Upland gun barrel lengths
- Thread starter SuperCub
- Start date
The 25 inch SKB 100 20 is my love to hate favorite bush gun. It is a little too short for me and i swing it horribly. I have missed some open field pheasants where I literally looked around hoping no one was watching.
However, in thick early season brush when the Ruffies are flushing in family groups, it is magic. It is so light and fast it is on target and firing faster than I can bring most guns to shoulder. My dogs are flushers and this little gun is the difference maker.
Once the leaves are down, I like a little more weight and 28 inch barrels. I shoot a FAIR 20 O/U
Duck gun is longer yet with a 30" tube in front of an auto-loading receiver.
Two new bird guns in the safe this year that should be lots of fun. SKB 500 12 with 26" inch barrels IMP CYL/MOD. Not as fast as the 100 but I have been smashing clays with it and it should be devastating on Ruffies and released Pheasant. The other is an Iside 28 gauge with 28 inch barrels and a box full of chokes. I haven't been able to wipe the smile off my face since I purchased it and have been shooting it surprisingly well. AND a new Lab puppy as well, can't wait until September 1.
I prefer 20 gauge O/U and SXS guns with 28" barrels, I find they balance and swing best.... but I shoot 26" tubes just about as well. I have used many pump and semi's with 22"-26" barrels... in the woodcock thickets 28" barrels on pumps and semi's can be detrimental to the number of birds in the gamebag.
The 25 inch SKB 100 20 is my love to hate favorite bush gun. It is a little too short for me and i swing it horribly. I have missed some open field pheasants where I literally looked around hoping no one was watching.
However, in thick early season brush when the Ruffies are flushing in family groups, it is magic. It is so light and fast it is on target and firing faster than I can bring most guns to shoulder. My dogs are flushers and this little gun is the difference maker.
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Nice wood on that SKB.
BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
I think that grouse gun hunting in ME and NH just went on my bucket list!
leveractionjunkie
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Kamloops, BC
Grouse hunting in Ontario has been in my bucket list for a while now. One day I’m gonna get to it.
Turkeyslayer 1300
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Russell, Ontario
Looks like Hoyt has the right breed for the job. All though Black and white hunts best.
Love birdhunting over setters. Ptarmigan and ruffed grouse mostly. Do a fair bit of sporting clays and trapshooting as well. I use dedicated target guns for the"games". I shoot best with a 12 gauge Browning Citori Superlight with 26 inch barrels even at the sporting clays. Find it to light for volume shooting though so shoot a clay gun for that.If the dogs are going the superlight is as well.Trap is different though shoot 32 inch barrels but trapshooting is nothing like upland gunning. Like long lenght of pull for trap. All excuses for more shotguns.
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I think the OP was asking "I'm wondering what bbl length people favour for upland, mostly grouse and woodcock." No mentioning about choke assortments.
24" barrel on a straight grip BPS for Spruce and Ruffed Grouse in bush/forrest.
28" barrel Savage O/U for Ptarmigan in the alpine.
Hmm....., forgot about the "Woodcock". Sorry, but we don't hunt them here so I don't know what some would use for barrel length.
They don't look like being much of a meal anyway.
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The OP listed the chokes for every barrel noted. What’s your point? The comment 12 days ago was an unnecessary comment and trying to wriggle out of it now is the same. What you might have done is apologize to the OP, not try to show me up.
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I don't have to wriggle myself out of anything and what should I apologize for? I would not use any of the guns the OP listed - I have different preferences. Btw. you show yourself up with your assumptions which IMO simply do not contribute to the subject. Get a life and ease up dude.
Ease up dude? The subject was what length of barrel do you use. I answered that. You crapped on the guy's guns. Then took 12 more days to contribute to the subject. Look in the mirror.
The only assumption I made is you behaved like a #### in your original post. Don't know you, don't know if you are one....you probably aren't..... but your post was OT and dismissive. Not a big fan of needless OT rude posts. That's all. BTW, I wasn't the only one who thought that.
Finally, you understood the OP's question. You are going into a good direction!
But what is it about the name calling? ADHD vs ADD? You can deal with it! Don't give up...
RR out. Thanks.
26" on mine. It is actually a bit on the whippy side. On the other side of the coin, it is fast. I find that moving my hand far forward on the beavertail smooths out the swing significantly.
But it certainly does take some getting used to.
But it certainly does take some getting used to.
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beretta boy
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Orillia, Ontario
My grouse & woodcock hunting has spanned 50+ years in southern & central Ontario. I've used SxS's, O/U's, pumps & auto loaders. Barrel lengths from 20" to 32". I have, for the past dozen or so years, been using a 28" Union Armera (Grulla) SxS, double triggers, P of W grip with a splinter forend, choked .007" and .015" with either 24 gram, 7/8 oz. or 1 oz. loads, mostly 8's, sometimes 7-1/2's. It weighs just a tad under 7 lbs. and balances right through the hinge pin. It swings very smoothly, neither too fast nor to slow and is a pleasure to shoot.
If I were setting out to acquire "the perfect bird gun", it would likely be a 20 or 28 sidelock SxS with an English or straight stock, double triggers and splinter forend. It would be stocked rather high and have cast off, dimensioned to to suit me to a "T" , "0" pitch and a LOP of 14-3/8". Nice wood, well checkered and a case-coloured receiver. It would weigh about 6 lbs. if a 20 and a few ounces less if a 28, and balance right through the hinge pins. I could care less if it had ejectors, and actually prefer just extractors. I also prefer a raised game rib as opposed to a concave "swamped" rib. I'd order it with a full leather-covered pad. Choked about the same as my current 12 ... a tight Skeet/loose Imp. Cyl. and Light Modified.
Of course, your choices may vary.
If I were setting out to acquire "the perfect bird gun", it would likely be a 20 or 28 sidelock SxS with an English or straight stock, double triggers and splinter forend. It would be stocked rather high and have cast off, dimensioned to to suit me to a "T" , "0" pitch and a LOP of 14-3/8". Nice wood, well checkered and a case-coloured receiver. It would weigh about 6 lbs. if a 20 and a few ounces less if a 28, and balance right through the hinge pins. I could care less if it had ejectors, and actually prefer just extractors. I also prefer a raised game rib as opposed to a concave "swamped" rib. I'd order it with a full leather-covered pad. Choked about the same as my current 12 ... a tight Skeet/loose Imp. Cyl. and Light Modified.
Of course, your choices may vary.
leveractionjunkie
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Kamloops, BC
I’d go with what berretta boy listed as his ideal grouse and woodcock gun if I could pick my perfect gun
