Upland Hunting and Barrel Length

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tim_up_north

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What kind of barrel lengths are folks here hunting Upland birds with. I understand the cover and terrain have much to do with short vs. long. I'm curious to see if all things being equal would you go with a shorter barrel for those quick shots, or something longer for the smooth swing it gives...

Does anyone have insight as to the pro's or con's for the short vs. long barrel?

If it matters, as an aside, I never shoot perched or sitting birds with a shotgun...if I want chicken that easily I'll go to the store...lol

Regards
 
Depends on the upland game bird. Pheasant & sharptails are generally in the open, so a lightning quick swing isn't necessary. Ruffies & woodcock are moving up down left right all at once sometimes, so you don't want something muzzle heavy. Too light on the muzzle can also be a problem as you can very easily stop the barrels when you get on target - you know what'll happen next.

If you've got a pump/semi with a 30" barrel, you're going to have a tougher time working through the bush after grouse. But it'll do fine for sharptail.

What is just as important is balance of the whole gun. A light game double may have the right balance for you with 30" barrels, whereas a pump with a steel receiver and shorter stock may require a 24" barrel.

That all being said, 26" and 28" barrels seem to be the most common, regardless of action type. I know some guys are using 'tactical' or defense shotguns with 18" barrels for grouse, but I've no experience at all with how those handle. Throw gauge into the mix and it all changes. A 12 ga with 26" barrels may seen perfect, but a 28 ga. @ 26" may be too butt-heavy.

I recommend you buy a bunch of different guns; actions, gauges, barrel lengths, makes, and see what feels good to you. :dancingbanana:
 
I've chased upland birds with barrels from 18" to 32" and prefer longer barrels. On a breaking gun I like a minimum of 28 inches whether in the open fields or the bush and wouldn't complain about a 30" gun. The 32" gun was a bit unweildy in heavy cover although did well in open fields.

On a semi-auto or pump gun I like 26" to 28" because of the longer action a 30" repeater becomes a bit cumbersome to carry.

Grouse Man's advice about the balance is very good. You want something balanced between your hands so you can mount if quickly and smoothly with enough forward weight to keep your swing momentum. FWIW, I found a tendency to just poke and pray when I used very short barrels.
 
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I just started using my 18" tactical for Grouse lately. The shorter barrel length works good in heavy cover. In the field I prefer my 26" over/under 20g. or my 28" side by side 12g.
 
Grouse hunting is similar to skeet shooting...26" was std. for years, now shooters are discovering that their scores go up with longer barrels, a smoother swing and better follow through are the result. I like a min. of 28" on my field doubles.
 
from 12" (the 410 backpacker) ro 28" (the maximum for a pump, but maybe 30" for a double) all should work.

the longer the bbl, the less you're likely to wear earplugs. Please o not shoot the short ones without them.:redface:
 
Grouse Man said:
. I recommend you buy a bunch of different guns; actions, gauges, barrel lengths, makes, and see what feels good to you. :dancingbanana:
Click to expand...

Now that is a statement for all times :D :D

IMHO, for Upland needs, a 26" bbl (on a o/u or sxs) would be a good compromise. On the other hand, you would also find autos with a 26" bbl that are equal to the overall length of a breech-loading shotgun with a 28" bbl i.e. if you were planning on including waterfowl as well.
 
I purchased a 20ga model 870 Youth model with 21" barrel.
I've extended the stock by 1" with a slip on recoil pad. So far so good.

Lately I've been thinking of bumping the whole works to 12ga. I like the 12ga BPS upland 23" barrel and the WInchester 1300 upland 24" barrel but I am getting a little heavy with shotguns.

So I was thinking one platform with differnet barrels. So now I'm looking at getting a 12ga 870 Turkey special with a 21" barrel and getting a 28" for waterfowl. Either way I prefer to get a 3 1/2" gun for max flexability.

Would like to do in a semi-auto platform but I am having trouble putting together a 3 1/2" package with the available barrels. The 11-87 Uplang looks nice but its 3"

Any insights appreciated..
 
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