Chokes with a short barrel?

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Ok, would having a short barrel cut for choke tubes give me anything performance wise? If an 18 1/2" barrel with choke tubes will offer no advantages, what about a 20" or in general is there a barrel length that is too short for choke to make a difference in patterns?

Let's assume the 18 1/2" barrel is thick enough to be cut in the first place. Improved performance would intend to give tighter patterns at longer ranges when desired. The purpose of the questions is that I'm trying to come up with a one gun fits all configuration and yes, I understand I'll always give up something.
 
You can buy a good number of 20" guns with choke tubes. Not sure about 1 1/2", but the interior contour of the barrel shouldn't be much different.
 
I have a Spartan (Rem) 12 ga Coach SXS w/ screw-in chokes, and it seems to me to be just as effective as my longer barrel shotguns. Also have a Mossberg 500 w/22" factory bbl and screw-in chokes which seems to be good also. I think the longer barrel's major benefit is in a smoother swing and pointing for wingshooting.

I really like the shorter bbl shotguns for our mostly wooded area- much handier.
 
Choke has the same effect in a short barrel as a long barrel. Tighter makes the patterns smaller and vice versa.

My house gun is a Remington 870. I have a 20" rifle sighted barrel and a 28" vent rib barrel that are fitted for choke tubes. There is also 14" barrel with a fixed mod choke. All three pattern the about the same when using a modified choke.
 
There are legal ways to have barrels that are shorter than 18inches, its alot of paper work and some money but its completely legal if you jump through the right hoops
 
I'm sure it's a registered 14" SBS.

There is some length where the choke wouldn't work so well. The inside of the barrel goes from its widest point at the rim end, parallel around 3" or a bit more, then it narrows down (the "forcing cone"). It then runs parallel or gets a bit wider (backboring, etc.), then it narrows down through the choke in the last couple inches, maybe more if it's a fancier choke.

So, it would stand to reason that the barrel would need to be at least 4" (chamber plus forcing cone) + 2" (choke) + 3" (a guess at minimum length in between cone and choke) or 9". I'd say probably more like 10", maybe a bit more, or the pattern could be wildly unpredictable.

That suggests that 18" is more than plenty to get a good interior barrel contour. 14" should be plenty also. Shorter? Maybe less so.
 
I've had choke tubes installed in several 18- 18.5" 870 barrels over the last several years. Far as I can tell, they yield essentially the same performance pattern wise as 10" longer barrels.

They don't swing as well tho...

lpl/nc
 
I wouldn't advertise that you have a 14" shotgun barrel. Can you spell "JAIL TIME".
Click to expand...
Can you spell CANADA? ;)

A shotgun with a barrel that would require NFA registration in the U.S. is treated in Canada the same as any other shotgun providing it is a repeater, the barrel was factory made and not cut, and the entire gun has an overall length not under 660mm. :)
 
I've had choke tubes installed in several 18- 18.5" 870 barrels over the last several years. Far as I can tell, they yield essentially the same performance pattern wise as 10" longer barrels.

They don't swing as well tho...

lpl/nc
Click to expand...

absolutely correct - ballistically there won't be a difference between 18 and 28 - but the ability to swing properly on the target will be dramatically different
 
My Remington 20" 870 turkey barrel came with a removable choke. It's there for a reason, and it works.
 
Thanks folks. I was thinking it'd work, looks like I have a few new projects to play with.
 
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