Pattern and velocity vs barrel length on SBS?

[Njal Thorgeirsson]

Hello,

Lately I've been considering SBS-ing a cheap H&R 12 gauge on form 1 (just for fun, and because I don't have any NFA weapos yet).

But I really can't decide how short I would like to make the barrel. I just want to use it for casual clay shooting and plinking with home-cast slug reloads. Is there some kind of threshold for effectiveness (velocity and pattern) vs barrel length? What is the shortest you might recommend for my casual purposes?

Also, i could certainly turn down (if necessary) and thread the end of the barrel for a poly-choke as well. Do you think doing so would improve performance noticeably with a barrel between, say, 9 and 13 inches?

Thanks!!

 

[forindooruseonly]

My 11 inch, cylinder bore, SBS shoots about the same pattern as my 20 inch, cylinder bore Mossberg 500. Not much of a difference at all. I think that length of barrel doesn't make much of a difference, only the choke in it.

A poly-choke would help if you wanted to go that route, but my goodness they're ugly. I seriously considered having screw-in chokes installed on mine, but with a SxS the cost is doubled, so it would have been an expensive addition for no real reason.

Can't help you on the velocity side of things, I never chrono'd anything out of mine.

 

[Sav .250]

Some powders need a certain lenght to maximize it`s effectiveness in relation
to the full benefit of the load.

Course you can shorten the barrel to any lenght you like . As long as it`s legal.

 

[Charger442]

like was mentioned, i would try and see if your getting unburned powder with a shorter barrel. if you don't mind that happening, then i don't see a problem with it and for the effective range of a SBS, it may not matter much.