Semi Auto Barrel Length?

M

Max-4

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Southern Ontario
Hello, I am in the market for a new semi auto 12g as my "do-it-all" shotgun. I want this shotgun for hunting and busting clays. For the most part I am a hunter and I hunt geese, ducks, upland pheasants, quail, rabbits, turkeys and partridge. I don't need this shotgun to shoot slugs or buckshot at deer as I hunt those in northern Ontario with rifles. As for the clay shooting I am strictly doing it to become a better wing shooter, fun trap nights, weekend clay shoots, purely recreational.

I am looking hard at a previous generation Benelli M2, 12g, 3" and 26" barrel with the ComforTech stock. I did own a Beretta A300 Ultima 12g, 3" and 28" barrel but found it a little too heavy to carry upland for Pheasants all day.

Id say at the moment this is an accurate breakdown of the shooting I do.

1. Upland Shoots for Pheasants/Quail = 50%
2. Waterfowl from a sitting blind = 25%
3. Turkey = 10%
4. Clays = 10%
5. Rabbit/Partridge = 5%

I think I need a shotgun in the under 7 pound range which is why I'm looking hard at a 3" inertia Benelli or Franchi.

My dilemma is which barrel length to choose for these tasks. A 28" Franchi Affinity 3" is 49.25" overall length, good for clays and waterfowl but too long for upland? I know these semi auto receivers are long and provide a longer site picture, even longer for inertia driven guns. My friend has the Franchi Affinity 3 Waterfowl Elite with a 28" barrel and I shouldered it and even shot it a few times. It would be nice in a blind or clay shooting but seemed really long for busting through millet fields for driven Pheasants.

If I choose a 3" chamber and 26" semi auto the overall length is about 47.5". Seems to be around the normal length when a Remington 870, 3" with a 28" barrel is 48" long? What do you guys think? Will I be handicapped when hunting waterfowl and shooting clays with a 26" barrel? Can I buy a good extended choke tube that extends the barrel length another 1" if I find I can't swing as well on high waterfowl or clays? Thanks in advance!
 
Iff’in yer set on the 870, buy a second, third, fourth bawrill tuh suite yer needs.
Some of the 870’s in 2-3/4” had a 3” chamber.

Just think of the possibillititties. 🤔🕳️
 
I find barrel length totally up to the individual. I prefer 28" for upland most of my guns are but there are many on here that like 26 or less. I agree with K sometimes a barrel is the cheaper way to go if your determined as extended chokes do not increase your sight plane my .02 worth
 
Not trying to derail your thread, but an O/U would better suit your intended use. Otherwise a 26 inch barrel semi, which compares to a 30 inch barreled O/U should be fine. You should bear in mind that 26 in barreled O/U's were the industry standard for shooting skeet for many years, and many upland hunters currently opt for a 26 inch barrel SxS or O/U.
 
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I have the new gen Benelli M2 12/28” and love it so far, shot Brownings for many years and decided to try the M2 (I don’t bother with 3.5” shells so the M2 was a better choice than SBE3) and have no regrets so far
 
It depends what feels better in your hands and it varies from gun to gun. Longer barrels tend to promote smoother swings because they are a little weight forward but in some guns longer barrels can make a gun muzzle heavy. Personally I would go for a 28" barrel. I've never found my 20 gauge Beretta 391 with a 28" barrel a hindrance when shooting upland game.
 
cosmic said:
Not trying to derail your thread, but an O/U would better suit your intended use. Otherwise a 26 inch barrel semi, which compares to a 30 inch barreled O/U should be fine. You should bear in mind that 26 in barreled O/U's were the industry standard for shooting skeet for many years, and many upland hunters currently opt for a 26 inch barrel SxS or O/U.
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For only clays and upland birds, an O/U would be my choice, but he also mentioned ducks and geese, for which I much prefer a semi auto. A semi auto is much quicker and easier to load in a blind, it reduces the felt recoil of heavy waterfowl loads , and a third shot is useful for waterfowl, I shoot quite a few triples on our field hunts. As far as barrel length goes, I prefer a 28" barrel on my semi autos,. As far as skeet and O//U shotguns, 26" was the standard 40-50 years ago, but that has changed to 30" as barrels became lighter and fore ends became slimmer and lighter.
 
I have to crawl through the bush sometimes and find using the 28 inch barrel okay, 30 was annoying. I wouldn’t go any shorter than 28 for trap , ducks etc
 
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