Downsides to shorter shotgun barrels?

[Chairman Meow]

Is it just a sight radius issue or do you actually get better patterns with longer barrels? What about powder burn? Do you need a certain barrel length to get optimum velocity out of a 12 gauge? I ask because I am looking at either a 22" or 24" barrel for HD and upland hunting. Thanks in advance.

 

[dfariswheel]

It's a matter of "pointing" better.

Some years ago, the NRA did a Dope Bag Technical article to answer this question.
There was, (and still is) a wide belief that a longer barrel shoots "harder" or farther, or patterns better.

To investigate, the NRA bought a Marlin Goose Gun with a 36" barrel.
The installed a choke device on the muzzle and fired the gun for pattern and velocity.

They then cut the barrel off one inch, reattached the choke, and repeated the velocity and patterning tests, and continued cutting off in one inch increments.

According to their results, they determined the following:
Anything that's going to happen ballistically in a shotgun barrel, happens in the first 18".

A barrel longer than 28" actually starts to loose velocity from friction.

That the longer barrel equals more velocity was a left-over from the black powder days.

The gun continued to have good velocity and patterns down to around 12" before as they put it, "Things started to get too far out of hand".

 

[Carl N. Brown]

Hunh? What did you say?
My ears are still ringing from shooting my 18" S&W 916A with muffs on!
I wish today I left that 916A at 22".

I pity the guys in the photo I saw of a SWAT entry team bunched
around a door with a guy with the 14" shotgun ready to shoot the
lock. Darn, the entry team will go in DEAF! Tactical smactical that
aint practical.

Longer barrels are quieter: check the thread on the seven foot barrel
used for deer control.

 

[Moonclip]

I knew someone who used to say anything over a foot was a waste! seriously though I do believe shotguns get all their velocity in about 18-20". Anything over that is for balance and looks though I do admit to wanting a Marlin goose gun in 10ga though I doubt that 36" barreled gun would fit in one of my safes!

 

[Dave McCracken]

Frankenstein's 21" turkey barrel worked well even with Goose loads, but the blast was a bit much in a blind. I prefer the 30" LC barrel now on it for general work.

22" and 24" are both compromises, which will do a number of things OK but not superbly. I'd be more inclined to get two barrel, one short and one long, or two repeating shotguns so equipped.

HTH....

 

[9mmMike]

There are some ranges that actually have a minimum barrel length requirement to play.

 

[Crosshair]

My Ithaca 37 has an 18" barrel and it is not loud to me at all. Patterns good as well, even though it has no choke.

 

[1911JMB]

Hans Vang can solve all your 18" barrel problems with patterning, just wear hearing protection. While deer hunting I tend to use my 18" rifled slug barrel because I find that length to be far more maneuverable (and accurate) than my 26" barrel. I also believe you get all the power you need from a 18" barrel. On the other hand, I'm not a bird hunter, but if I was, I suppose I'd prefer 26" just for the obvious pointing capabilities.

 

[Bix]

Muzzle blast/flash are more pronounced in the shorter barrels - but it certainly isn't a deal breaker. I've run several hundred rounds a day for a couple days through my 18" 870 at gunskool and enjoyed every trigger press.