Barrels: how short is too short?

[natman]

Difference between long and short shotgun barrels:

Velocity: Slight difference, on the order of 50 fps between a 20 and a 28" barrel. Not per inch, total.

Patterning: Not enough to worry about. The main determining factor in patterns is the relationship between bore diameter and choke. If you disagree, please provide an explanation and hard data.

Sight radius: Yes, obviously a longer barrel gives you a long sight radius, but we're talking about shooting patterns with a shotgun, not targets with a 22. Not enough difference to seriously discuss.

I've hunted turkeys with the same gun with a 28" and a 20" barrel and found while that the turkeys were just as dead with either, the 20" was a LOT easier to haul around in the woods.

[DirtNap647]

"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."...."nitro company ammunition website"...
  ....amazing i thought these guys would know more about this than us,  being they do it every day....

[chadabear]

My buddy had a rem 870 Turkey Supermag that was "built" by Nitro. They choked it and matched it with the load to make the gun perform to it's max potential, it had a 26" bbl, and a Rhino choke. My 20" tactical Mossy shooting a Stardot and #7 Hevi's outshot his. He was so aggrivated he sold it and bought a Benelli.  Im not knocking either brand, but I think it's gun specific...one may shoot good, and one may not.  This debate could go on forever, but until you get a short bbl gun and try it, you may never know. I do know that the less weight sure makes for easier toting on long haul run & guns. And is that should make alot of factor in which you buy as to how long it will be hung over your shoulder....At the rate this goes every year, i can see OG putting a "nothing under 22" ban on bbl lengths too" 

[DirtNap647]

My buddy had a rem 870 Turkey Supermag that was "built" by Nitro. They choked it and matched it with the load to make the gun perform to it's max potential, it had a 26" bbl, and a Rhino choke. My 20" tactical Mossy shooting a Stardot and #7 Hevi's outshot his. He was so aggrivated he sold it and bought a Benelli.  Im not knocking either brand, but I think it's gun specific...one may shoot good, and one may not.  This debate could go on forever, but until you get a short bbl gun and try it, you may never know. I do know that the less weight sure makes for easier toting on long haul run & guns. And is that should make alot of factor in which you buy as to how long it will be hung over your shoulder....At the rate this goes every year, i can see OG putting a "nothing under 22" ban on bbl lengths too" 

i agree with ya but you guys werent shooting hevi 7's vs hevi 7's i find it hard to believe they told you to shoot hevi 13 7 's they made it match the max potential for there shells...im not knockin either company to me they are both great shells,  i shoot hevi 13 7's myself no arguement there. alot of guys like star dots my gun particularly likes the pure gold .670  i have 2 star dots sitting in my choke case each gun is different. i cant argue about velocity and speeds with barrel length because i dont own a chrono nor do i even want one i was just pointing there opinion out but you would think since that this is there living they would know....  i can honestly say i never heard or seen on any thread anyone saying i killed that turkey thanks to my longer barrel.  and i also believe it comes down to hunting not paper shooting if guys wanna paper shoot they make shotgun shoots for that ...to each his own i personally like a 26" on my 835 my buddies like the thug editions ya know we all kill turkeys just call them in closer and they all shoot good....now go huntin and kill turkeys

[natman]

"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."...."nitro company ammunition website"...
  ....amazing i thought these guys would know more about this than us,  being they do it every day....

Let's call it 10 fps per inch of barrel. That's 60 fps difference between a 20 and a 26, which is close enough for me to 50 fps.

Patterns? Again, I don't care who says it, until someone comes up with:

A)  a rational explanation of why a longer barrel should shoot a tighter pattern and
B) some HARD DATA derived from a proper study to back it up, I'm not buying generalizations like 10-15%.

I'm willing to be convinced, I just need to hear a convincing argument.

And like most equipment issues, the real question isn't whether a given advantage is TRUE, it's whether or not it's RELEVANT enough to justify the disadvantages of a long barrel.

For example, that a longer barrel gives a longer sight radius is unquestionably true, it's just that it's completely irrelevant to shooting turkeys with a shotgun at 40 yards.

[Punisher]

I have found that with the longer barrels POA and POI have been closer to the same than with the shorter barrels.  Again, that is just with the experience I have had with the guns I have shot and patterned.  Another point, which could or could not be a "performance" issue, is recoil from a longer barrel vs. a shorter barrel.  I have found that the shorter barrels can have what seems like a considerable amount of more recoil (barrel "whip") than compared to longer barrels.  Recoil leads to, in time, to flinching which leads to missing the target.  It matters not how good a particular gun patterns if a person cannot hit the target.  Just my opinion.

[mikejd]

confusios says long barrels are great and short barrels are great to. Buy what you like and not what anyone else likes.

[ibtx]

If you want the short route to a good shooting turkey gun then IN MY OPINION buy a 26" barrel gun.

+1

[VanHelden Game Calls]

The phrase

"Its not the size but how you use it" comes to mind here.

Like any other sport we tend to over think and over compensate for our shortcomings.  We tend to think we need to have the biggest and best but I wonder if we would all be better to spend the time thinking about our woodsmanship?  Then this discussion would not be needed and we all could save $ using lead

To the O.P. - answer would be every inch looses performance.  But any barrel length will get the job done, use the the gun you feel comfortable with, shoot some shells, learn the limits, and go hunting

[savduck]

Seems opinions here are pretty divided. All I can say is I hunted with short barrel guns for about 25 years. I spent a pile of money on barrel work, different chokes and all sorts of shells with mediocre results in short barrels. Never achieved anywhere near the numbers in 10" and 20" at 40 yards as oft shown on this very site. Blame my results on operator error if you like but I find I'm now skeptical as hell on short barrels. Longer barrels just perform better in every way other than toting them through the woods. A 26" barrel is really a good medium even in that regard. If you want the short route to a good shooting turkey gun then IN MY OPINION buy a 26" barrel gun.

Your view may vary. Bash away.

Yep me too. I like a longer barrel. Have had mixed results with pattering short barrels, never had issues with longer barrels. Never missed a chance at a gobbler from not being able to maneuver with a long barrell either. Other than my 20 ga Remington, that someone else bought and gave to me, all my turkey guns are 26 or 28 inch barrels.

[mikejd]

Just my opinion but I like the shortest barrel I can Find. Im working on getting another winchester 1300 only this time the short with the 18 1/2" barrel istead of my 22". I bet my indian creek is going to give me 200 in a 10. with #6 hevi. But if it doesnt Im fine with it. I have enough chokes to get something Im happy with.

[ILIKEHEVI-13]

Seems opinions here are pretty divided. All I can say is I hunted with short barrel guns for about 25 years. I spent a pile of money on barrel work, different chokes and all sorts of shells with mediocre results in short barrels. Never achieved anywhere near the numbers in 10" and 20" at 40 yards as oft shown on this very site. Blame my results on operator error if you like but I find I'm now skeptical as hell on short barrels. Longer barrels just perform better in every way other than toting them through the woods. A 26" barrel is really a good medium even in that regard. If you want the short route to a good shooting turkey gun then IN MY OPINION buy a 26" barrel gun.

Your view may vary. Bash away.

Yep me too. I like a longer barrel. Have had mixed results with pattering short barrels, never had issues with longer barrels. Never missed a chance at a gobbler from not being able to maneuver with a long barrell either. Other than my 20 ga Remington, that someone else bought and gave to me, all my turkey guns are 26 or 28 inch barrels.

I agree.

[North of 8]

26 inch barrel, all da way to da woods. Had a Rem SPS 22", and liked it, now Benelli 26'', Nitro ammo and Rhino choke. I wouldn't trade it fer anything!!!

[Ozark Ridge Runner]

I tend to look at this issue strictly from a practical point of view only.  I have a 11-87 with a 21 inch barrel that with H13 7's will put 225 in the 10" and will cleanly kill a tom at 20 yards further than anyone should be shooting at one.  So in my view, any advantage that a longer barrel my have on paper has no bearing on the effectiveness in the woods.  When performance like that is available from a short, easy to maneuver gun, why bother with the longer version.  It becomes a moot point. 

[mikejd]

2oz, I got that 1300 short on the way. Hope to have some pics of 200+ without 7's.
Also looked over some of those targets I shot up and my hevi choke also gave me 260 with a 22" barrel.