Barrel length

[timmyb21]

Hi. I'm looking at buying a new shotgun for bird hunting. I'm talking turkey to dove to duck. I don't want a one trick pony, so what would you guys think the optimum barrel length would be. 24, 26, 29, 30 inches? Opinions wanted. BTW, thinking of a Mossberg 930, 3" mags are plenty for me, 3 1/2 is too much (go ahead, call me a sissy). Thanks!

 

[Dave McCracken]

I've done plenty hunting with short barreled 870s but these days I shoot better with longer ones.

The little hunting I've done in the last 5 years has been done with 30" barrels for the most part.

The best compromise may be 28".

 

[Shell Shucker]

I don't think you can go wrong with 26-28" for hunting.

 

[ImARugerFan]

I think a 28" barrel is pretty versatile for all of the game you mentioned.

 

[35Rem]

26 shortest, 28 longest

 

[Smitty in CT]

Depending on where you are, the next "season" is fall turkey, for that get the 24", then you'll need a rifled slug barrel for deer season....You'll need the 28" for clay games, duck and dove.....then of course you'll need an 18.5" for HD duty.......It's a good thing that Mossberg sells the "extra" barrels on their web-site:

http://www.mossberg.com/products/access.asp?type=barrels&section=access

Start off with the 26", it's a good comprimise....

 

[Marshall]

With choke tubes and todays shot, a 26" barrel will do a lot. 26" or 28" would be my choice.

 

[evbutler462]

+1 for Smiity's advice. I am a 24" barrel fan. For turkey hunting, I prefer a 22" barrel. For everything else, a 24".

 

[mswestfall]

My observation is that taller people tend to like longer guns. Personally I like heavier swing weights than most.

 

[Bartkowski]

I have been using a 28" barrel with great success. I think that it is easier to shoot with a longer barrel, mostly because I like the feel of its swing more than that of a short barrel.

 

[OldTXCop]

I've been doing more & more with my 21" barreled turkey gun lately. I've been having problems with my back and the longer barrels are hard for me to shoot for very long these days. Surprisingly, I've done pretty well with doves & teal, so far.

 

[Regolith]

Longer guns generally swing better, so if you're looking at doing a lot of wing shooting or the like, you can't go wrong with a 28" or 30" barrel.

When I bought my 870, the longest barrel they had at that store was a 28", otherwise I'd have gone for the 30"...

 

[jmr40]

I bet 28" is the reply you get most. Here is why. Before repeaters were commom and most folks used double barrels, 28" was probably the most common barrel length. As pumps and autoloaders became more common most hunters stayed with 28" barrels. The way I see it 28" just feels right to me on a double, but is too long and cumbersome on a repeater. I prefer a 24" or 26" barrel on a pump or auto because they seem to balance and point like a double with the longer barrel.