Recommended barrel length for general use?

irRegularGuy646

irRegularGuy646

New member
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I'm thinking of getting a pumpgun at some point in the near future, and since I'm a fan of the "buy-once-cry-once" mentality it's ideally gonna be a Mossberg 590. The one problem is that i hear it's damn near impossible to find replacement barrels even if they're easy to change. I was told that for hunting you want a minimum of a 20+ inch barrel, but the longest I can find for a 590 is 20". Thoughts or advice?
 
I'm seeing posts say that 20+ inch barrels just makes aiming for some types of hunting easier so i'm mostly wondering if i really need a super long barrel or if an ~18 inch "tactical" shotgun would still work okay for everything
 
Pretty much all the powder will be burnt up in the first 18" of barrel. 20" barrels work fine. If you need choke tubes thats another issue. When I shoulder my shotguns and look down the rib I can't tell the difference between 18" and 32" visually. My main do everything gun is a beretta 1301 comp with a 21" and it works just fine
 
Overall I want a 28” (a 26 a little less desirable) waterfowl mostly. At the skeet range those short pumps do not turn in the high scores. Had some young guys shooting sporting with a tact shotgun. Did poorly. With a few pointers and a spotting shotgun the not only shot better but had more fun.
 
brybenn said:
Pretty much all the powder will be burnt up in the first 18" of barrel. 20" barrels work fine. If you need choke tubes thats another issue. When I shoulder my shotguns and look down the rib I can't tell the difference between 18" and 32" visually. My main do everything gun is a beretta 1301 comp with a 21" and it works just fine
Click to expand...

There is really no one size fits all in any style of gun I have found but if I had to choose a single shotgun to get as close to it as possible the 21" 1301 (Pro) Comp would probably be it.
 
Personally, I prefer a 28" barrel on a pump action, semi auto, or SxS, or O/U field gun. I just prefer the way that they swing, as I don't swing a short barrel as smoothly, and just don't shoot them as well.
 
irRegularGuy646 said:
I'm seeing posts say that 20+ inch barrels just makes aiming for some types of hunting easier so i'm mostly wondering if i really need a super long barrel or if an ~18 inch "tactical" shotgun would still work okay for everything
Click to expand...
well aiming a shotgun for hunting i guess if your hunting gophers or four legged creatures in general that's fine but you don't aim a shotgun at flying objects
many supearior shotguns out on the maker to a mossberg
 
Why not just buy a Mossberg 500 combo with a 28” barrel and an 18 1/2” barrel?
The 590 is a fantastic shotguns but a bit limited in its uses due to not being threaded for chokes. I think the 590S may be threaded for chokes, but not positive?
If it was my only shotgun I would definitely buy a combo, the 28” threaded barrel is necessary in my opinion and the 18 1/2” tactical barrel is great for those fun days 😊
 
brybenn said:
Pretty much all the powder will be burnt up in the first 18" of barrel. 20" barrels work fine. If you need choke tubes thats another issue. When I shoulder my shotguns and look down the rib I can't tell the difference between 18" and 32" visually. My main do everything gun is a beretta 1301 comp with a 21" and it works just fine
Click to expand...

Be careful of this advice. brybenn is a seriously good shot and will do extremely well with just about any shotgun he picks up.

Most find a longer barrel helps smooth out the swing of the barrels, minimizing unconsciously stopping the barrels when you pull the trigger. That said, every choice of length is a compromise in one direction or another. While conceptually I like the idea of an all rounder, in practice I think there is such variety of shooting situations (what game, environment, particular sport, defense) that different lengths/guns makes more sense than it may seem.
 
irRegularGuy646 said:
I'm seeing posts say that 20+ inch barrels just makes aiming for some types of hunting easier so i'm mostly wondering if i really need a super long barrel or if an ~18 inch "tactical" shotgun would still work okay for everything
Click to expand...

Also, in the grand scheme of things, 18" tactical barrels are way more on the side of short than 28" barrels are on the side of long. The vast majority of shotgun barrel length in NA are between 26" and 30".
 
I don't knwo if you are married to the mossberg, but maybe look inot an 870 (or clone) for barrel options. They are super easy to switch, just make sure ou don't buy a police model where the ring is in a different spot
 
canvasback said:
Be careful of this advice. brybenn is a seriously good shot and will do extremely well with just about any shotgun he picks up.

Most find a longer barrel helps smooth out the swing of the barrels, minimizing unconsciously stopping the barrels when you pull the trigger. That said, every choice of length is a compromise in one direction or another. While conceptually I like the idea of an all rounder, in practice I think there is such variety of shooting situations (what game, environment, particular sport, defense) that different lengths/guns makes more sense than it may seem.
Click to expand...
I have 12.5" to 32" i could never choose only 1. However I shoot best with barrels ranging from 20"-26"
I prefer 26" on doubles (so keep telling ppl they're no good so I can get them cheaper) and 21 to 23" on autos and pumps
My style of shooting is fast and I shoot low gun. I grew up shooting divers on big water from a floating blind

Canvasback is right in that a longer barrel is often harder to stop and the weight out front makes for a smoother swing to some. Theres different ways to achieve balance. I prefer the most weight between my hands while others often older slower shooters prefer the weight out on each end thus the trend for longer and longer barrels with added weight systems.
Each game or sport will dictate whats best and no one can answer that question for you but yourself
The 590 is nice but its heavy. I've beat on 500s over the years and have never broke one yet. Extra barrels are easy to come by for the 500s as well

Chances are you won't stop at just one shotgun
 
guntech said:
I could do everything I would want to do, with a 26 inch barrel with an improved cylinder choke. Lead on upland birds and steel on ducks and geese.
Click to expand...

guntech said:
I could do everything I would want to do, with a 26 inch barrel with an improved cylinder choke. Lead on upland birds and steel on ducks and geese.
Click to expand...
I use an 870 and a 58 Remington with a 26 inch skeet barrel on everything except turkeys. I agree with guntech.
 
Hyllar said:
I don't knwo if you are married to the mossberg, but maybe look inot an 870 (or clone) for barrel options. They are super easy to switch, just make sure ou don't buy a police model where the ring is in a different spot
Click to expand...
mossberg barrels are easy to swap too it's just that i'm hearing that additional barrels are hard to come by. remington's QC apparently took a nose dive a while back so mossberg shotguns are the gold standard of pump shotguns now.
edgy said:
Why not just buy a Mossberg 500 combo with a 28” barrel and an 18 1/2” barrel?
The 590 is a fantastic shotguns but a bit limited in its uses due to not being threaded for chokes. I think the 590S may be threaded for chokes, but not positive?
If it was my only shotgun I would definitely buy a combo, the 28” threaded barrel is necessary in my opinion and the 18 1/2” tactical barrel is great for those fun days 😊
Click to expand...
I'm not really seeing any options for multi barrel combos for the 500 or 590 on the gun store websites i look through though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom