Short barrel vs long barrel

[redleg06]

With today's chokes and high density shells you can get away with shooting the shorts barrels. Longer barrels will pattern better on average but are a bigger pain to navigate through the woods. It comes down to, do you want 15 more pellets in a 10" circle at 40 yards with a 28" barrel or do want 15 less pellets with a easier to carry 23" barrel.

That pretty much sums it up for me.

Most of my hunting is done in areas with a lot of big hills and some thick brush so, for me, it makes A LOT more sense to have a compact gun and sacrifice a little bit in the way of longer range  pattern density or even velocity. Most of my shots, due largely to the terrain and brush, are under 30 yards. Even if they werent, I know my gun and shoot handloaded/high density shells and just dont need a more dense pattern then what I have.

I have a 21" barrel FWIW.  I've turkey hunted with guns in 26 & 28" and still take the short gun just about every time I go.

[chatterbox]

I shoot a 20" barreled 835, and with the 3-2-7 Hevi-13, I get close to 200 hits in a 10" circle at 40 yards.
That's all I need. When I was carrying a 535, and had an issue with a broken forearm slide. I had to borrow my father-in-laws 28" barreled 500. Patterns fantastic, but I see no need to be carrying a loaded flagpole through the woods. I much prefer the shorter barreled shotguns.

[TnTurk]

There have been many, many situations where I was sure glad I had my short barreled gun with me instead of the longer barreled one. Those couple of inches could be the difference on whether or not you can maneuver the barrel around a bush, vine, or small sapling without getting busted.
JMHO    Merry Christmas and God Bless, Steve

[01Foreman400]

I personally wouldn't turkey hunt with anything longer than 24".  Just don't see why you need it.


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