I was looking at getting a stoger 3.5 pistol grip pump and I have an option between 18.5 and 24 in barrel. Which will pattern better?
Thanka
Generally speaking, I'd say the 24" for sure. It may be harder to find a choke to throw as good of a pattern with that short of a barrel. Usually shorter barrels need a tighter choke to achieve the same results of a longer barrel.
Welcome to the short barrel thurkey hunting world.
Your question will have as many answers as there are hunters answering it!!!
Conventional wisdom says a longer barrel will pattern better.
However, each barrel, choke and load act differently.
The 24" would be a "safer" choice, however, many many birds are harvested wtih short barrel guns.
Barrel legnth can also be important if you are shooting from a blind/downfall/hide hole. Shorter barrels can be pointed quicker in thicker conditions.
Good Luck and be safe
:OGturkeyhead:
Quote from: drakekilla12 on February 07, 2012, 07:09:06 PM
I was looking at getting a stoger 3.5 pistol grip pump and I have an option between 18.5 and 24 in barrel. Which will pattern better?
Thanka
The 24" barrel should do a much better job of patterning. Very many inquiries that I receive are from folks who have short-barreled shotguns. It's not that you can't kill a turkey with the shorter barrels, it's just that our expectations have been raised a lot in the last few years and most shooters are not satisfied with what they see from those guns.
The Hevi-13 turkey chokes work very well in those Stoeger guns.
Thanks,
Clark
Thanks for the input