Dual purpose shotgun?

[Caliper_Mi]

I was under the impression for many years that the barrel length on a shotgun is what influenced the shot pattern and rate of spread. I had been given the impression that a short barreled HD shotgun would be useless for shooting anything more than a few yards away. Been doing more reading lately and have read that barrel length has more to do with tracking and leading your target at various ranges and target speeds while the choke controls the spread rate.

Assuming that this is correct, what I wonder is: would a 18.x" barrel shotgun with an adjustable choke be a good gun for both HD and fun times shooting clays?

 

[jmr40]

The interchangeable chokes would make your short barreled gun shoot patterns just like any other gun with the same choke. The shorter barrels are really made to be aimed like a rifle. They are good for self defense and turkey hunthing.

A longer barrel helps give you a longer sighter radius and will make swinging the gun on moving targets easier. Yes, you can make do on clays and bird hunting with a shorter barrel with some type of choke. But most people will be better off with a little more barrel. I like a 26" barrel as an all around length on a pump or auto.

 

[Virginian]

I believe you will be seriously handicapping yourself trying to use a very short barrel for wingshooting. The top guns do not use the longer barrels for the heck of it. The sight picture and smoothness of swing makes a big difference.
Also, I don't think you will fit in too well calling a sporting shotgun a shotty. (sorry, I just hate that term)

 

[ArmedBear]

would a 18.x" barrel shotgun with an adjustable choke be a good gun for both HD and fun times shooting clays?

No, it wouldn't.

Now could you shoot clays from a spring launcher at your feet and have fun with it? Sure.

But give it one day at the Trap range, and you'll be on the 'net ordering another barrel.

And calling a sporting shotgun a "shotty" is like calling your country a ****.

 

[Brian Williams]

Barrels are fairly inexpensive, get a combo model and you have both a short barrel HD gun and a decent wing shooting gun.

 

[Fred Fuller]

If you want a one-barrel-for-everything shotgun, you need to compromise a bit on length IMHO. My favorite utilitarian barrel for an 870 is Remington's 21" or 23" vent rib 'turkey' barrel that is set up for RemChokes (choke tubes) from the factory. That comes as close to a do-all barrel as I have found.

But it isn't much of a problem, nor a terribly great expense, to get a short (18- 20") barrel for defensive use and big game hunting, and a longer (26- 28") barrel for clay games or wingshooting. Several manufacturers sell just such 'combo' packages new, like the Mossberg 930 semiauto package I got a couple of weeks ago that came with an 18" CYL bore bead sighted barrel, plus a 28" vent rib barrel set up for choke tubes.

It's usually less expensive to do it yourself putting together a combination of used shotgun and barrels that you like, rather than buying new. I'd suggest sticking to popular, current production guns if you want to go that route- it'll be easier and cheaper to get what you want that way.

hth,

lpl

 

[RetiredLawman]

My favorite guns, and I have a few, have short barrels. My A-5 has a 22 inch barrel. One of my Franchi 48s has a 24" barrel. Long barrels are a handicap to me. I have a preference for short barrels.

 

[Snarlingiron]

Just another consideration... Many clubs do not allow barrel lengths shorter than some arbitrary number. One of the clubs that I regularly shoot at doesn't allow any shotguns with a barrel length of less than 22".

 

[Bill of Ojai]

I've seen skeet/trap ranges impose minimum barrel length requirements also. I have, however, in my younger days, shot on a skeet range with an 18" barrel AT NIGHT. Big muzzle flash kinda ruins your doubles. But fun.

 

[Weedy]

Virginian - who called it a "shotty?" I don't see that (stupid) term anywhere in the original post. Just wondering...

 

[foghornl]

If you are looking to have one barrel for all purposes with say the swappable choke tubes or an adjustable choke (Poly-Choke comes to mind...twist to adjust). maybe a 24" barrel is what you want.

Some ranges/clubs do have a minimum length for barrels, frequently 22" or 24".

 

[Caliper_Mi]

Is it really that hard to track a moving target with a shorter barrel? I can understand the reduced sight radius but that could be overcome with good sights or a low powered scope. After all, don't people hit moving targets with pistols (which have a far shorter sight radius) Wouldn't the lower inertia of the shorter barrel just make the gun easier to point? Of course I would just need to do my part and move smoothly to compensate for a long barrel not damping any unsteadiness.

I see King Ghidora and JMR 40 differ on the patterning and barrel length. Any other takes? After thinking it over I can't figure how the length of the tube matters, just the shape of the nozzle (choke) on the end.

 

[Fred Fuller]

The longer the barrel, the more weight in front of the support hand. The more weight out front, the more difficult the gun is to stop swinging once you get it moving. Stopping the swing is why a lot of misses happen on claybirds or real birds. Longer barrels thus work better in that regard.

Patterning really is a function of the load (shot size, shot hardness, shot protection, velocity) and the internal geometry of the barrel, from forcing cone to choke, far more so than the barrel length. EVERY barrel is pretty much a law unto itself, but some generalities still apply.

Hie thyself off to thy local library, and get a copy of Bob Brister's Shotgunning- The Art And The Science. If they don't own it, they should be willing to borrow it for you on interlibrary loan. Or there's always http://www.amazon.com/Shotgunning-Art-Science-Bob-Brister/dp/0832918407 .

hth,

lpl

 

[jakemccoy]

I find that the longer barrel has more than just a longer sight radius. They also have a smoother swing, which is explainable with the laws of physics.

Having said that, you'd find me more often shooting clays with my 20" or 18" barrel. I use the sporting clays range as an opportunity to have fun and to become more familiar with my home defense configuration. I do have a 28" barrel. However, I'm not currently interested in serious competition and not too concerned about high scores.

 

[nksmfamjp]

First, a 18.5" short barrel and interchangible choke tubes are mutually exclusive terms as far as I have seen. So, that means custom. A custom tube would be more expensive than 2 barrels. In addition, the longer tube will add some benefit for clay bird shooting as has been said.

Mossberg makes this HD package with 2 barrels as you desire.