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I chose and shot a 26" with an extended range choke, and almost always 3.5 shells. I never get close up shoots really.

Anyways, my buddy that is wanting a new gun, is wanting a 26", I told him to go with a either.

So what is your preference 26 or 28 and why/or do you care its what you got?

I like the 28" as it's just what I have always shot. However on my SBEII I am currently shooting a 26". The reason for this is it's a 3.5" gun so the reciever is longer. Then when you put in a souped up choke, it's longer so with a 26" barrell you really get more of a feel of a 28" barrell.

THe only gun I won't allow in my blind is a 24" barrell as it's just too loud on everyone elses ears. It'll kill ducks just fine, but you need ear repair after the hunt. To my the best place for a 24" barrell is turkey woods.

26" on an O/U

If you go pay a credible shooting instructor, they will steer you to the longest barrel that you can comfortably handle. For most people shooting an auto, that is a 28" or a 30". Interestingly, there is no difference in the Browning/Super X2 reciever lengths for a 2 3/4" target gun and a 3.5" duck/goose gun. Inertia is inertia, and the more barrel you have moving, the less likely you are to stop your swing, which is the #1 cause of missing birds. If you are strong enough to pick up a beer, you can easily swing a 28" 12 guage autoloader.

I agree with Jeff, 24" barrels are an ear splitting, painful, miss-causing crossover from turkey guns which are pointed, and not swung.

Do you get any more umph out of a longer barrell just cause the shot was pushed by the gases longer?

farmerc83 wrote:Do you get any more umph out of a longer barrell just cause the shot was pushed by the gases longer?

I would have to assume that is dictated by the shell you shoot.
Payload, powder load, type of powder, blah, blah.

But probably not.

farmerc83 wrote:Do you get any more umph out of a longer barrell just cause the shot was pushed by the gases longer?

In the old days, with really slow burning powders, you got more fps with a longer barrel. All the modern loads pretty much combust all the powder (my term) within 22" per the engineers at Olin. The difference in fps between 26" and 30" with the same load is barely enough to measure.

got ya. thanks. so the only advantage to longer barrell is that it makes you follow thru? cant imagine that much spread difference b/w 2 in of barrell at 30 yards.

Pattern is strictly determined by the shell and the choke. Where you put the pattern is 70/30 percent skill and gun set-up.

I am too lazy but there is a thread with like 10 pages on this subject about 4 to 6 months ago

citori with 30" and briley light modified chokes.

viewtopic.php?f=24&t=47706&hilit=barrel There ya go. But you've pretty much got the meat of it here already.

I have always been more of a jump shooter. In other words throw the gun up and pull the trigger. Skeet was hard. Trap was easy.. Dove were hard, quail were easy.. Mostly because in Trap and Quail your not swinging on the bird near as much as you are with Dove and Skeet..

In duck hunting you have birds decoying (which is more point and shoot) and pass shooting which is swinging and following thru. If you got birds decoying in your face, I don't see the bennefit of a longer barell. Just harder to get out of the blind and up to your face. That is why I like the shorter barells..

I bought my first LONG barell shotgun this year.. A Stoeger with a 26" in barell (longer than any other gun I have). The dang thing barely fits in my safe.. It shoulders good, we will see if I shot any better with it..

i have a short barrel my self at 24" and i'll agree that its loud!!!!!

There are many opinions on barrel length. I consider the following when discussing/choosing a barrel length.

What length barrel has the shooter been using? Many times going from a long barrel to a short barrel will cause the shooter to shoot low and behind his target. The sight picture has changed. Going from a 28 to a 24 will really change the sight picture.

I shoot a 28 inch on my Extrema 2 and find it naturally finds the target as did my old 28 inch 835.

I read the following in a F&S mag several months ago:

For practice:
Tape a small mini mag flashlight inside the end of your barrel. (Make sure the gun is unloaded). Get in a dark room, turn on the flashlight, focus the beem and practice mounting and swinging the gun. Get a friend/partner/wife to help you judge how well you can follow the edge between the ceiling and the wall. This exercise is very useful in correcting poor swing and lead. Most shotgunners miss due to improper lead, swing and follow through.

I hope this may help.

Oh, the barrell length between 26 and 28 inches does not improve or reduce exit speed. The extra gas time is off-set by the extra friction loss in the barrell. The 24 inch is very slightly faster due to reduced friction as compared to a 30 inch barrell. The difference is so slight, one would never notice it.

Get the bird in close, shoulder the gun, swing, lead to where the ducks head shoud be in the center of your pattern and make the shot without stopping the gun swing.