[hunterSthompson]

i just got a new england firearms 12ga pump with a 18" barrel is this to short for trap or skeet non comp stuff. i have it for home defense and would just like some lively practice

thx huntersthompson :confused:

[Mike Kerr]

I have a 18.5" barrel for HD on my Mossberg most of the time. I have taken it to the range several times for clays target practice and its very very good out to about 25 yds. It does not seem to be a 45 yd gun.

Somewhere in between the 25 and 45 yd range the pattern just spreads too much. I have read some articles on shot patterns with open bores and IIRC they should work to about 30 yards for practice work like you say you want. However I have not taken mine to the Trap line for a formal test- just clays from a mounted thrower.

BTW I thought at the time it was really good practice because it gave me incentive to get the gun up quick and let the shot go - also tons of fun in that the pattern at 20-25 yards is pretty spread so your percentages look good :evil: Even though you might only be hitting with one or two pellets.


Regards,

:):):)

[Dave McCracken]

It's not the length but the choke that limits this for trap. Trap targets are commonly shot at 33 to 35 yards for singles from the 16 yard line, and that's pushing it for a Cylinder choke or even an Improved Cylinder.

OTOH, skeet has a max distance of 21 yards and your shotgun will work there if you're up to it.

Shoot whatever clays you can manage. It's great fun AND great practice.

HTH....

[Jeff F]

I've gotten into the clay sports for the past 3 or 4 years. I have one 870 that has a 30 in fixed full choke VR barrel that is my dedicated trap gun. I have a couple of other 870's that ware 21 in rem choke barrels and + 3 magazine extensions. One is my truck gun that is always with me. I've taken it to the trap range a bunch of times and with a full choke tube I bust clays with the best of them. Skeet I use an imp cylinder tube and sporting clays either imp cyl or modified and I'll use different loads to open or tighten my patterns. One thing about the short barrels is that they are a lot louder then the longer barrels and sometimes some of the dedicated trap shooters with their expensive trap shotguns will make snide remarks and even get pissed and leave the range when you out shoot them with a riot gun. It just makes me want to go back every week end. I love it!

[Gearhead Jim]

Yeah, I got a lot of funny looks when my then-Chief took me to his fancy pheasant hunting club and all i had was the ugly black 11-87 Police with 18" barrel and mag extension. I made a custom plug for inside the mag tube and busted more birds than most of the fancy guns.

Now I have a very nice BSS SxS, looks nice but doesn't hit any better.

[00-Guy]

See Dave's response for the technically correct answer.

Be aware that some ranges do have a minimum barrel length requirement. (not to mention maximum shot size) They owe the range: they get to make the rules.

[mrwood]

I have shot trap before with my HD 590a1 w/vang comp bore & port. Trap is a good way to get some lead down range & practice.

Range personnel were very nice! If they are not too busy, I ask for an 'instructors lane' - good way to get some tips & show that you willing to learn.

[BigGunsMoreFun]

I have a side by side hammerless coach gun with 20 inch barrels in every gauge made. I shoot skeet, trap and sporting clays with every one of them all the time. :what:

My score has rarely been any different than when I use the longer barreled guns. I have always been pretty good at shotgun shooting. Notice I said pretty good, not expert. Whatever type of clay shooting I'm doing I usually average hitting about 80 percent of the clays. This does not change whether I use the short barreled coach gun or the 28" barreled guns I have.

The only gun I do better with is when I use my semi-auto with a 26" barrel and modified choke. Then my scores go up about 10 percent and I shoot about 90 percent of the clays consistently with this gun. :neener:

Shooting clays is more about practice, practice, practice than it is about what gun you have. I will say that using a .410 takes a lot more practice than the 28, 20, 16 or 12 gauges.

My opinion is that anything over 18" of barrel on any gun is useless unless you are shooting long range. For close range (50 yards and under) an 18" barrel is fine for shooting anything.

I know what you mean though. I see it every day. People cussing :cuss: and blaming the gun or the ammo when in fact their only problem is they don't practice enough. I can't tell you how many times I've seen someone go buy a $4000.00+ gun thinking they would shoot better when all the really needed is a couple of cases of $80.00 ammo and some serious practice.

My 2 cents is that 99 percent of the time, the gun is not the problem. Its the loose nut behind the gun.

Molon Labe,
Joe
:D

[Ed/Pa]

Shooting a short barreled gun puts you behing the 8 Ball right off the get go. Distance has nothing to due with barrel length. A longer sight plane, and extra weight most definatley do. If you ever do any serious Trap shooting you will find that even a light shotgun becomes a handicap mostly because of the tendency to over swing on the target.

You can shoot any shotgun for trap.......how serious or good you want to get is another matter.

[xx7grant7x]

I've used my saiga, just dump a 10 round mag in the general direction and there'll be enough lead to break something.........

[hunterSthompson]

thx for the help i will take it out and report back on how it went

thx again

[jamesb]

I agree with Mike and Dave, it is more about the choke than barrel length and even more about just knowing your shotgun and how it shoots. I would check with the club you plan to shoot at, the one I shoot at in my area requires you to have a min barrel length of 23 inches. They say its for safety but I have my own opinions on it. It shouldn't be hard or two expensive to pick up a longer barrel for shooting clays then you can just switch it back out to your HD barrel when you get home. Most important don't let any one intimidate you over what shotgun you are shooting because they are all just a piece of pipe that goes boom and throws lead.