11-87 SPS 26" or 28"

Dillier23 · Post by **Dillier23** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 7:59 am

What are the advantages of a 26 in barrel over a 28 in barrel and visa versa. I'm Looking into getting a new shotgun, and would appreciate the information.

Wagonmaster · Post by **Wagonmaster** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 9:00 am

the longer barrels, out to 32" to 34" depending on the individual, are more stable, meaning the barrels don't jump all over when you mount the shotgun. there is no practical advantage to shorter barrels such as 26". the weight savings is negligible, an ounce or two per two inches of barrel, and they are whippy, meaning the barrels do jump all over the place when you mount the shotgun.

there is no significant difference in velocity or recoil, that is dictated by the weight of the gun and the cartridge.

Post by **ezzy333** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 11:46 am

One place the shorter barrels are nice is in the grouse woods where something small and light is easier to manage.

Ezzy

Wagonmaster · Post by **Wagonmaster** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 11:57 am

hey ezzy, i agreed with you twice yesterday, so maybe i can get away with mildly disagreeing today. we hunt alot of grouse here. many people go to 24's thinking the shorter barrels won't whack a tree when they swing. but a few inches one way or the other on a barrel does not help that. and in my experience, given that most grouse shots are quick snap shots or no shot at all, the short barreled guns are very poor at that. you can get the gun up a tad faster with the short barrels, but the barrels are just all over the place. you can't hit if the barrels are pointing in the wrong direction. on an O/U i use minimum 28" barrels in the woods, and prefer 30 or 32, but they are hard to find. (i say "on an O/U because the receiver on an auto or pump effectively lengthens the barrels by about 6") someone else could sure do it differently. that is just my opin.

Buckeye_V · Post by **Buckeye_V** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 12:17 pm

a 24" barrel for turkey and deer is advantageous. Other than that, the 28" barrel is hard to beat for all-around performance.

Bird Dog 67 · Post by **Bird Dog 67** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 12:20 pm

ezzy333 wrote:One place the shorter barrels are nice is in the grouse woods where something small and light is easier to manage.

Ezzy

AMEN!!!

Also I don't find that the 26" barrel is any more or less jumpy than 28" barrels. As with any firearm the more you practice the more proficient you become with it.

Post by **Ayres** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 1:40 pm

I prefer the 26". Just preference. I really haven't noticed any difference when shooting longer or shorter barreled guns as to the ability to mount the gun quickly. I have thought about the extra inches in thicker cover (26" vs. 32" is a half a foot!), but in reality most of the time when in thick cover you're not swinging your gun around horizontally to get knocked on a tree. You might swing on a shot, though. Situations where a 6" difference in bbl length would make a difference on shot selection are probably pretty rare though. Just speculating.

Chaingang · Post by **Chaingang** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 8:41 pm

This has kind of derailed from the original post, but as long as everyone is giving there .02 I might as well give mine. How the gun is balanced plays a big part in how stable the gun is when mounting and swinging on a bird. Not enough weight forward and the barrel becomes whippy regardless of the barrel length. Too much forward and the gun swings like a club. John also made the point of autoloader vs O/U. Generally a 26" autoloader has roughly the same overall length of a 28" over/under, 28" auto and 30 O/U etc... Most double guns are usually much better balanced front/back. Better balance easier pointing ability. I have shot a fair amount of sporting over the past 15 years, when I started I used a 28" O/U. Now days I use a 32" O/U. We shoot a vast array of targets many in tight quarter wooded shooting lanes. I find that the longer barrels are more accurate pointers on all but perhaps the closest in your face targets. Not saying I would recommend 32" barrels for hunting as you still have to lug it around all day, just making a few points on the relationship between gun balance and pointability.

Longer barrels may not be for everyone as one's stature plays a part in right barrel length also.

gundogguru · Post by **gundogguru** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 8:51 pm

I know 26 inch barrels in a duck boat hurt your hunting partners ears. I have a friend that hunts with 1 and that thing kills me when we are hunting out of a boat.

Post by **Ayres** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 9:49 pm

gundogguru wrote:I know 26 inch barrels in a duck boat hurt your hunting partners ears. I have a friend that hunts with 1 and that thing kills me when we are hunting out of a boat.

Really? I would never have guessed that a 2" bbl length difference could make such an audible impact. Interesting!

If I were shooting in a duck blind, though, I'd probably throw in some of those frequency ear plugs that muffle blasts but generally allow normal conversation.

And, as far as the thread derailing, well it's all in perspective. We've laid out some disadvantages and advantages, so now we're relating experiences on the real-world authenticy of those oft claimed differences. In other words, I think it's still on subject.

ckfowler · Post by **ckfowler** » Fri Jun 09, 2006 8:26 am

I have a 21" bbl on my BPS, use it for pheasant, grouse, quail, turkey, and duck. It balances nicely for me at that length and guns with longer barrels are rough for me. My sxs has 24" bbls and feels longer than the BPS beeacause of weight distribution but really isn't. Try a few and see what swings for you.