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shotgun patterning? different barrel lengths

shootuadeal
just got into a little debate with a friend of mine, he said that a longer barrel holds a tighter pattern, i said it has more to do with the choke than anything.

after work tonight he is bringing his 36in barreled marlin goose gun and i am gonna just grab a remington 870 with a 26in barrel and put a full choke in it, we are gonna see which one "patterns" better.
Who is gonna win this argument?

it is my understanding that modern shotgun shells are made to shoot in an approximently 26" barrel, so a 36" barrel simply slows the velocity down due to the extra drag and that the longer barrel holds no ballistic advantage other than the end of the barrel being 10" closer to the target.

am i right, wrong or in betweeen?
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Comments

7 comments

Date Votes
  • iwannausername
    Barrel length alone isn't it - it is the length of the choke as well, as well as the choke restriction.

    Length of choke will affect how much the shot is distorted - more distortion means a larger pattern.

    Otherwise, it is the same as standing a few inches closer to the target.
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  • bambihunter
    I had an old 10 gauge bolt action goose gun that had a fixed full choke and that thing was patterned TIGHT! After doing some measuring, we figured out the choke on it was something like 6" long vs. the 2" choke from my screw-in chokes. I think that more gradual restriction made the difference.
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  • perry shooter
    Take more then one size shot the gun that shoots the tightest pattern with say #7&1/2 shot for trap may not shoot #4 or larger shot worth a hoot.I have seen trap guns shoot BUCK shot with a patten bigger then another barrel with I.C. choke..
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  • dakotashooter2
    If long barrels were the key I suspect all turkey hunters would be shooting long barrel guns instead of just the opposite. The choke does the work and the shot doesn't care if it takes 18" or 30 " to get to the choke, though it is possible that a longer barrel will allow the shot to string out a hair more before entering the choke. However, as eluded to, the length of choke can make a big difference. This can be noted by the fact that most specialty chokes are of the extended variety. Even if you do a side by side comparison it doesn't mean much unless you test multiple loads. Any given gun can shoot a specific load well or badly. He could kick your a$$ with a 3"-1 1/4 oz load from Federal and you could turn around and do the same to him with a similar Remmington load.
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  • MIKE WISKEY
    barrel LENGHT has nothing to do with how 'tigh' a shotgun will shoot, it is all in the choke consriction and form. a 18" barrel CAN shoot 'tighter' than a 36" barrel.
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  • XXCross
    One of the simplest methods to "tighten up" the pattern for any shotgun is to shoot reduced loads. Lower velocity means tighter patterns. The most efficient length of maximum choke is no more than about one half inch long. Hard shot, plated shot, buffered shot, the use of protective shot cups (wads) all add to the ability to shoot tighter patterns.
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  • FWAddit
    quote:Originally posted by XXCross


    One of the simplest methods to "tighten up" the pattern for any shotgun is to shoot reduced loads. Lower velocity means tighter patterns. The most efficient length of maximum choke is no more than about one half inch long. Hard shot, plated shot, buffered shot, the use of protective shot cups (wads) all add to the ability to shoot tighter patterns.


    Yes, the way shells are loaded can have a big effect on patterns, though I can achieve greater variation in modified than in improved cylinder or full chokes. Some of my results suggest that barrel length could influence patterns, though I have not experimented with various lengths. What I have found is that low velocity per se has less effect than muzzle pressure. In the modified-choke barrels of my 20 ga. guns (26 and 28 inches), loads with Unique or PB throw tighter patterns than same-weight loads with slower Herco or SR 4756 even though the loading book lists them in the same velocity bracket. The pressure curve for the latter two powders is higher at the muzzle than for the former. By the way, I got erratic patterns from SR 7625--some tight, some loose.

    It seems possible, then, that with some powder/wad/shot combinations a longer barrel may give more time for the pressure curve to fall below a certain threshold at the muzzle and promote tightened patterns. It would be interesting to see if a 32-inch modified barrel would produce consistently tight patterns with that SR 7625 load, for example.

    But as I said, I haven't performed the experiments required to test the effect of barrel length, and I certainly wouldn't bet significant money that a barrel would throw tight patterns just because it was long.
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