/M in like new condition for $650 two years ago and passed on it. Looking back I shoulda grabbed it.
-- Edited by nhcrowshooter on Friday 5th of November 2010 10:32:40 PM
I like a longer barrel. The 930 mossberg I am using swings nice with the long barrel longer sight plane also. I read on the net that the shorter barrel gave better patterns with turkey loads. It's all in what you like and have.
__________________
If you are gonna be dumb you gotta be tough
You can't fix stupid!
O yeah I kant spel eether
I agree, its what you like & are used to. Started out shooting shorter shotguns, so I guess thats why I'm so comfortable with them. To each his own, I guess