Barrel length & choke for skeet

S

Surefire_U2

New member
What is the best barrel length for informal (just for fun, no scoring) skeet shooting?

The shorter the barrel, the more handier...but also the quicker the pattern degrades. The longer barrels should keep the pattern a little tighter at farther ranges, but can be miserablely heavy to hold up.

What is a good compromise? My guess would be 22-24"?

I currently have a couple shorter barreled shotguns (self defense style), and my next purchase will be one with a long enough barrel for skeet. But, I don't want something that is so heavy that it is hard to keep on target.
 
It depends on the action

On my SxS double, 26" is considered a short barrel, and with IC/Mod chokes it works well for skeet. At 6lbs it's hardly a heavy carry. For trapshooting, I like the bigger one with the 28" barrels and mod/full chokes, and it still weighs only 7lbs.

With a pump or auto action, the receiver adds about 6" to the length of the shotgun, which you'll have to take into consideration, and they're generally heavier.
 
Patterns aren't affected by barrel length, only choke. So, you will get the same pattern whether it's a 26" barrel or a 32" barrel.

If you have an auto or pump, the shortest barrel that I would go with is a 26".

It's mostly a matter of "balance and feel" since many companies are producing longer and lighter barrels now.
 
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I've shot skeet with barrels from 14" to 32" and length has no impact on choke. (Yes, the 14" gun drew some stares :D ).

Why type of gun are we discussing here? A 26" barrel on a semi or pump is much longer than the same barrels on a sxs or o/u.

I like longer guns and as a minimum like a 26" barrel on a pump/semi and a 28" barrel on a breaking gun.

You'd also mentioned you didn't want a gun that was too heavy. In skeet shooting, competitors favour a heavy gun because it keeps them swinging smooth on the target.
 
another vote for 26 28". i shoot skeet with a 30" browning gold with a 1" extra full turkey choke on it:D id say probibly a modified would work the best.
 
I'd be looking at a pump. I have had terrible luck with semi-autos.

Most likely would be a 12 gauge, but am also considering the very well spoken of 28 gauge.
 
The "standard length" for skeet guns for years was 26". Many have gravitated to 28" and longer. The longer barrels allow you to swing more smoothly compared to the short barrels. I have a Browning 4 barrel set in 26", but I wish it were 28" instead. Anything will "work" just that some work better than others.
 
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