long vs short barrel
- Thread starter jmburton
- Start date
- Status
telomerase
Member
Your lifespan, if your name is Weaver.
i took it out to the range to shoot up some skeet and did pretty well, the manager invited me to a competition tomorrow. and said if i kept shooting like that he'd have to move me to the 5 stand. i was pretty stoked about it anyway. if i decided to take it duck hunting think i could hit anything further than i could throw ?
MCgunner
Member
Doubles are naturally shorter than repeaters because the action is so much shorter. The barrels on that gun look at least 26 inches. It should shoot fine. Doubles tend to balance more between the hands and are quicker to target, but swing a little whippy until you get used to 'em. I've slain many a duck with a side by side 12 that isn't much if any longer than your O/U.
I've got a new side by side I'm going to use on dove, Remington Spartan 20 gauge. This thing has 20" barrels coach gun style, but interchangable choke tubes, and with a full choke at 40 yards, shoots a decent 90 percent 40" pattern. It should work fine on doves so long as I can get 'em inside 30-40 yards max. It will be one quick swingin' son-of-a-gun, though, and I'm going to have to concentrate on my swing with it first few hunts I reckon.
I've got a new side by side I'm going to use on dove, Remington Spartan 20 gauge. This thing has 20" barrels coach gun style, but interchangable choke tubes, and with a full choke at 40 yards, shoots a decent 90 percent 40" pattern. It should work fine on doves so long as I can get 'em inside 30-40 yards max. It will be one quick swingin' son-of-a-gun, though, and I'm going to have to concentrate on my swing with it first few hunts I reckon.
A few things...
First of all, look at the barrels. The O/U has 26" barrels; the 500 has 28". The 500 has a longer receiver. The O/U is not too short; it is, however, on the shorter end of the 26-30" spectrum that is common for hunting guns. The main difference between an identical gun with 26" to 30" barrels is swing speed and balance point.
Typically, a break-action gun (single or double) will be around 4" shorter than a receiver gun (pump or autoloader) with the same barrel length. My 34" single shot trap gun is a bit barrel-heavy and, as you want in trap, swings smooth and slow, but it's only a couple inches longer than my 28" autoloader. The autoloader is, however, a much "quicker" gun. That's normal. Weight distribution is totally different.
Ballistically, there's no real difference between a 26" and a 28" gun.
People prefer different lengths and different gun designs because they swing differently, balance differently, etc.
Whether you can hit anything depends on you, and those factors, not ballistics.
First of all, look at the barrels. The O/U has 26" barrels; the 500 has 28". The 500 has a longer receiver. The O/U is not too short; it is, however, on the shorter end of the 26-30" spectrum that is common for hunting guns. The main difference between an identical gun with 26" to 30" barrels is swing speed and balance point.
Typically, a break-action gun (single or double) will be around 4" shorter than a receiver gun (pump or autoloader) with the same barrel length. My 34" single shot trap gun is a bit barrel-heavy and, as you want in trap, swings smooth and slow, but it's only a couple inches longer than my 28" autoloader. The autoloader is, however, a much "quicker" gun. That's normal. Weight distribution is totally different.
Ballistically, there's no real difference between a 26" and a 28" gun.
People prefer different lengths and different gun designs because they swing differently, balance differently, etc.
Whether you can hit anything depends on you, and those factors, not ballistics.
mswestfall
Member
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2006
- Messages
- 437
I'm with ArmedBear. It really only effects swing and balance.
It looks like a nice gun. With those bbls and that drop at comb I'm guessing that the chokes are pretty open; maybe mod and IC.
Shoot it, enjoy it.
It looks like a nice gun. With those bbls and that drop at comb I'm guessing that the chokes are pretty open; maybe mod and IC.
Shoot it, enjoy it.
The Deer Hunter
Member
Huh?
Vairochana
Member
Gday,
I use my Russian coachgun for clay games and don't do too badly for a beginner.
The tight Russian chokes (fixed) let me reach out to a good distance.
I use my Russian coachgun for clay games and don't do too badly for a beginner.
The tight Russian chokes (fixed) let me reach out to a good distance.
wolf_from_wv
Member
Randy Weaver, who cut down a shotgun barrel to under the legal length.
MCgunner
Member
My Spartan don't have hammers and does have screw in chokes, 20 ga with 20" barrel length, and it throws a decent 40 yard pattern with full choke and #8s. I'm going to use it on doves and maybe even ducks over decoys! I do have 12s, though, for the ducks and if I use it on ducks a few times, I don't think it'll become my primary waterfowler, just wanna maybe try it with steel in one barrel and bismuth in the tight choke, maybe.
Short barrel guns were all the rage about 15 or 20 years ago for turkey hunting, talking 20" here. It was figured that the handiness of the gun was far superior in the application and that the short barrel didn't hurt patterns one bit. I don't know what ever happened to that fad, was all the rage in the 'zines for a while. Friend of mine's brother had a Browning BPS with 20" "turkey" barrel and he'd bring it down here and hunt ducks with us using it and didn't do bad with it. Ducks over deeks are ideally taken at no more'n 30-max 40 yards, but he made some decent passing shots with that thing that impressed me for a short barrel. I reckon it's all in how it's choked and the pattern it throws.
I do know that my old double 12 swings far quicker, is what I like to call "whippy", compared to my pump and auto 12s. When I used that thing all the time, I was used to it and didn't bother me, but when I get used to the longer, heavier, more forward balanced guns, it sorta screws my swing up with the double. :banghead: I have to really concentrate initially on swing and follow through until I get used to the gun. Now that I understand this fact by virtue of experience, I know what to do when I get to the field, at least.
New_geezer
Member
All you need is about 18 inches of barrel to get maximum oomph out of the powder burn (and of course stay legal). Everything after that pretty much relates to how the gun balances, swings, and handles in general.
An interesting exception is some guns with exceptionally long barrels which have the ability to muffle the blast. Useful when hunting in legal areas that might still be relatively close to housing
An interesting exception is some guns with exceptionally long barrels which have the ability to muffle the blast. Useful when hunting in legal areas that might still be relatively close to housing
i went to the competition but just watched the barrels on everyones guns were very long and extended by enhanced skeet shooting chokes. my question is does the length of the barrel being in the 19inch range change the spread of a 26 inch to a 19 inch..
mswestfall
Member
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2006
- Messages
- 437
I understand that.....
A bbl is designed to a specific length for (at least) two reasons; to create a desired pattern and to balance the firearm. The length of the bbl includes the chamber, forcing cones, bore, bore choke/choke. All of them are necessary for the firearm to produce a pattern for which it was designed. If you cut down the bbl you eliminate the items above from right to left. This will definitely effect the pattern. I believe that if you cut the gun back to the bore (before the bore choke) you will effect the pattern more than if you cut off one additional inch of the bore.
A bbl is designed to a specific length for (at least) two reasons; to create a desired pattern and to balance the firearm. The length of the bbl includes the chamber, forcing cones, bore, bore choke/choke. All of them are necessary for the firearm to produce a pattern for which it was designed. If you cut down the bbl you eliminate the items above from right to left. This will definitely effect the pattern. I believe that if you cut the gun back to the bore (before the bore choke) you will effect the pattern more than if you cut off one additional inch of the bore.
Get it straight Weaver was exonerated BATF measured the barrel and gun wrong. it was 1/4" over the min length. The BATF framed him, the FBI and Marshall Service killed his son and wife.
The Government settled for a couple of million dollars.:banghead: :banghead: :banghead:
Look it up.
- Status
Similar threads
