Greg, I don't think that pendulum is going to swing again. There were a few reasons short barrels (especially on sxs, but also on OU's and even on pumps and autos) were popular in the past. Mr. Churchill sold a fair number of Brits on his 25" barrel concept, which if nothing else was a clever marketing ploy--because almost no one else was making 25" barrels at that time. (He also fit those barrels with a rib of a unique design, which was supposed to give the illusion of longer barrels. Well, if it's supposed to give the illusion of longer barrels, doesn't that mean longer barrels must have some advantage? Never quite figured that one out.) But more than anything else, especially for American shooters, skeet sold the public on relatively short barrels. There was a time--not all that long ago--when virtually all skeet guns had 26" barrels. And since skeet (which was created by grouse hunters) is an attempt to replicate shots often seen in upland hunting, it only made sense that upland hunters figured the short barrels--if not the heavier weight of most skeet guns--made sense for them too. The final factor in the popularity of short barrels had to do with the fact that back before screw-ins were popular--and they still aren't as popular in sxs as they are in OU's, pumps and autos--if you wanted open chokes on most mass-produced guns, the only way to get them from the factory was to order your gun with short barrels. The usual combinations were 26" IC/M; 28" M/F. Certainly for most upland hunting, IC/M is a better choice. And pretty much the same thing was true with an OU, pump or auto. To get the more open choke(s), you had to go with the shorter barrel(s).
Greg, if you like short barrels, take advantage of the fact that used "shorties" often cost less than the same gun with longer barrels. And the reason I don't think the trend will reverse itself, at least not any time soon, is because the "new" clay game--again, supposedly created to mimic hunting--is sporting clays. And the trend in sporting clays is to longer barrels, not shorter ones.
Finally, I agree with the comment about ignoring the trend. Buy and shoot whatever works best for you.
Last edited by L. Brown; 05/18/08 06:51 PM.
