sporting clay guns

[harvester]

im just getting into sporting clays this year and noticed that most of the guns tend to have longer barrel lengths 28 30 32 just wondering what the pros and cons are of such a long barrel
thanks

[justbehindit]

Personally, I like the swing and follow through that the longer barrels provide. My clays gun is a 30" Browning O/U which fits my 5'10" frame just fine. In some respects, I wish that I had bought it in 32" but I don't think that that length was available when I made the purchase. 28" barrel length on an O/U is more suited to hunting situations. That also depends on the type of terrain that you hunt in. 30" barrels will work fine in an open terrain like South Dakota. Anything shorter than 28" is absolutely too choppy. Remember, this is my opinion. You may prefer the quicker swing of the shorter barrel lengths.

[harvester]

so its just a prefrence thing it doesnt have any affect on patterns, shot size, chokes ect.? just wondering before i go ahead and purchase another gun just trying to avoid the i should a.
thanks

[Brett Beinke]

Generally longer barrels will produce better patterns but it can be overdone. Longer barrles give you a better site plane and allows for better follow through wich both mean higher scores. Short barrel shtoguns are better for walking through brush (turkey/grouse/deer guns) and can be quicker for an upland game gun but when shooting sporties you generally know where the birds are coming from so quickness isn't as crucial. Whatever you choose, semi auto, over and under, even s x s , go with the gun that fits you best. Fit and feel are very important in shotguns for hunting and target shooting.

[justbehindit]

Barrel length does not determine pattern. Ask anybody who owns one of those 28" barrel Xtremas that pattern left. A lot depends on what you like and how the swing feels to you. I like a longer barrel length because swing is improved mostly due to follow through. Your shooting style will determine much of this. Do you espouse a sustained lead style, or are you the type who mounts, acquires, leads and fires type? Big difference in my humble opinion. As I said before, shorter barrels tend to lead to choppy swings. Start with a 28" barrel set to try and work up from there. I would suggest finding a gun shop near you which allows tryouts of used shotguns prior to purchase so that you get an idea of how the various lengths handle.