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Ask the Instructor: Barrel Length

Barrel Length

 

When I first started shooting skeet 40 years ago, everyone shot a 26-inch barrel. Now 28-, 30-, 32- and even 34-inch are the popular lengths. My sporting clays guns have 28- and 30-inch barrels. What is the difference in breaking targets? My 28-inch will reach out as far as needed for standard targets. Is the sighting plane or lead different with a longer barrel?

 

Ballistically speaking, there is no difference in shooting a shotgun with a 28-inch barrel length versus a 34-inch barrel except that the wad and shot exit the barrel 6 inches earlier. The decision on barrel length is situational and should be based on three factors in order of descending importance:

  1. Proportionality and balance of your shotgun. Balance is important because it determines how your shotgun moves. A properly balanced shotgun puts the shotgun’s center of gravity between your hands, usually at the hinge pin. Shooting with a well-balanced shotgun will enable you to move the gun more naturally and efficiently to the target with less physical effort.
  2. Your chosen shooting discipline. If you are more of a skeet shooter or quail hunter, you may want to consider shorter barrels (28 inches, for example). A shorter barrel is slightly easier to swing for closer or less predictable targets. Barrel lengths tend to be longer in sporting clays, driven bird, duck and goose hunting than in skeet or quail hunting, for example.
  3. What you are accustomed to. Here is where the discussion of sight plane and sight picture arises. Even though we don’t look at the rib or consciously aim our shotgun at moving targets, every shooter has a subconscious sight picture — the brain’s subconscious view of the barrel-target relationship. Throughout our years of shooting a shotgun at moving targets, our brain amasses a subconscious database of images with different barrel-target relationships at different target speeds and distances. If you decide to change shotguns or barrel length, you will need to allow your brain time to adapt.

So, increase your practice time and shoot lots of targets for the first couple of months after changing guns or barrel length.

Don Currie is NSCA’s Chief Instructor, an Orvis Wingshooting School instructor, and Master Class competitor. To get free shooting tips and videos, sign up for his monthly newsletter.  You can also see more tips from Currie at www.doncurrie.com.

Posted on

Ask the Instructor: Barrel Length

Barrel Length

 

I am considering moving up to 32-inch barrels from 30-inch barrels. Most of the shooters at my club now shoot with 32-inch barrels.
What are the pros and cons of moving to a longer barrel?

 

With all other factors being equal (shell, load, etc.), there is no appreciable advantage in shooting a shotgun with a 34-inch or 32-inch barrel length over one with a 30-inch barrel. In recent years, the trend has been toward longer barrel lengths without regard to the size and height of the shooter or balance of the shotgun. This is a mistake, in my opinion. This trend is more fad than function.

For a sporting clays shooter, the proportionality and balance of your shotgun should be your primary criteria for determining barrel length. A shotgun that is properly balanced puts the center of gravity of the gun between your hands so you are able to move the shotgun naturally and efficiently to the target with less physical effort. If you are more of a skeet shooter, shorter in stature (under 5’10”) or have a length of pull (LOP) of 14¼ inches or less, you might want to consider sticking with the 30-inch barrels. With a shorter stock and a longer barrel (32-inch or 34-inch), your gun will be slightly out of proportion, with more weight toward the front. If, on the other hand, the LOP of your gun is 14½ inches or longer, you might be quite pleased with a 32-inch barrel.

If you decide to convert to a longer barrel length, shoot lots of targets with your new gun and allow yourself some conversion time. Your subconscious sight picture will change slightly, so you should increase your practice time for a couple of months in order to adapt to this new barrel length.

Don Currie is NSCA’s Chief Instructor, an Orvis Wingshooting School instructor, and Master Class competitor. To get free shooting tips and videos, sign up for his monthly newsletter.  You can also see more tips from Currie at www.doncurrie.com.