Barrel length and choke considerations
- Thread starter Rhythm & Soul
- Start date
14" full choke patterns similar to my 28" full choke when using the same mobile choke. Longer barrels may give you a better swing but i shoot both well. I use my canuck 14" gun for skeet with both full stock and birds head grip.
Id say youd be just fine with a shorty
Id say youd be just fine with a shorty
- Location
- Blaster land, Okanagan BC
Chokes determine shot spread, barrel length will affect muzzle velocity. A longer barrel will allow the gun to swing easier but won’t do much for pattern size, I shoot grouse with a 14” choked barrel, I’m good out to 25-30y before my pattern starts to really open up.
You can hunt upland birds with any shotgun. Period.
However, personal preferences and opinions abound. A few things to consider:
- early season hunting when the leaves are in the trees often results in tighter spaces, shorter visibility, and closer shot presentations. At this time of the year, barrel lengths around 26" or 28" are certainly no disadvantage. Also, Improved Cylinder and Modified chokes can be practical.
- Later in the season once the leaves have fallen, 28" to 30" barrels aren't out of place. And, Full and Modified chokes suit the longer shot presentations.
- generally speaking repeaters are desirable, but they don't have to be the usual pumps and semis; break-action doubles are really your best choice. Why? Because the two barrels can each have their own trigger and different chokes. Double triggers and F/M or M/IC choke combinations allow a hunter to select the appropriate choke for the individual target distance. It might sound like you might fumble with the triggers, but you get good at it quickly.
A 14" barrel isn't too short, but I know without asking that it's on a pump or a semi. Right there, you're losing the dual choke/dual trigger advantage. The other advantage to longer barrels is the smoothing effect they have on your swing. In order to be or become a good wing shooter, you need guns that are neither too light, nor too heavy. Too light means the recoil is higher and the swing is whippy (or erratic). Too heavy helps absorb recoil, but requires much more strength and control to accelerate toward the fleeing bird.
In BC, the wild game tends to be blue grouse and spruce grouse. Both species are known to sit calmly watching you approach because they truly think they're invisible (which most of the time they are). So, if you hunt without a dog, you could see a fair number of perched and sitting birds. Any shotgun with a full choke should be able to decapitate a bird in a tree. I wouldn't expect as good results with the ones on the wing, though.
Since any day in the woods beats a day at work, I'm confident you'll enjoy yourself no matter what you choose to carry. One last thought - use the lightest loads you can find (7/8 to 1 Oz type stuff). Unless you're hunting Pheasant or Sharptail, you don't want too much lead in the air. It only takes a couple of pellets to drop a grouse.
However, personal preferences and opinions abound. A few things to consider:
- early season hunting when the leaves are in the trees often results in tighter spaces, shorter visibility, and closer shot presentations. At this time of the year, barrel lengths around 26" or 28" are certainly no disadvantage. Also, Improved Cylinder and Modified chokes can be practical.
- Later in the season once the leaves have fallen, 28" to 30" barrels aren't out of place. And, Full and Modified chokes suit the longer shot presentations.
- generally speaking repeaters are desirable, but they don't have to be the usual pumps and semis; break-action doubles are really your best choice. Why? Because the two barrels can each have their own trigger and different chokes. Double triggers and F/M or M/IC choke combinations allow a hunter to select the appropriate choke for the individual target distance. It might sound like you might fumble with the triggers, but you get good at it quickly.
A 14" barrel isn't too short, but I know without asking that it's on a pump or a semi. Right there, you're losing the dual choke/dual trigger advantage. The other advantage to longer barrels is the smoothing effect they have on your swing. In order to be or become a good wing shooter, you need guns that are neither too light, nor too heavy. Too light means the recoil is higher and the swing is whippy (or erratic). Too heavy helps absorb recoil, but requires much more strength and control to accelerate toward the fleeing bird.
In BC, the wild game tends to be blue grouse and spruce grouse. Both species are known to sit calmly watching you approach because they truly think they're invisible (which most of the time they are). So, if you hunt without a dog, you could see a fair number of perched and sitting birds. Any shotgun with a full choke should be able to decapitate a bird in a tree. I wouldn't expect as good results with the ones on the wing, though.
Since any day in the woods beats a day at work, I'm confident you'll enjoy yourself no matter what you choose to carry. One last thought - use the lightest loads you can find (7/8 to 1 Oz type stuff). Unless you're hunting Pheasant or Sharptail, you don't want too much lead in the air. It only takes a couple of pellets to drop a grouse.
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As far as I am concerned hunting flying birds with a 14 inch barrel is ridiculous. It can be done but it can be done much better with a longer sight radius. Better swinging ability too. I have always thought 14 inch shotguns were best left for the zombie invasion.
- Location
- Blaster land, Okanagan BC
Fine for ground swatting or perched in a tree, not as good for wingshooting but with practice it’s possible.
I use a cylinder choke for shooting upland birds, Mod for waterfowl including geese. Mostly I use a 26" or 28" barrel, I have used 14" -18" barrels before but I don't care for the muzzle blast or noise of the shorter barrels.
There are sxs and ou short barrelled guns on the market.
God luck finding a non restricted non prohibited semi auto with a 14" barrel
YUP!! ....... Bbl length, proper swing, handling and choke selection are all important for any type of shotgun use including the upcoming zombie apocalypse.
The OP needs to forget the zombie gun and get a proper upland gun if he's serious about shooting small flying birds.
For upland use, I like 28" for SxS and 24" for pumps. YMMV.
YUP!! ....... Bbl length, proper swing, handling and choke selection are all important for any type of shotgun use including the upcoming zombie apocalypse.
The OP needs to forget the zombie gun and get a proper upland gun if he's serious about shooting small flying birds.
For upland use, I like 28" for SxS and 24" for pumps. YMMV.
I get the impression that the OP is a ground swatter and is not likely to be shooting birds on the wing.
There are two distinct camps in the upland bird game, those that NEVER shoot a sitting bird and those that NEVER shoot a flying bird... and then there are the hybrid hunters, of which I am one. I vastly prefer to shoot birds on the wing over a trained bird dog, but in the right circumstances (or rather the wrong circumstances for wingshooting), I am not above sniping birds with a .22, or sidling up to a flock of sharpies and putting the first one down on the ground and then following up and wingshooting the others. I enjoy the sporting nature of a classic hunt over a dog with a nice SXS or O/U, but I also like to eat grouse... fortunately with a limit of 10 per day, I can happily do both... also, spruce grouse generally don't give you a flushing option, either sitting still or flushing to the nearest branch and then sitting still... this is where a scoped .22 comes into play... the only people talking about shotguns with 14" barrels are from the "ground swatter" group, and purists, whether the voice it or not, find this practice distasteful. Having grown up hunting in Northern Ontario, I know the kinds of jokes made about the purists with their "expensive" dogs and "fancy" guns... around these parts, most only care about how many birds are in the bag, not how they got there.
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- Location
- Blaster land, Okanagan BC
Right on Hoyt, now I’m itching for sept. I look forward to grouse opening open more than the deer season opener I think, I will shoot them where ever they present themselves. On the ground, in a tree or the air. This year I’m going to try harder to connect with the .22, I missed every one I shot at with it last season lol.
