26" vs. 28" on a 12 Gauge semiauto

[ArmedBear]

I have a 30" barrel on my 1100. It's long and heavy, and I am thinking about getting another barrel with screw-in chokes to make it an all-around hunting shotgun.

I have a 28" on an 870, and it seems to work well, though it's a bit sluggish to the shoulder for flushing birds. I'm thinking about getting a 26" that I can get a deal on, but I've never had a 26" shotgun, so I can't say for sure how it will feel. It should be faster to shoulder, but I'm not sure about the swing.

What are your preferences?

 

[sm]

28 "

I settled on 28" too many years ago, for everything. I shoot low gun.

Now I and others have shot 30", 32" and 34" guns and I really like these, in fact I find NO "slowing down" , been timed and times are same with longer barrels as with shorter ones...even 18.5" short.

Longer allows me to have a smoother mounting of gun to face, smoother swing, and follow thru.

I prefer a gun to balance a bit ahead of hands.

And yes you can get a triple on flushing quail with a 34" O/U ...
...you can also run 25 straight only using 14 shells

I suggest practice at taking two birds with one shot while on the skeet field.
*grin*

 

[Dave McCracken]

At one time I regarded an 18" barrel as suitable for everything, and with an open or no choke nigh ideal for quail.

Things have changed.

These days, the longer the barrel, the better I shoot. The 30" LC barrel here is getting the best workout of all 9, and I'm hitting lots of things on the tough side.

People vary, but I think you're likely to be a hair better with the longer barrel.

 

[byf43]

I had a 30" marked 'Full' (X-Full, actual) barrel on my 1100 Magnum. It was not practical for anything except goose hunting, before the lead shot ban on waterfoul.

I ordered a Hastings 24" barrel with choke tubes and 2-3/4" chamber to use for upland game, etc.

That little barrel doesn't come off that receiver except for cleaning!

I really like that barrel. That gun set-up fits me and I'm over 6'-5".

All my other shotguns (not HD) have 26" barrels. For me, they swing better and feel more balanced in my hands.

 

[Kingcreek]

I know the trend is back to longer barrels, but I still like mine a bit shorter. My Beretta 390 is my primary clays gun and sports a 28" tube- the longest barrel I shoot regularly. My waterfowl piece is a 26" auto and I've slain a truckload of birds with a Browning BSS with a 26" pair- pretty compact for a double gun.

 

[ArmedBear]

byf43-

I have the same gun. It's a Magnum from 1971, came with a plain 30" Full barrel. It's in great shape; maybe it was stored for 30 years.

Did you get the 3" Hastings or the 2 3/4"?

If it's the 3", how well does it feed 2 3/4" shells?

When was lead shot banned for waterfowl, anyway? And are those old fixed-choke barrels any good for non-toxic shot of any kind? (It says nothing about lead or steel on the barrel; my guess is that means it pre-dates steel shot.)

If the gun were lighter, I'd think 28" minimum, but I don't think 26" will make that gun feel really whippy or anything. Still, if I get a barrel with screw-in chokes, I want to get the right one.

Thanks all, keep it comin'.

 

[byf43]

ArmedBear,

I have the same gun. It's a Magnum from 1971, came with a plain 30" Full barrel. It's in great shape; maybe it was stored for 30 years.

This particular 1100 is a 1983 model. Mine came with a 30" vent-rib fixed choke barrel. My barrel is a fluke. It is marked 'Full' but, the choke is actually 'X-Full' according to a (now retired) local gunsmith and his choke gauge.
(This gunsmith offered me $250 for the barrel, to use in Turkey Shoots! Like a fool, I turned the offer down.) This barrel patterns REAL tight at 30 yds!
This shotgun was basically no good for anything except goose hunting and duck hunting (at distance) with that 30" barrel.
I took it dove hunting ONE time. I did shoot a couple of doves. There was nothing left to cook!!!!!
I couldn't justify shooting doves at 60+ yards. Time for a new barrel, the Hastings.
I did recently pick up an early '70s model ('72 or '73) 1100 for $100 and converted it to a "Competition Master" 'clone'. I got the 22" barrel from Remington, for less than $200.
That shotgun sat for the last 25 years, unfired, before I got it.

Did you get the 3" Hastings or the 2 3/4"?

I got the 2-3/4" Hastings barrel. If I remember correctly, the barrel was about $130.00 or so.
The original barrel would cycle anything I put through it. I think that is because of the tighter choke. (???) I just know it would cycle anything from light AA Trap loads to 1-/58 oz 3" shells interchangeably. Another anomoly of that barrel.

When was lead shot banned for waterfowl, anyway? And are those old fixed-choke barrels any good for non-toxic shot of any kind? (It says nothing about lead or steel on the barrel; my guess is that means it pre-dates steel shot.)

I don't remember when lead shot was banned for waterfowl. Back in the late '80s, I think.
As for use with any other non-toxic shells. . . . I yield to someone more knowlegeable than me on that subject. (?????????????)

If the gun were lighter, I'd think 28" minimum, but I don't think 26" will make that gun feel really whippy or anything. Still, if I get a barrel with screw-in chokes, I want to get the right one.

I suggest that you visit some gunshops or gunshows and pick up and swing some of the 26" and 28" barreled 1100s and 11-87s to see if they feel right.

For me, that little 24" Hastings barrel is perfect. A couple of my buddies and I go pheasant hunting every year, and these guys have said more than once, "When he has that 1100 in his hands. . . if it flies. . . it dies!"
I don't profess to be a 'great' shot, either. This guns just 'fits' and patterns like a dream!
(I do get some 'looks' from the guys at my local club when I bring it out and shoot Trap with it. ) From 16 yds, I usually shoot 22 and 23. I just can't get those last couple of birds!

Oh well. . . it is just a game!

Keith

 

[Karbon]

The shorter the barrel the nastier it is on you hunting partners. My fathers 26” 1100 has run my bell more times than I like to remember. When he was shooting his 30” 870, same locations and same shells, I never had any issue.

I thought about getting a 26 for my M1 Super 90, for paybacks. (j/k) But this year I do need hearing protection.

 

[byf43]

The shorter the barrel the nastier it is on you hunting partners. My fathers 26” 1100 has run my bell more times than I like to remember. When he was shooting his 30” 870, same locations and same shells, I never had any issue.

Agreed, to some extent.
My buddies have never said that I have 'rung their bell(s)', however, they have rung mine.

One friend shoots a Ruger Red Label w/ 28" barrels, and he thinks that he needs 1-1/4 oz to 1-3/8 oz of #5 shot and a heavy charge of 571 powder to knock down a pheasant, where I use a fairly mild charge (about 1200 fps) of Red Dot and 1-1/8 oz of #5 or #6 to take care of business.
I anchor pheasants as well, actually more often, than my friend does.
(The beauty of patterning a barrel and load is my belief and explanation.)

On a pheasant hunt (for example) the distance between the hunters makes a difference, too.

So, not just the length of the barrel(s) can get your attention.

Lastly, on our Trap; Skeet and Sporting Clay range(s), ear protection (and eye) is mandatory, so, noise should be lessened, again.

 

[Karbon]

Most of my duck hunting is standing in the same blind or boat, so we are almost on top of each other. We also both shoot 3" 1450-1550 2-4's.

I can almost hear the ringing now...

I just wish I could afford some good Walkers game ears.

 

[byf43]

Most of my duck hunting is standing in the same blind or boat, so we are almost on top of each other. We also both shoot 3" 1450-1550 2-4's.

I can almost hear the ringing now...

I just wish I could afford some good Walkers game ears.

Karbon,

I don't mean this to sound so sarcastic, but, why aren't you at least using foam ear plugs?
I mean they are only a dollar or so, and your hearing is worth a LOT more than that!
Afford Walker Game Ear(s). . . . .Peltor for $9.00 is better than being deaf.

Ummmmmm time to re-arrange priorities, I'd say.

 

[ArmedBear]

Silencio makes mechanical vented ear plugs so you can hear most normal sounds with less attenuation, but any staccato sounds like shotgun blasts are blocked. They're 6 or 7 bucks at Wally World, and they work. They're annoying in the wind, but otherwise they're fine.

In the wind, you can't hear much anyway. For that, get the under-$2 rubber plugs with a string between them. You can pull them out any time and they just hang around your neck. Wally World, with a little plastic case. Get a bunch, so you can keep them everywhere. They work great, and they don't block your cheek weld.

No reason to kill your hearing.

 

[9mmMike]

I have a gaggle of barrels for my 870's and 1100's. I have a new 26" barrel with remchokes that swings like my 28" fixed choke barrel. The trouble that I have here at casa del 9mm is that the barrels are from different era's.
The late-model barrels are thicker and heavier like my 26" barrel.
My 28" barrel is older (pre-idiot lawsuit) and thinner and would probably be called LC today. This is the barrel that gets the most work. It makes a big difference in the way the gun handles.
I think that all else being equal, the 26" should be noticeably quicker that the 28". I can tell the difference between the 18" and 20" barrels and that's a lot less length/leverage.
I have a late 80's 30" barrel that is so heavy I should use a bipod/shooting-stick to fire the dang thing.
I have a 19" barrel on an 1100 now and it is wicked-quick, even with the +2 extension. Very scary.
Perhaps an LC 30" would be good for that 1100 of yours?
Mike

 

[GRP]

The 26 inch barrel will make a fine upland game getter. Don't forget a 26 inch 1100 is equal to a 28 or 30 inch over/under or SxS due to the extra length of the reciever. As for noise, there shoudn't be any real difference in sound levels between a 26 or 28 inch barrel. All skeet 1100's are 26 inchers.

 

[Roadwild17]

I personally consider 26" to be the best single barrel for all around hunting. Just my $.02