which size shotgun barrel should i choose ?

[410Guy]

hello i am looking to buy a shotgun both are the same size in length 45 inches , with that being said the barrels are different is a 22 inch and the other is a 26 inch they are both the same gun , which barrel should i get for home defense ? thank you in advance .

 

[12Bravo20]

For home defense, I would go with the 22" over the 26". A shorter barrel makes it easier to maneuver inside a home. For HD, I personally like using a 18.5" or 20" barrel.

 

[Rockrivr1]

Agree with 12 Bravo. For HD the shorter the better to maneuver easily. Without a little more information on what shotgun your are looking at you may want to consider one that is a little shorter then 22". Depending on your price point you could look at a Mossberg 590 which comes with the extended mag tube so you have 8 in the tube and one in the chamber. They run less then $400 for the most part so a decent gun to look at.

 

[WestKentucky]

Modern powders burn more quickly than old powders (per internet lore for the last 10 years) so theoretically your not losing anything in performance until you go lower than about 20”. The weight out front does help swing for birds, but that’s about all that the extra length does.

 

[jmr40]

If the overall length is 45" with both it doesn't matter much. Unless you're comparing one with a pistol grip and a 26" barrel to a standard stock with a 22" barrel I'm not sure how that works. But I'd take a standard stock 10 times out of 10. Normally for home defense use barrels are in the 18-20" range. Most 21-24" barrels are intended for turkey hunting and 26" is about as short as most wing shooters use. For a do it all gun that could serve multiple roles from HD to turkey hunting and work in a pinch for wing shooting 22-24" can work if it will use interchangeable choke tubes.

 

[cdb1]

OP could you give some clarification? You state both shotguns are the same length, are the same shotgun, yet one has a barrel 4” longer than the other. Something isn’t computing in my feeble brain.

 

[bearcreek]

hello i am looking to buy a shotgun both are the same size in length 45 inches , with that being said the barrels are different is a 22 inch and the other is a 26 inch they are both the same gun , which barrel should i get for home defense ? thank you in advance .

Something doesn't quite make sense here. How can two of the same model of shotgun be 45 inches long but one have a shorter barrel than the other? Anyway, both of those barrels are a bit on the long side, but if those are the only options, I'd go with the shorter one.