30" or 32"

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tonky70

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Aug 31, 2011
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449
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Bath,Avon
Why is everyone choosing 32" over 30" a part from the two inches is there any real gain?

 
ooooh Can of worms :lol: A lot of people will say shoot the length that fits your size ie little bloke 28" BIG BLOKE 32" Dont really subscribe to that theory myself as I am a feather weight midget and shoot best with 32" they tend to slow me down, feel steadier and suit my deliberate style :)

 
If you are going to shoot longer targets, then a longer barrel will be a touch more precise than a shorter one. That's the theory. Top shots are almost all on 32. But it ain't like a 30 is useless.

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ooooh Can of worms :lol: A lot of people will say shoot the length that fits your size ie little bloke 28" BIG BLOKE 32" Dont really subscribe to that theory myself as I am a feather weight midget and shoot best with 32" they tend to slow me down, feel steadier and suit my deliberate style :)
I would say that a lighter gun for a lighter bloke is right. But the length is not matched to body size, it's relationship from eye to clay. Same for all..

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Well of course as always mine is bigger...... 34" Perazzi and a great killer. .

But for serious competition .........for me...... I prefer 30" as they are great all rounders.

I very rarely use my 28's now, they tend to be stuck at the back of the cupboard.

:)

Of course this is all personal choice.

 
Thanks Nicola I shoot a 30" and was just asking why do people choose the 32" more
That is why I stated it is all choice. When you have several gauges you can really play and test and choose. I got rid of my 32's because I was getting better results with the 30's (prior to moving to the dark side) .

 
Thanks Nicola I shoot a 30" and was just asking why do people choose the 32" more
Tonky, it's a bit like choke. When you can hit 70+ at registered shoots, you might just start worrying about trying a 32. Lots of more important stuff to work at in the first year or two IMO.

Cheers

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I agree mate just a newbie shooter who likes asking questions and getting to know the sport more and getting info don't worry I'm not going to buy a 32" tomorrow .

 
That's good. Ask the questions and read the magazines. Also look around you, especially at the top shots to see what they do. I learned a fair bit watching a good AA shot when I first started doing registered shoots at A1 SG.

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Why is everyone choosing 32" over 30" a part from the two inches is there any real gain?
Tonky, to really understand why people shoot 32" guns you have to shoot them yourself for a while first. As Clever says 30" is by no means useless, I started with 28", shot 30" for 10 years then switched to 32" around 14 years ago. It takes a few weeks to get the hang of it but when you do going back is very hard and even a 30" gun seems to seesaw on some targets and just lacks the smoothness of longer guns.

 
It is really what suits your style. Paul Simpson for example (one of the best and most natural hits in the country) shoots 30". He tried 32s but it didn't suit his style.

Lots of people shoot 32s because the top lads do, but for beginners and intermediates 28 or 30s are a better bet in my view. It's nothing to do with size, I'm 6ft but not a big lad- however I shoot a gun that is 34" and the best part of 11lb. If they could make it 12 or 13 I'd shoot it. It all comes down to your style, and ability to control the tubes.

 
Without a doubt 32" is probably the most popular choice for Sporting, but this probably came about due to marketing forces and peer pressure originally.

I believe that yes they are steadier on the more distant crossers and do enable us to smoothly flow through the target line, thereby curing one of the biggest faults, stopping the gun.

All that being said I do not believe that you are disadvantaged using a 30" barrel. Indeed I would think that 30" is more popular for Game shooting and Olympic Trap.

Mr. John Bidwell developed his Move Mount Miss technique and always shot 28" barrelled Browning, it was much later that he moved to 32" actually 31" after Nigel Teague had choked it.

If I had not spent so much money on 32" guns I think that I would prefer 30", indeed a friend has gone from a 32" Zoli to a 30" DT10 and loves it, says it handles far sweeter.

 
I recently switched to 32s but it certainly wasn't done on a whim. All the Beretta sporters now have Optima barrels which are not only lighter than the older Mobil type but also balanced differently, and IMO they have a more natural feel in 32". Everyone who tries my Prevail - even the Browning/Miroku gang - remarks how good it feels and how well it moves.

In the end it must depend on the gun, the shooter's style and the needs of the particular discipline.

As for barrel length being related to someone's physical size that has to be bulldust. 2" extra on a modern O/U would add less than 2oz to the weight. I'm old and far from big, but I had no trouble shooting a 34" Guerini with ext chokes - in fact I was quite impressed with how much quieter it was with the muzzles 4½" further away. :cool:

 
i think the more modern gun design with lighter and lighter barrels also makes people more happy with the 32's. i had an old browning 28" kicking around and the barrels on that were way heavier than the 32" perazzi i used to use. the only way i ever liked shooting the perazzi was with about 10oz of lead taped to the barrel.

 
As for barrel length being related to someone's physical size that has to be bulldust.
Agreed, but that was the sales pitch I overheard to more than one new shooter last time I was in a certain oxford gun shop (definitely last time too) ;) "I fancy a 32" beretta" "no no sir, with your height and build a 30" browning would be better, 32" will be far too long" :huh:

 

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