Short barrel equal loss velocity?

[mcw3734]

I've heard of magnum rifle calibers that advise a minimum barrel length, with anything shorter not allowing for complete powder burn. This results in velocity loss and all other negatives that comes with it.

Could too short a shotgun barrel be an issue when shooting big turkey loads?

Just purchased a 20 gauge with a standard 26" barrel. And that's fine. But, I see a 21" barrel for this model. Am I losing anything by shooting 3" mags through a 21" barrel? (probably 22" with extended choke)

[hunter85]

With magnum cartridges you have a lot of powder that I believe is slow burning ( don't hold me to that as I'm not a reloaded) that has to have time to burn. If you use a cartridge like 9mm as a reference any thing over a 10-12 in barrel you start to have velocity loss in longer barrels due to it burning out of powder before the projectile leaves the barrel. As for shotguns in a turkey use when talking 1050-1100 fps loads at 40 yards you are probably seeing less than 10-20 fps losses than would not change results either way. Now if you were pass shooting geese at 60-65 yards it may come into factor but in the turkey woods I can not see any kind of issues.A 7mm rem is still pushing 270 win performance out of a 20" barrel, so it really comes down to intended purposes of the firearm. My buddy last year when shooting his Tom did not see another Tom in the field behind his bird and killed it stone dead at 100 something yards with a single pellet just above the eye out of a 21 or 22 inch barrel with 7 tss.

[Tail Feathers]

This guy did some testing.  Looks like you lose 50 fps going from 26" to 20" barrel.
https://www.theboxotruth.com/barrel-length-shotgun-affect-velocity/

[tal]

 Velocity loss will take a back seat to your pattern. Changing barrels (even barrels of equal length) can mean changing loads and/or chokes.

[silvestris]

If you call them close enough it ceases to be a factor.

[boatpaddle]

If you call them close enough it ceases to be a factor.

There you have it ....

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[Happy]

Here's some numbers

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[mcw3734]

Oh, nice! Definitely answers what I was getting at. Thank you Happy, much appreciated!

[RutnNStrutn]

This guy did some testing.  Looks like you lose 50 fps going from 26" to 20" barrel.
https://www.theboxotruth.com/barrel-length-shotgun-affect-velocity/

Exactly!! That's an insignificant difference. As long as you have lethal performance, it comes down to your pattern.

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[Tom007]

This guy did some testing.  Looks like you lose 50 fps going from 26" to 20" barrel.
https://www.theboxotruth.com/barrel-length-shotgun-affect-velocity/

Exactly!! That's an insignificant difference. As long as you have lethal performance, it comes down to your pattern.

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Agreed, the advantage of maneuverability and less carrying weight with a shorter firearm far outweighs the loss of 50 FPS. It boils down to a solid pattern and of course shot placement.

[Mossberg90MN]

I cut my 26" barrel down to 21".

I don't believe there will be a noticeable difference at about 35-40 yards.


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