Smooth bore barrel length for 20ga slugs

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kobes31

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Is there an ideal smooth bore barrel length for shooting slugs or does this tend to be a function of gun/ammo trial and error? Would one generally expect improved accuracy or range from either a shorter or longer barrel?

May I also ask what type of choke is recommended for shooting slugs?

Thanks for info, noob here.
 
I think 24 inch slug barrels are average but most field guns have smooth bore 28 inch barrels.

Beyond that you really need to test your combo because your gun might like one shell over the other or have different point of impact.

The longer the barrel the more velocity the slug should have but it might not be enough to care between short vs. long.
 
For shooting shotgun slugs the barrel length after about 20” doesn't really matter much. You will gain some velocity, but not enough to matter.

The accuracy is really Dependant on your sights. 2 Bead sights on a rib are ok at close range. Open sight will get you farther. Peep sights are better yet, and optics will be the fastest and best – depending on how they are mounted.

Choke for smooth bore is usually suggested to be cylinder to improved cylinder. Then you have to try a few different slugs – off a bench rest – to see what your shotgun likes best.
 
Pretty much a trial and error guessing came. Barrel length is not much of a factor. Usually the more open chokes are more accurrate. My son's 870 youth had a 22" barrel, and after testing a half dozen brands we ended up with Breneke slugs most accurrate through an improved cylinder choke.

In my Winchester 1200 12 guage, the 18" open choke Defender barrel with Federal was awesome.

Pretty much you need to get a half dozen differnet ones and see which one likes your gun/choke combo.
 
The longer the tube, the steadier you have to be. It is not a rifle and the slug is not moving that fast down the tube. The shorter a smoothbore, the better in my experience.
 
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