Super Nova

[Alexandro Faria]

Ladies and gents, I have the option to add a pump action to my arsenal. I already have a 20 gauge sp1 for clays and "formal" shoots.

This will be a utility firearm- waterfowl, pigs, pigeons and the odd hare/guineafowl.

I need help on barrel length: 26 or 28"??? I doubt it'll make a huge difference, but I'd like to hear what you have to say...

Cheers

 

[Graham Hunter]

28" is by far the most popular. A longer barrel swings easier and barrel placement is easier to judge on crossing shot like Ducks and Geese. 26" and shorter are commonly used for Upland such as Quail where your shots will be quick and most often going away.

 

[thriller]

Ladies and gents, I have the option to add a pump action to my arsenal. I already have a 20 gauge sp1 for clays and "formal" shoots.

This will be a utility firearm- waterfowl, pigs, pigeons and the odd hare/guineafowl.

I need help on barrel length: 26 or 28"??? I doubt it'll make a huge difference, but I'd like to hear what you have to say...

Cheers

I like a longer barrel with many of my guns being 28 inch 30 inch and one in 32 inch. It just feels nicer shooting and I shoot better with a longer barrel your preference matters most but I would lean towards a longer one.

 

[meigsbucks]

You’ve had a couple of votes for the 28”. I’m going to go against the grain and vote 26”. I like a longer barrel for pheasant and waterfowl, but for closer quicker shooting, I prefer a 26”. It just seems to feel lively and quicker to target FOR ME.

 

[CoElkHunter]

I like 28" barrels on my shotguns for pheasant and dove hunting. A slightly longer sighting plane seems to work better for me. But then again, I also prefer semi auto shotguns for either shooting heavier loads and/or multiple boxes of shells when dove hunting. It's not necessarily a speed thing, but more for a comfortable (less recoil) hunting experience when potentially shooting multiple shells throughout a hunting day?

 

[Alexandro Faria]

Cheers all, appreciate the input. Decision made, papers will be handed in on Friday and hopefully I'll have her before year end.

 

[curtism1234]

Just to add to the discussion, I prefer the 26". I feel like the gun comes up faster. My next shotgun is going to be a 20ga 870 compact with their shorter lop and 21" barrel - it still offers a good swing

 

[Saul]

I prefer 28" on 12 gauges and 30" on 20 gauges.

Edit: It more depends on your style of shooting. If you swing through your birds, then the 28+" i s probably best. If you are going to track or ambush the bird then the 26" might be a little faster to the mark.

 

[dmyers]

I like the 26. More versatile. For waterfowl just screew an longer extendend choke - looks cool and puts those inches back on with a twist. For turkey and upland, the 26 is better.

 

[CoElkHunter]

I’ve been thinking about this thread and not only the length of barrels, but lop. I’ve never been “fitted” for a shotgun length of pull, but when I put a stock to my shoulder I know if it “feels “ right or not? I have longer arms, so I need a longer lop in a stock which isn’t easy to find. Maybe that’s why I prefer the longer barrels in both shotguns AND rifles, because my arms are already extended with the longer lop and this syncs with having a longer barrel? Don’t know? But seems to work for me?
A shorter stock with a longer barrel wouldn’t seem to me to balance correctly. My son used a Rem 870 youth model with a shorter barrel and lop, so it balanced well?

 

[LivingTheDream]

I vote for 26 inch. But regardless of your choice you cant go wrong with a Supernova.

 

[BeeMaa]

I have 2 upland guns, both are Beretta Silver Pigeon 12 & 20 bore with 26" barrels.
My waterfowl/turkey gun is a Benelli SBE2 12 bore with a 26" barrel.
So you can pretty well guess my preference.

Cheers all, appreciate the input. Decision made, papers will be handed in on Friday and hopefully I'll have her before year end.

You say this and don't say a word on your barrel length decision...what gives?

 

[Alexandro Faria]

I have 2 upland guns, both are Beretta Silver Pigeon 12 & 20 bore with 26" barrels.
My waterfowl/turkey gun is a Benelli SBE2 12 bore with a 26" barrel.
So you can pretty well guess my preference.

You say this and don't say a word on your barrel length decision...what gives?

Apologies Went with the 26"- marginally more compact. I did get to handle the 28" a while ago and while I felt it swung a tad better, I did not how bloody long the thing was.