doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Barrel Length - When Will The Pendulum Swing

Hi all, just wanted to get your thoughts on this subject. When I was younger, short bbls were all the rage for upland birds, you know, 26" for repeaters and no more than 28" for doubles (even this length was considered long). Now the current thinking is 28-30" bbls for hunting and 30-32" for SC.

I know that bbl length is a matter of personal choice just as other aspects of the sport (ST or DT, english or pistol grips, etc)

So when do you think the pendulum swing back to shorter bbls? Or will it?

Your thoughts.

All the best!!

Greg

Everything comes back into fashion sooner or later. I never thought bellbottoms would be back but they are.

For sporting clays I think 30" to 34" barrels are here to stay. I read somewhere not to long ago that Mr. Digweed has switched to 32" barrels. In the artical I read he stated 34" seem to start some sort of problems. He did not go into it.

As for hunting I would think it would really be dictated by your terrian and what you feel you shoot best. In the Northeast were I am from I duck hunt with 28" on my auto, and 30" on my double guns. Grouse and woodcock I use both a 28" and 30" barrel on depending on the gun I choose to take afield. When I am out west in open areas I really like the 30". However when I am in Southeast Alaska hunting I like the 28". Devils club and thick forest can be a pain to get thru with or without a gun. But once I am in the Muskage its pretty much open country. Duck hunting in SE Alaska I pretty much stick to my Auto. Its always wet and alot of times in and out of boats. But I have hunted the Juneau wetlands and Montana Creek on nicer days with my doubles. I like 30" barrels for hunting.

Just my opinion. Based on what I seem to shoot best. As for trends I don't think in sporting clays it will ever go below the 30" in general. I do not shoot skeet so I don't know about that.

Mike is right. Everything cycles. Remember a year or two ago when the 16 gauge was so popular and Remington came out with it in the 870? Now the popularity will slowly die out and you won't hear about it for another 20 years. And it was only a few years ago when "the shorter the better" for skeet barrels. Now people are going to longer barrels. Everything cycles. Even the VW bug and the two seater T-Bird came back, didn't they?

WW Greener figured that 29" was about ideal on a 12g; Woodwards figured on a similar thing.
I'm happy with something about there.

We shooters seem to be good at losing knowledge and then reinventing it, and going in faddish cycles: Black powder in many guises, use of damascus, particular cartridges, styles etc etc.
RG

Jimmy W,
Remember a year or two ago when the 16 gauge was so popular and Remington came out with it in the 870? Now the popularity will slowly die out and you won't hear about it for another 20 years.

This isn't true, the 16 gauge is more popular than ever, and it continues to grow every year. More guns are be chambered for it, more shells and loading components are being made for it.
The 16 will never die!

Reminton shot themselves in the foot bringing the 16 ga. 870 on a 12 ga. frame. Had they brought it out on it's own frame or the 20 ga. frame I think a lot of us 16 ga. fans would have bought one. How many of us remember the 36" and even 38" goose guns of the 50s? Somewhere in my storage of parts I have a Marlin Model 120 38" barrel, gun was given to a grandson, who didn't want that barrel, had several others. I killed geese with that particular gun but always shooting it with a 28" barrel. For myself 28"s on pumps and autos is adequate, SxSs and O/Us 30"s.

If people put the money and time they spend reading gun mags and worrying about gun trends into actually shooting, they'd know the barrel lengths best for them. Shoot what works for you.

The trend has never really swung - 28" being the shortest of the lot and 30" near perfect.

One can only figure out what works for them, not anyone else. My SXSs are 30 only because I could not get anything longer. With a long stock I want the longest barrels possible to make it balance like I like it.

How can someone that is 5'1" with a 13" stock tell someone that is 6'5" with a 17" stock that no one needs anything longer than 28" bbls.

There are small females(highly successful) shooting 34" guns.

I think that the longer barrels are better if one is more to stop thier guns than it is for them not be able to catch up to a bird.

My skeet gun has 32 bbls and weighs 10 lbs 10 oz, if I had the money I would try some 34s. If I ever get another sporting gun it will be 34"s

I read that article by Digweed. I seem to remember that he liked 32s for sporting but did use 34"s when shooting birds.

The short barrel craze was started to sell more guns. I do not think that shorter barrels will ever be popular in competition guns again. Scores are higher now than ever and some of that is due to the equipment improvements, one of these improvements was longer barrels.