Long Barrels

[Barnfixer]

I know the trend is long barrels but I’m not sure it’s for me. I can see it for trap but it might not the ticket for sporting clays, skeet and hunting in my case. Anyone else experience this? I have a 12ga over/under with 32” barrels that just seems sluggish for me. I also have a 20ga over/under with 26” barrels that is a quick pointer. Not really a fair comparison but the 20 is way more fun. Shooting the 12 I do get better scores but that might be because of the larger payload. Anyway, who in the long barrel group and who’s in the shorter barrel group?

 

[Dustbowl]

I’m in the long barrel for trap and Goose hunting. Shorter barrel for skeet and ducks.

 

[entropy]

I can shoot either decently, but I prefer longer barrels. I have one with a 34" barrel, two with 32" barrels, all the rest but one have 30", my Ithaca 51 has a 28" barrel. My Superposed has a 26" barrel set in addition to the 30" set. My HD shotgun has an 18 1/2" barrel.

 

[jmr40]

For my style of shooting/hunting I prefer shorter barrels. On a pump or semi-auto 26" is the max I want, and I have some with 24" barrels. SD and turkey gun has a 21" turkey barrel. Of course, a 26" barrel on a repeater is about the same overall length as a 30" barrel on an O/U or SXS.

 

[entropy]

O/Us and SxSs are repeaters. ;p
Actually, there is usually about 2-3" of difference, more for a 3" or 3 1/2" auto or pump.

 

[cfullgraf]

I shot serious competitive skeet in the 1990's with a tubed 28" over/under Citori and did well. I generally shot 20 ga in the 12 ga events because the gun worked better for me. My 20 ga averages with tubes were better than my 12 ga averages without tubes.

In recent times, I got involved with a local skeet league. I got a 32" 12 ga over/under to dabble with and it just did not swing as well as my tubed skeet gun. I'm pushing 70 years of age and that may be a factor as well.

Maybe it is me but I've not been happy with the longer barreled over/under guns.

I have a 30" Browning 725 Skeet grade that I want to have tubes fitted for. I'm on the fence at present if I want to spend the money for or not for tubes.

As a note, barrel length on a semi-auto or pump gun is different than an over/under. The action of a semi-auto/pump shot gun plays into the equation so the actual barrel will be shorter than one listed for an over/under.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I have 28", 30", and 32" Citori guns that I shoot trap and skeet with. I use the 30" guns the most.

 

[Hookeye]

I like a 30" bbl for geese, dove and trap
Have used shorter w good results.

Used an 870 23" for dove, several years, did well, but got a 26" bbl and found it easier.
More natural.
Favorite was 1100 magnum and 1100 Trap.
Top gun many times

Heavier guns I just ignore, they become part of me, so I just focus on the bird.
A gun too light requires more attention. I prefer my focus on the bird LOL

My 20 ga Citori is my do all upland. 28" bbls.
May get a 30" 12 to go along with it.

Hunting guns first, informal clays second.

I still have an 1100 Magnum, but its a backup turkey gun to the 870 supermag.
Has a 26" remchoke bbl. Don't care for it on clays (synth stock and short bbl, makes it too light).
Yeah its too light for that, but it's a pound heavier than my 870 so after day 1 of run n gun turkeys........its too heavy!
LMAO

 

[doubleh]

Longer barrel are slower to get into action but help with follow thru. Being only a dove and quail hunter i preferred a shorter barreled side by side or over and under and finally settledd on the latter. Semi-autos and pumps have always been unwieldy because of the added length of the action. The fastest handling.shotgun I ever used was a single shot 12 guage with a barrel that had been cut to 24 inches and I got a lot of birds with it.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

I generally seek out the shortest barrel available--my 12ga Citori has 24in barrels and M2 has a 21in barrel-very sweet shooters-----I have a 20ga M2 with a 24in barrel but the Citori has 28in barrels---these also handle nicely mainly because they're 20 guages.

Also have a 12ga SKB O/U with 30in barrels that seems overly heavy and cumbersome but still gets out once and awhile--smooth swinger but kinda slow into action-----I prefer my guns to be quick and are easily smoothed out with practice.

 

[Hookeye]

I love an 870 20 ga Special Field w 21" bbl.
Detest the Special Fields in 12 ga.
The 1100 in 20 is OK...........but the 870 is THE quick gun for me.
Picky, but once you learn it.........everything else seems easy.

 

[Barnfixer]

What’s odd is I like my sons BT 99 with a 34” barrel, but that’s shooting trap. On the other hand I like shooting my 870 with ether 30” or 26” barrel. Must just be the CXS with the 32” barrels that feel sluggish. Next time at clays I’ll have to try my sons Citori with 28” barrels.

 

[dieselchief]

for me the shorter barrels feel great in the gun store or next to the truck....not so much in the field or on the trap/five stand line. go figure.

 

[Cvans]

Both but as I get older I'm leaning towards short. Previous to the short double I now have I've only had one short shotgun. It was a 20 gauge pump that was used to hunt rabbits over Beagles in brush and woods. That was 40 years ago and the guy that bought it from me still won't sell it back.
I've since picked up a coach gun and I really like shooting it. At the family get together for our 50th we shot clays as part of the days activities. I was quite surprised at how well the short 20ga. did. One thing was for sure a lot of people wanted and got to shoot it.

 

[d2wing]

I have always liked shorter barrels quicker and livelier to point, lighter to carry, I also used to shoot lots of sporting clays as well. I was trained to shoot quickly, not aim. But not real short. 26-28 inches depending on action and weight. It depends alot on your shooting style and training. Long heavy barrel to smooth your swing is a mantra for many trap shooters. That was never part of my training and doesn't work for me but it works for them I guess.

 

[entropy]

It's two different types of shooting. Actually, I can whip the barrel of my 10 pound 34" barreled Trap gun onto a target deceptively fast, because most of the weight is the Buttstock. But long barreled Trap guns do smooth out the swing. I can shoot my 8 and less pound guns for Trap, but after having shot my Ljutic for so long, they do feel whippy. With the lighter, shorter barreled guns, swing through is the predominant method of lead, with heavier, longer barreled guns, sustained lead is used more. For hard angles in Trap, I use swing through with the Ljutic without a problem.

 

[tactikel]

Barrel length equates to swing. Shooting trap, skeet, grouse, ducks or pheasant?
My 30” Superposed is lights out on pheasant and ducks. My 21” 870 SF is a “poke and pop” gun for woodcock and grouse, not ideal but good. My 28” CZ 20 ga OU is outstanding for grouse and pheasant over a good dog.
How the gun mounts, swings, and readys for a second shot is paramount.

 

[Cvans]

So do two shorter barrels equate to one longer barrel?

 

[cfullgraf]

To add some more information on the longer barrel shotgun question...

I was shooting competitive skeet in the1990's with a tubed 28 Citori and did well. But, I could never get the gun to swing as well in 12 ga (not tubed) as with in 20 ga (with tubes). As a result, my 12 ga averages were lower than my 20 ga averages so I shot 20 ga in the 12 ga events.

I moved locations and stopped shooting skeet regularly in the early 2000's. But I shoot enough to try some things.

I bought a 30" Browning 725 Citori skeet grade with the plan to have it fitted for tubes, Covid got in the way of that but it is still in the plans.

I bought a 32" barrel length Brownng 725 ga 20 ga and 28 ga in the hopes they might simulate my skeet Citori with tubes installed. Alas, that was not the case.

I'm pushing 70 years old so I can assume age is catching up with me and affecting my ability to hit skeet targets.