Is a 20" barrel sorta long for home security?

[mgkdrgn]

There's a Remington 870 12 gauge 20" barrel with 8 shots for $329 on sale and an 18" with 7 shots for $399. I went in looking for an 18" but saw the 20" for $70 less so that got me thinking. Is a 20" barrel too long for home security use?

You'll never notice the extra 2 inches, but you won't be quite as "Tacti-cool".

 

[Dirty Bob]

My HD shotguns have a 22" and a 28" barrel, respectively. Never a problem, because I want to be able to do other things with them. I don't consider barrel length an issue if you plan to fort-up/ambush against any invaders.

Regards,
Dirty Bob

 

[Two Cold Soakers]

20" is fine
And much better than a pointed stick!

 

[Brian Williams]

Mine is a Win 1300 with a 22" barrel.

 

[Dirty Bob]

Three advantages I see for a longer barrel:

1. The weight of the longer barrel helps fight muzzle whip
2. The longer barrel puts the muzzle (the noisy part! ) further away from your eyes and ears. This is not an inconsequential factor when shooting without eye/ear protection.
3. The longer the barrel, the longer the extended magazine you can have. I personally think long extended mags are overrated, but the rounds in the mag dampen recoil with their weight, and they can be reassuring if you face more than one assailant.

Regards,
Dirty Bob

 

[-v-]

I use a 20" Mossy 500 with a telescoping ATI stock. With said stock in the fully closed position, with the butt on my chest, said gun is about on par in length to my 16" AKM, maybe a hair longer. I have no trouble maneuvering with it. Even with the stock open to a comfortable length (1st or 2nd), I find it still quite handy and easy to maneuver with through the house. So I think you done good with the 20". Plus, no one ever wished they had less ammo in a firefight .

 

[proud2deviate]

My HD 870 has a 20" barrel. In fact, I shopped around for quite a while looking for one in that length. Two inches doesn't make any difference at all as far as maneuverability, in my experience. The extra round in the tube and the longer sight radius are nice factors.

 

[ravencon]

The only negative is if you have to maneuver in really tight quarters. Not something I would worry about.

 

[JohnBT]

I don't do really tight quarters. That's why I gave up caving; that and a general dislike for crawling around in the dark.

 

[jakemccoy]

King G,

That was so entertaining, scary and funny, I didn't mind that it was completely off topic.

-Jake