22 in barrel

My wife thought she might try Duck hunting next year with me and the 12 gauge is alittle much for her, so I have a chance at a Mossberg 20 gauge with a 22 inch barrel. I see people with 24, 26, inch barrel but never 22 inch how would that be. I ask because a buddy say's a 28 or 30 will shoot farther ? I don't really believe that and my brother say's barrel length make's no difference at all. What do yall say about this ?

Makes no difference on how far it will shoot.

I really didn't think so just wanted some other opinion's.
Thank's Hayraker for the reply

I think the longer the more accurate the farther away they are meaning it will stay in a tighter group the longer the barrel

Longer barrel puts more weight further out, helps the gun swing through more consistently. Harder to jerk it around.

Biggest downside to me is they are louder. Boom comes out closer to your head.

Shorter barrels will kick harder and be much louder.

She might not like it

Get a 28 gauge with 26 inch

I have thatin the Ruger Red Label O/U. It is my favorite shotgun over all others on this planet.

With modern loads barrel length makes no difference to the loads that are being shot as long as it's at least 15-17 inches (I read the exact amount a while ago but can't remember). The only real difference is the balance, swing, and overall feel of the shotgun.

no

if it's long enough for the ammo to reach full velocity and the choke is the same the barrel length has nothing to do with how tight a pattern is.

Leave it to a bunch of guys to argue about length

If it makes no difference in barrel length then why would they have different lengths? Of course it matters. Longer barrel equals a smoother swing and a tighter pattern at increased distances. 22'' is pretty short but will probably do the trick if you can get the ducks within 30 yards. If its a good bargain, go with it. You can always buy her a better gun later down the line. Good luck!

Sorry drake but you are wrong!! If your theory were correct we would all be toting 40in barreled guns, and the invention of interchangeable chokes would be comedy!! Modern technology has produced faster burning powders! The old powders required longer barrels to get maximum burn! Your charge in any new round has "blown its load" within 10in of clearing plastic! Now it's up to the choke to constrict the pattern to its desired diameter! HINTS the name "choke"

get the gun if it is a good deal, if she likes shooting ducks get a better gun later. pattern the gun after you get it though.

false

Best bet in my opinion would to get her a 20 gauge with a 26 inch barrel. Let her hold the gun first and swing it, heck she might like the 28 inch better.

Reason I say 20 gauge is because the ammo is pretty dang easy to find. Where you can find 12 gauge ammo you can usually find 20 gauge ammo.

A 20 gauge is a soft gun, if little kids can shoot them I'm sure your wife will be fine.

The length of the barrel has nothing to do with velocity or range. It's all about feel, weight and the swing. Think about a lot of turkey guns, they are usually 24" barrels. They are easier to hold up for a longer period of time, a little more compact and they smack turkeys 40, 50, and 60 yards WITH THE RIGHT LOAD AND CHOKE.

So are you saying that a 20'' barrel with a modified choke would shoot the same pattern as a 30'' barrel with a modified choke at 40 yards on the same gun shooting the same load? If so, I'd like to see actual proof of this.

Well there will be 10"s of difference.

I shot an 11-87 for years with a 20" barrel (result of a bulged barrel, had it cut down and choked)it shot fine and was hell on close quarters decoy work.

This debate always separates the weekend shooters from the lets study the nuts and bolts of why it shoots shooters. I'm sorry to those that have taken the time to study this. I know I am preaching to the choir to y'all. Barrel length with modern ammo means no real ballistic difference in FPS, or overall shot pattern. Short barrels swing easier. This accounts for the faster snap style shooting. They have a by nature a short sight plane, which closes the margin of error on long shots. Longer barrels swing slower, tend to swing flatter, and help with the follow through. They give a longer sight plain. This helps greatly with keeping your shooting eye in line with the target. (Best example I can think of is if you are leveling your house will you use a six inch pocket level to check the floor or will you want to use a 6 foot level to check progress.) This is how the misconception started that longer shotguns can hit winged fowl at greater distances. If all things are equal a 22" barrel will shoot the same pattern at 30 yards as 28" barrel will at 29 yards,2 feet, and 6 inches if measured from the end of each guns chamber.

Being serious?

Why then are trap barrels so long? Where skeet barrels tend yo be shorter?

Because of the swing, site, and overall feel of the shotguns.

I use citiori featherlite with 24" barrels, so it handles like a 20" barrel and no issues. Infact its my favorite shotgun unless im at the coast. .... citori and salt not good mix


I wouldn't worry about barrel length and worry more about weight and it fitting her

Yes what those guys said.

She looked at the gun, held it, shouldered it, swung it around, worked the pump, and said she liked it and it felt good, so she has it !!! We will see what happen's this fall. Of course we will do alot of shooting between now and then !!!

Congrats. ... your hunting just tripled in price. .. but its worth it

Not all together true about barrel length not making a difference. The new Hyper-sonic loads using Aliiant Steel powder don't completely burn until 30 inches or so. The pattern is governed by the choke size, larger bore sizes increase the length of the shot string making longer shots easier. therefore the myth about 3.5 12 guns being equal to 3.5 10 gauges is bs

one of the biggest myths in the world is the 3.5 12 gauge gun. Ballistics show the 3 12 hit the target with as many pellets as 3.5. Its not what it leaves the barrel with it is what hits the target.