Why long shotgun barrels for far shots?
A buddy of mine and I have a disagreement that I think can be easily settled by this board. It is often said that to make far shots it is best to use a shotgun with a long barrel. He says it is because the shot patterns better or groups tighter with a 28" or 30" barrel than a 26". I believe that is hogwash and it is only because the longer sight ratio lets you aim more accurately. Who's right? Thanks!
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You are. 0 -
My vote is for "none of above".
Choke, not barrel length, is the main determinant of shot patterning.
You don't aim shotguns, you point them.
Since you're shooting not one pellet but a cloud of them, precise aiming is irrelevant, and this explains why most shotguns don't even have rear sights at all.
A longer barrel basically adds a little weight to the muzzle and shifts the center of gravity of the gun forward. This does three things for you: It gives you a slower swing of the gun (which I believe is the primary reason why shooter like longer barrels), a *slightly* steadier hold, and reduces muzzle flip.
EDIT:
To be clear here, shotgun shells all use fast-burning powders.
Because of this, pellet velocity tops out at barrel lengths of only 18 inches. After that, pellets only go SLOWER with more barrel length (more friction), though the difference there is so small its negligible.
In short, with any conventional shotshell it makes ZERO difference in real world velocity whether you have a 20" bbl, 30" bbl or any length in between.0 -
In the days of black powder a longer tube usually provided more velocity and hence more energy at the target. Modern loadings gain little after about 18 inches. 0 -
A "pattern" in a shotgun is determined by choke...barrel length has little to do with pattern tightness until you get below, I believe, around 16 inches (which is too short to be legal). The length of barrel largely, as mentioned, aids in a metered swing. Why, one asks then, would everybody NOT use an 18 or 20 inch barrel? Velocity. At around 50 fps (very general rule for sake of easy math) velocity loss per inch of barrel, the difference between an 18 and 28 inch barrel would be in the region of 500 feet per second. If you are unloading buck shot at an intruder from 10 feet, or getting that quick shot off at Quail at short ranges then the ease of handling advantage over the longer barrel will evidence itself, and subsequent loss of velocity will be of little relevance. 0 -
Another big factor is shot size. Starting at the same muzzle velocity, (1250 fps let's say) a single BB shot will carry killing energy farther from the muzzle than a single 9 shot will... which is why BB, B, 2,4 etc.. is recommended for turkey/geese etc., and 6,7.5,8,9 for doves and quail. Bigger birds + longer distances = bigger shot with more energy to penetrate and kill.
I have a 26" O/U and a 28" O/U, and with similar chokes and shot I can't tell one apart from the other at distance.0 -
Churchill (the English gunmaker, not the Prime Minister) once did a lot of testing and concluded that 25 inches was enough barrel for near-maximum velocity and even patterning. They sold a lot of XXV model guns with tapered rib to look like a 28" barrel to the shooter.
Maybe shells are different now.
I note that Skeet and Sporting Clays guns have been getting longer and longer barrels over the years, not too far behind Trap guns now.
The long sighting plane and balance are good for difficult targets.0 -
I think its a holdover from black powder days. Blackpowder needed the added length , so I have been told. 0 -
In the old days, hull and wad technology wasn't as good as it is today and a longer barrel did help improve patterns and velocity.
Now with the improved wads and hulls, a longer barrel is not necesary even though it does help with lead and followthrough and sight radius for sports such as trap.0 -
Shotguning is very user dependant on which works better. But patterns and velocity are of little difference in a 26 or 28.
The difference will be the shooter.
For the most part sighting isn't as percise as a rifle but it is still aimming I don't care what anyone says you DO NOT point a shotgun IMO. This will be differ by user. Some will work good for you but don't expect it to be the same for your buddy.0 -
I agree the length of the barrel really does not matter as much as the choke. While I can see the point of having that longer barrel for long shots what it will really do is give you that extra split second on your follow through before the shot and wad exit the barrel. Now I have been a shotgun shooter for about 15 years both hunting and skeet shooting and having used shotguns of various lengths I have not seen that much difference. 0
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