I know this topic has probably been covered many times but bear with me.All my shotguns were bought many years ago,All have 28'' barrels.Want to invest in a turkey only model.Too many barrel lengths to choose from 20" to 24".Could someone tell me some of the advantages or disadvantages of barrel lengths and maybe what kind of shot patterns to expect from different lengths.Everyones advice is appreciated!Thanks,MG
http://nitrocompany.com/pattern.htm
This link helps describe what happens to the pattern of different length barrels...
I like 26
OH boy!!
Its all personal. I love my barrels as short as possible. I can get some butt kicking patterns out of my Winchester short.(that's an 18" barrel). That said there is no doubt that you can up pellet count with a longer barrel. Remember 1 thing dead is dead so choose what is comfortable to you.
300 pellets in a turkey head is not much different then 200 when hes lying there in the grass.
Shorter than 22 it gets to be much more finiky about chokes and shells, longer than 26 and it gets to be more of a hassle to carry. 22, 24 and 26 are good middle ground with 24 being my personal favorite.
Also bear in mind that a 2" choke extension is pretty normal for turkey guns.
I like shorter barrels for a dedicated Turkey gun. But if I use my shotgun for other pursuits, then I think a 26 is a good compromise.
When I buy a shotgun to be used for everything I always get it with a 26" barrel. My turkey guns have 21' & 22" barrels which for me is what I like by the time you add a 1-2" choke to it. I also hunt with a 24" on my Beretta when I take it sometimes. Shorter ones may be tougher to get good patterns from but they are a joy to carry in the woods. What Skeeterbait said pretty much sums it up.
For turkeys I'm spoiled to the short barrels. I don't mind a 26"-28" in field setups and open woods but most of my hunting is done in jungle like terrain straight up and down. There is nothing worse than having a long barrel snagging on tree limbs and vines while your trying to snake through dense over growth! It'll make a for hour hunt feel like eight hours and when the temps are high will wear me out. Ill take 18.5" -22" any day.lol
I have four turkey specific shotguns. Three have 24" barrels and one has a 26".
28" patterns well for me, but 26" isn't that far behind...
mudhen
I like a 24" or 26". Never gave me any problems in the woods.
I always like 26" barrels. In my experience they are much easier to work with to get good patterns.
Thanks,
Clark
My 26" barrels have always worked just fine.
My main gun has a 26" barrel with another 2" of choke on it. That's about longest I'll ever have, though. I like shorter barrels better. My backup gun has a 20" barrel, and it's a LOT easier to maneuver in the thick stuff. It doesn't pattern quite as well, but it's still pretty good.
I have a SBE II left handed 28" and an Indian Creek choke. It is like carrying around a 10ft pole in woods. I would love to try a 24" barrel but it will cost me $700+.
personally I like a 26 or 28 inch barrel.
I have a 835 that has a 24" barrel and it shoots/patterns almost any load GREAT! I also got a new Weatherby pa-459 with a 18.5" barrel (20" including the choke) and I have had ZERO problems getting it to pattern VERY well with Win long beard 3" 6's & 5's and Hevi-13 3"-2oz-#6's
I used to love a 30" full choke barrel. That was until I bought a combo gun that came with a 30" @ 22" barrel. Once I put that short barrel on and used it a little I just couldn't make myself put the long barrel back on.
I have a 20" barrel on my 835, and it is a bit harder to get the numbers that guys with longer barrels get, but it is so much nicer to tote around in the woods.
I get right around 200 pellets in a 10" circle at 40 yards with Hevi-13 3-2-7's.
Turkeys are no less dead.
24" and 26" for me, I used to shoot short barrled guns, now I like them a little longer.
Earlier in the season when everything's more open and ranges are longer, a longer barrel with all its range and accuracy advantages is nice...but 28 inches is a pain in the tail in Georgia toward the end of the season. Everything's greener, ranges are shorter, and there's more brush.
I'll keep my 935 with 28 in barrel any day, it can be a pain to carry but the results iv'e had don't lie.
I understand the handling issue, but how much does 8 inches of shotgun barrel really weigh?
I have a 20" 835 and I love it. I shoot an Indian Creek and it's not a problem getting tight patterns. I shot the federal thug 6s but LB shot even tighter.
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I have an 870 SPS-T Youth Model in 12ga with a 20" barrel. Using HW 3-2-7 and a .660 Jellyhead Max it has been in the low 200's at 40yds. It's not going to set records on the patterning board, but it sure seems adequate and is very nimble with the short barrel and shorter LOP.
I have 2 Remington's with 21" pipes, my Sure Shot Super Mag and X-2 both have 24".
I like the 21" better. All my guns put very good numbers on paper down range.
28" on doubles and 26 on repeaters. No shorties for me.
Hunt with 21" 870, 24" Beretta Xtrema, 26" 870, 28" 870. The majority of the time I hunt with the 21" 870. Incredible patterns 280+ Hevi 13 3/2/7's and 214 Win LB 3"/6's. Easy to carry and maneuver on turkeys up close. Second choice is the Beretta Xtrema 333 Hevi 13 3.5"/7's. Best pattern but quite a bit heavier. Hunting the mountains in MO and walking large tracts of land in IL, Indiana, Kentucky made me think twice about weight. Hunting in MS where I can just step out of the truck and be on gobbling turkeys in a couple of hundred yards I hunt with the heavier longer barrel guns. All about preference and where I'm hunting.
*Win LB's have made the short barrel guns much easier to set up.
22" bps 12, 26" bps 10, 28" ben vinci, and 36" single shot 12. It's all good! :OGturkeyhead:
I have a remington versamax with a 28 inch barrel and it points better than my sp10 with a 23
I won't give up my 26 incher on my 870
Nitro company testing confirms this:
The modern turkey hunter sacrifices pattern performance and velocity for maneuverability of a short 21" barrel. A gun with a 26" barrel will give you higher velocity and better patterns. For every inch up to 26", you gain 7 1/2 to 15 feet per second in velocity, depending upon the gun. A 26" barrel will give you 10 to 15 percent better patterns than a short barrel with the same choke constriction.