Which Barrell for which game?

lildave

lildave

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All,
I am looking to purchase a shotgun, but would like to buy one that I can change the barrells on to suit the needs of the hunt. I hunt with various individuals all using different stuff.

Can you advise some makes, that offer exchangeable barrells?
I want it CAMO. Semi preferred, but pump is ok too.

The next question I give you is, what barrell length for which game ( and why ).

Deer - rifled barrel ( one area we hunt is shotgun only for deer )
Geese - ?
Ducks - ?
Turkey -?


I know this is probably personal preference, which is why I ask why you chose the barrell length, what is the benefit of the length of barrell you suggest?

Thanks in advance for the comments.

Dave.
 
What shotgun(s) did you have in mind?

You could do well for all 4 types of game mentioned above with one smoothbore bbl, let's say 28 inch using appropriate chokes.

The range for deer, I am afraid will be kinda restricted i.e. upto effectively 50 yds as a norm maybe a little better if you are using a rifled choke. Obviously, the 28" bbl will be a hindrance if you are doggin in the bush.

The 28" bbl for Turkey may just be a slight bit of hinderance IMHO only in terms of manuevering but NOT a show stopper in any manner.

Your other option (my personal preference) would be to get a rifled bbl 22-24" (i.e. in a combo) where you may add a scope or stick to irons. This would enable you to reach out to 100+yds with sabots.
 
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The idea I have is to have a rifled barrel for deer, and another barrel with removeable chokes for the rest if possible. This is why I asked what length of barrells are used for what game?

Could I get away with a 26" for ducks and geese, and also use it for Turkey, or is that too short for ducks and geese?

What should I be looking at as a minimum length for ducks and geese?

I like the Browning, but I think the only semi they have is the "silver" series.
Remington has combo units with a rifled barrel, and smooth bores with chokes, but what is the right one for me....

decisions decisions....

DAve
 
lildave said:
Could I get away with a 26" for ducks and geese, and also use it for Turkey, or is that too short for ducks and geese?

What should I be looking at as a minimum length for ducks and geese?

I like the Browning, but I think the only semi they have is the "silver" series.
Remington has combo units with a rifled barrel, and smooth bores with chokes, but what is the right one for me....DAve
Click to expand...

IMHO, a 26" smoothbore is always an excellent compromise when it comes to both Waterfowl and Upland (and Turkey).

If budget permits, I'd strongly recommend an SBE II or M2 + a rifled bbl for that.....frankly, you wouldn't need anything else based on the hunting conditions stated :)....It'd be a one time (higher in comparison) investment but absolutely worth it in the long term. Benellis are extremely simple to maintain.
 
lildave said:
Could I get away with a 26" for ducks and geese, and also use it for Turkey, or is that too short for ducks and geese?
Click to expand...
26" in a pumpgun or semiauto is perfect for waterfowl. It's about the same overall length as an O/U with 28" bbls and handles much the same. The new shotgun bbls are heavier to accomodate screw tubes, so they still have enough weight forward to swing properly.

I've used 26s in an 870 for waterfowl for about 15yrs.

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I shoot a 26" 870 for all except deer as I only hunt them with a muzzleloader. I think the weight should be a factor along with how much you want to spend. A friend bought a 23" turkey 870 and uses it for coyotes, turkey, geese, ducks, crows, etc.
 
26" seems to be the best overall and thats what i have on my 870 super mag. with practise you can hit a moving target with any length barrel;)

but if you hunt in thick cover and often have to plow through some thick bush it might be better to get a shorter barrel. the barrel on my 870 has marks on it towards the end from hitting so many trees when im plowing through really thick stuff. if it were 18" or 20" it wouldnt hit barely anytime. its a cheap gun so i beat on it:D

the 870's have a huge assortment of barrels and are easy to find.
 
Ahsan Ahmed said:
I'd strongly recommend an SBE II or M2 + a rifled bbl for that.
Click to expand...

I was looking at these shotguns and that is the difference? The M2 seems to be $300 cheaper but what is the difference?
 
The M2 is a 3" gun, while the SBE2 is a 3.5" gun.

A 26" barrel and a slug barrel would be a great combo for everything. Remington 870's come in a combo and would be about a quarter of the price of a Benelli.
 
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