Barrel Lengths ?

[Peter.W-T]

I am in the process of buying a new gun and arrived at the question of barrel length.

I shoot sporting and have been doing so for the last 18 months so a relative novice. Curently I am shooting a Browning 425 with 30Inch barrels

Any thoughts on the relative merits of 28,30,32 inch barrels would be really helpful.

Many thanks

Peter

 

[chesterse]

Hi Peter,

Sounds like you have a good combination already!

30" is really ideal to start out with, after that it's down to personal choice. For sporting most top shots opt for a 32" as it can be argued that being longer they are more "pointable" , especially on long targets. The extra weight also helps maintain the swing.

However plenty of people shoot really well with 30" barrels but 28" is out of fashion at the moment, considered too short to be pointable and too fast in the swing, whipping through targets.

As always what is most important at 18 months into shooting is to get a gun that fits you. Most gun shops with a good reputation will be able to help you with this.

But back to the first point, why are you changing guns?

 

[Peter.W-T]

Thanks for the note and the advice.

I am looking to buy a new gun as I currently share the Browning with a friend and am looking to get more flexibility by always having a gun each.

 

[jinxy72]

someone else posted somewhere on the forum 30" of barrel for 6FT of person as a rule of thumb .. I don't know how accurate this is but sounds good .. I'm 5' 10" and find 30" most comfortable and shootable for all disciplines that i have shot .. i find 32" too 'clumsy' for me but this is just personal preference … so i suppose its what your comfortable with really… if you got a 30 and wanted a longer gun for one discipline then you could buy some extended chokes to gain a longer barrel length giving you best of both worlds

 

[EdSolomons]

Tube length has little/nothing to do with height/build and more to do with the way you shoot and how you approach targets. If 30" suits your style, then stick with it!

Most extended chokes are light, so if you want to really have the effect of a longer barrel (for handling/ballance) you have to shop around. For example a Briley helix, although 2" will make no difference to the handling whatsoever. You need to find something made out of thick steel to make a noticable difference. Unless you feel the 30" is too whippy, stick at it and enjoy.

Ed

 

[jinxy72]

cheers for making that clear ed … dispels the myth

 

[EdSolomons]

No probs! I manage with a 34" trap and Im hardly a man mountain!

 

[Westward]

Apart from the nonsense idea that you should consider your height/size when choosing barrel length, there's another eternally recycled myth that longer barrels enable you to shoot more distant targets. And there are even dealers out there who continue to propagate these myths. In reality, a 32" gun gets you exactly 2" more range than a 30".

I now shoot a 32" Beretta but recently had a go with a much heavier 32" K80 weighing 9½lbs. I'm light built and old(ish) but I could shoot it with ease. The point is that the most important things are how the gun fits & feels, and barrel length can affect those things in different ways for different guns. My previous Beretta had the heavier Mobil barrels and you really wouldn't want that gun to be any longer than 30", whereas my current gun has the lighter Optima barrels which feel better - for me - in 32".

 

[Emmsy]

In reality, a 32" gun gets you exactly 2" more range than a 30".

in reality it gets you 0"

unless you lenghten the stock 2"

 

[jinxy72]

suppose it really is each to their own with whatever size u choose .. as long as it suits u and u can shoot with it what the hell .

 

[Fuzrat]

Personally I think barrel weight and balance is more important than length. Had a swing with Adamantines 34" CG with the ladder on the top and felt no less pointable than my 24" semi. Put enough lead in the stock and you can make a 36" barrel feel like a 26" Conversely take too much weight out of the stock and add heavy chokes and a barrel weight and a 26" will feel like swinging a scaffold pole.

for me I like a fairly neutral to stock heavy balance, maybe a shade behind the hinge pin. Others like it a bit nose heavy. as Jinxy says "each to their own"

 

[jasper]

ihave a 32" 682golde with ajustable stock and for me this has the perfect balance point , bang on the hinge coupled with "pointablitiy" of the 32. seems like you can have your cake and eat it . i'm 5ft 6in and 12 1/2 stone. so forget about the size to barrel length aspect. mrs jasper 5ft nothing and shoot 30" beretta no prob.

like the others say just make sure whatever you get it fits .

 

[Will Hewland]

I have no trouble at all with very close stuff, using 32. It can't hurt on the longer stuff. Almost all decent shots use 32. I would go 32 and not worry about 30 being enough..

 

[Oddjob]

I've just picked up a 682 32" because I am clearly inadequate in the tinky-winky department. Either that or it just felt better than the 30".