Length of barrel to hunt with?
What is a good length for a 12 ga. barrel to bird hunt with? Thanks
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By "bird hunting" I'll guess you mean upland game birds. Traditionally Quail and grouse hunters prefer shorter barrels (26 or 28 in.) and more open chokes (I.C.) because they hunt in heavy cover and take short fast shots and have to point quickly.They also use smaller shot (7 1/2 or 8). With Pheasants in open fields you might find longer barrels , tighter chokes and heavier shot. Doves, maybe a longer barrel with I.C. Some guns have easily interchangeable barrels of different lengths that are not terribly expensive. A Remington 1100 with a 26" skeet choke and a 28" barrel with screw in chokes would cover a pretty broad range. There is no rule on this but getting a preference through experience.
Duty Honor Country0 -
Thanks 0 -
drl50 gave very good advice! For a "do it all" barrel, I think most people choose 28" with screw-in chokes. As he stated some people go longer or shorter depending on the need. Turkey hunters have long favored real short barrels, some as short as 20 or 22 inches. Slug barrels for big game hunting are often 24". 0 -
In point of fact, the powder in a shot gun barrel is burned within 16-18" and a longer barrel does not increase shot velocity. That said, what a longer barrel gives you is a longer "sight" radius (though you are not really using sights except on slug barrels). You can do most anything with 26" so go with what feels/handles/swings best for you, and be confident it will do the job you want done.
My heros have always killed cowboys.0 -
I like 28 inch,just my own preference..... 0 -
Standard: Quail 24-26 improved, Pheasant 28 Mod. Dove 28 Mod. Grouse anything that swings quick and throws about 5 lbs of shot. Turkey .22 Hornet any length! <Just kiddin on that last one. Snipe 26 Improved. I don't think a Duck is a bird, so we won't got there. Hey! A Duck is a FOWL, an't it? [;)]
Ronnie G. Perkins0 -
Thans everyone[:D] 0
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