Looking for new gun. What does the length of the barrel have to do with. Is shorter or longer have any benafits for say duck,goose or dove hunting.

the longer the barrel, the longer the sighting plane and more importantly, the better the swing

shorter barrels tend to be more "whippy" because they are lighter and the balance point on the gun itself is further back

buy the longest barrels you can and you won't be disappointed (and you'll find resale is easier, too)

I think 28" is this best barrel length to go with if you are looking for a good all around gun. Burntorange is right that the only impact barrel length has is making the sighting plane longer/shorter. A short barrel doesn't really impact the pattern like many believe.

Agree with all the above, I went through the same decision process when I got my SBEII 3 years ago and decided on 28 inch. An all clay gun would lean to a longer barrel, and duck gun would lean to a shorter barrel. But at the end of the day, get what you like and which barrel length swings better and feels better for you. But 28 inch is a safe bet tho.

See what length swings and feels best for you.

Don't let um fool you none if these guys have a 28inch barrel. lol!!

Seriously though, All info above is good info!

28" is best all around

I agree my SBE II has a 28" and its perfect. What guns are you looking to purchase?

X2

In a shotgun barrel length doesn't make enough difference to warrant making a decision on a gun based upon barrel length. You need to pick up a few different lengths and figure out which one is your favorite.

On a 3" gun I like a 28" barrel but on a 3.5 inch gun I like the 26" barrel and on o/u's I like 32" barrels. So it is just personal preference and sightplane, patterning, etc there isn't enough difference to warrant which one you need to pick. Just get what you like.

I got an old 1100 with a 30 and I can't shoot straight with anything else! I'm not bad with it though.

Like the guys say, whatever feels good to you.

Like everyone has said sight plane and swing are the biggest things u will notice. One thing to consider is over all length for example i have an over and under with 30's and a SBE2 with 28" and the SBE is much longer. I suggest shooting as many diffrent guns as you can and get what fits.

Thanks for the thoughts. It seams that the only place I can check a gun is at the store so I can't do to much. Just mounting it and checking that my face lines up and ballance is ok. I guess I'm not sure what I should feel when swinging it. most hunting done is dove but I hope to do duck hunting this season and may be a goose hunt.

like you have always heard. when you find the right one you will know it.

x2

28 for what you're doing. If you hunt Upland consider 26. If you shoot trap or clays 30+ gets the nod. Just my thoughts.