Beretta silver pigeon suggestion.

B

barnettamb

New member
Im looking into a beretta silver Pigeon I 28 gauge for shooting skeet. It comes with your choice of a 26", 28", or 30" barrel. Im unsure as to which length barrel to get. I was thinking a 30" barrel will enable me to shoot a little farther with the 28 gauge. I will only be shooting clays with this gun…any suggestions?

thanks
 
I like the 28's but your going to get a lot of votes for the 30's on here. Personally I'd take 26's over 30's but that's just me. Go somewhere where you can handle each and make your own decision because it's a lifetime investment.
 
Barrel length has no effect on how far you can shoot with the 28ga....

A #8 pellet out of a 28ga ( going 1200 fps ) ...is no different than a #8 pellet coming out of a 12ga ( going 1200 fps )......they both go just as far, and hit with exactly the same amount of force.

What is different - is the number of pellets in the pattern / because a typical 28ga load is 3/4 oz ....vs a typical 12ga load is 1 1/8 oz...( so in a 3/4 oz load there are about 307 #8 pellets / vs in a 1 1/8 oz load in a 12ga there are about 460 pellets )....( I use 7/8 oz or 1 oz in a 12ga anyway ....less recoil / less cost on my reloads (saving money on shot )...))

But the effective pattern of a 28ga is about the same size as a 12ga pattern ( ideally 30" at the kill range ).
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Having said all that ....I favor a 30" barrel in my 28ga O/U....because I like the length of the sight plane and a gun in an O/U at around 8 lbs.../ and I think its a perfect length for an all around O/U for Skeet, Sporting Clays, 5 Stand or even in the field for live upland birds.

For Skeet in a 28ga, 20ga or a 12ga ...I shoot Skeet chokes for all 3....
 
Yes.

Modern powders in shotshells - probably reach a complete burn within the first 12 - 15" of the barrel...../ so whatever barrel length gives you the sight plane you want /and the swing characteristics.

The receiver area on a pump or semi-auto is longer than an Over Under receiver....so an O/U with a 30" barrel is about the same overall length as a pump gun/semi-auto with a 28" barrel...
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For sports or birds where you have a lot of left to right shots ( skeet, sporting clays )....if I go with a gun around 8 lbs - 8.5 lbs....I like that 30" O/U ...../ but if I go to a really light gun down around 7 lbs ....I go 2" longer on the barrel, so it helps me smooth out the swing with a lighter gun ( or the light gun gets real "whippy" ) to me and I slap at targets vs executing a smooth shot.

So a light semi-auto like Benelli super sport --- at 7.2 lbs in a 12ga ...I go with a 30" barrel....because its light. I will sometimes even add 1 lb to the Benelli - just to bump the weight a little ( 8 oz under forend / 8 oz inside the stock)..

My standard O/U's are all Browning Citori XS Skeet models with 30" barrels, and right at 8.5 lbs ....in 12ga, 20ga, 28ga and .410...
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but my buddy who is about 5'10" and 175 lbs....likes his O/U's with 26" barrels...and he likes them heavier, up around 10 lbs...for Skeet.
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So you have to figure out what works for you ....
 
You're on the right track. I would opt for the 30" barrels; increased sight radius, a bit more weight forward are both worth the extra length. I shoot a 28" tube set and am happy with it but today's competition shotgunners are using longer tubes than in years past. Nice setup.
 
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