how long of barrel on a turkey gun

[bnsafe]

hey guys, I know most turkey guns have a 24 inch barrel on them. any downside to a 18.5. speed? pattern? I ran across a good deal on a gun with a short barrel so thinking about it. It does take chokes so I can put a tight choke in it. I mainly hunt timber so close shots are the norm, but might sit in a pasture occassionally. I use winchester xr 6s now, but could switch to tss next year.

 

[N2TRKYS]

All my turkey guns have 21” barrels. I don’t want a barrel longer than that.

You shouldn’t have any issues with that 18.5” barrel. It’ll be a very handy little gun.

 

[juju]

The short ones are for sure louder. Shorter tends to be more challenging to get to pattern well. And they are more likely to end up pointing at your head when slung. I hunted with a 20" pump for some years. I don't miss it, but it worked fine.

The best way to reduce length is to use an O/U or single barrel. You lose several inches of gun overall length while retaining the superior characteristics of a longer barrel. Being able to unload to cross an obstacle safely is good bonus.

 

[Jellymon1]

I use my 28” barrel Stoeger 12g and have zero issues. It patterns almost too well out to 60yds.

 

[bnsafe]

I decided against it. I want to, just cant get myself to do it.

 

[Luked]

My 870 is 26"
It shoots great but can be a pain in the woods sometimes.
My dad had an old Winchester 1300 Turkey Special that has 20"
Great gun but didn't shoot as good as the 1300 I had with a 26"
Was easier in the woods.
To me a lot of it depends on how you hunt. I hunt a lot of fields so the longer barrel isnt really a huge issue unless i am in the woods. Then it can be a bit of a pain.
But same goes for the shorter barrel. On the fields where i need a bit more distance sometimes the shorter barrel doesn't work as well pattern wise.

 

[N2TRKYS]

I decided against it. I want to, just cant get myself to do it.

You’re really missing out. Shorter barrels aren’t challenging to get to pattern well and I’ve never ran into any safety issues when slung like mentioned above. My 21” barreled 870 20ga puts a consistent 300 pellets in a 10” circle at 40 yards. My 21” barreled 1187 20 ga puts 350 pellets in a 10” circle.

A short barrel is a dream in the turkey woods.

 

[shootin-blanks]

I had my 30" full choke 870 chopped down to 18.5" and chloke tubes put in..back in the early 80's. Its killed every turkey its shot @.

 

[bnsafe]

the front site is extremely high and non removable. I would have to grind it off. cant lie its tempting, but its a want not a need. I have a tristar g2 turkey gun so this is just a want.
I can see the only real draw back to the 19 in barrel would be if your hunting with someone they prob arnt gonna like the bang. we outlawed 24 inch barrels in the duck blind for that reason, that was brutal.

 

[Nine Banger]

I think the pattern issues related to the short barrels is that most of those guns are "tactical" and the manufacturers have no regard for forcing cones or 40 yard performance given the end users intended purpose for that type of product.

Most competition guns are 32" now. Some guys are using 34" barrels. Because they work.

 

[JohnnySeegs]

Most important is patterning. A few FPS isn't going to matter

 

[bnsafe]

yea, im just gonna stick with my turkey gun this year, its a killer. but man I want that one lol

 

[Choot]

I bought a benelli m2 tactical with an 18in barrel and turned it into my turkey gun. Runnin an Indian creek choke and 2oz of #9 tss, furthest iv patterned it was 75yds and the pattern was still plenty good.

 

[bnsafe]

well choot, that didnt help my decision lol

 

[Sandhills]

I've never understood the idea behind short barreled guns for turkeys. I shoot anywhere from 25 inch on the 410 to 32 on the Spanish 10 gauge. Most times I shoot a Model 97 12 gauge with a 28

 

[Marshfly]

I've never understood the idea behind short barreled guns for turkeys. I shoot anywhere from 25 inch on the 410 to 32 on the Spanish 10 gauge. Most times I shoot a Model 97 12 gauge with a 28

You must not hide behind stuff and in brush or bushes. That's fine. A lot of us do.

 

[juju]

Most 12ga users by far still shoot lead. 2oz of Pb #5s are 350 pellets. 2oz of T9s are 660 pellets. Nearly doubling the pellets will for sure help fill in a pattern.

I set to a gobbler from in front of a tree or dense brush. Turkeys are more apt to notice predators lurking behind or in than in front of.

 

[Bluefish]

Most competition guns are 32" now. Some guys are using 34" barrels. Because they work.

Imho this is more due to sight radius and swing dynamics than actual pattern performance. Clay games are all moving shots and longer guns swing more consistently. It used to be skeet used 26” barrels, those too have become longer to match trap and sporting clay lengths.

Since turkeys are stationary and a red dot is often used, I would not see any advantage to longer barrels. I would guess my 410 is 20-21” and quite handy. It’s also a significantly thicker barrel than my sporting ones. I would not hesitate to run a 18” barrel with a red dot.

 

[Sandhills]

You must not hide behind stuff and in brush or bushes. That's fine. A lot of us do.

I grew up huntin em out west in manzanita and whitethorn ceanothus. Nebraska and Kansas ain't got brush that compares to that. Still hunted em out there with a long barreled gun. Anymore I stand along side a tree cause I get tired of sitting down

 

[juju]

A long barrel .410 with standard velocity load doesn't even ring your ears. A short barrel 12ga with high velocity is just a dose of regret. Turkey hunting is much easier with good hearing. I'll be glad when someone makes a lightweight .410 suppressor. You could probably come in under 5# with a Yildiz single barrel.