Gonna pick up a new 12ga Silver Pigeon III soon. Will use it for Dove, Skeet, and Sporting Clays. Help me decide which size barrel set to get.

Shorter barrel for hunting, longer for clays. Go middle if you are using it for both.

Agreed. Go with the 30" and you have a nice in-between barrel that will work fine for either.

I shoot a 26" for dove and quail. 28" for skeet/5-stand/sporting clays

One more thing that I might add: I have shot a 30" one time, and I will never shoot one again. I will never buy one either. Just my preference though. Doesn't swing very well.

I shoot an O/U with 32" bbls for sporting and 5 stand. It swings smother and I am most comfortable with it.

I shoot 28" bbls for dove and skeet. They are lighter and quicker.

You could compromise with 30", but if you are going to be doing 90% dove/skeet and only 10% sporting I would suggest 28".

Ultimately shoot all three and go with which ever one is most comfortable.

I'd say roughly 30% Dove, 30% Skeet, and 40% Sporting Clays. I'd love to be able to shoot all 3 and make a decision, unfortunately there is no way to do that with rentals or loaners. The range and gun stores I have checked with simply don't have all 3 in stock.

28" is easier to carry.
30" is easier to hit with.

I don't know what you have used in the past. If it's a auto or pump and you liked a certain barrel length you need to realize that it's not the same. The receiver on an auto or pump is going to be roughly 4" longer.

A o/u with a 30" barrel is going to be shorter than an auto with a 28" barrel.

I prefer 30"

The 30" might be easier to hit with for Sunchaser, but that's not true across the board. I've shot both (28 and 30), and absolutely didn't like the way the 30" swung. You need to get each of them in your hands and shoulder them and swing them. Get a feel for them. Whichever one feels best will be the one that's easier to hit with.

Here's a couple of Chuck Hawk comments.

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An experienced shooter choosing a repeater intended for very fast shooting, such as on the skeet field, might do well with a 26 inch barrel. Such a gun will still be a couple of inches longer than a double gun with 28 inch barrels. Skeet targets require very fast shots at short range with open choked guns and so do some bird hunting situations.

However, a break-open shotgun with 26 inch barrels will usually feel muzzle light and whippy. This encourages the shooter to stop his or her swing prematurely, which results in shooting behind the target. A short barrel also encourages "spot shooting" with a motionless gun, a good way to miss targets moving at all but the most gentle angles. A barrel shorter than 26 inches should not be considered for any wingshooting purpose, even on a repeater.

Assuming that the shooter knows how to lead and hit moving targets, the key to scoring with a shotgun is stock fit, sighting plane, gun balance, a smooth swing and follow through. If a lot of shooting will be done, as in clay target games, muzzle blast and recoil play an increasing important (negative) role. Short barrels have a deleterious effect on all of these except basic stock fit.

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Doesn't swing very well.

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Not a criticism but I have no idea how anyone could think that a SP 30" does not swing well. Its not heavy, its not cumbersome in any way. I guess its probably more what you're used to. In my shooting I don't see a difference in the way the two perform. Maybe its the way I move the gun but they both seem to be a perfect fit for me. IMO you can't go wrong with either. Keep in mind though that the 30" will shoot a full 2" further than the 28"!

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Ultimately shoot all three and go with which ever one is most comfortable.

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This. there are many rules of thumb but it ultimatley comes down to wht feels most comfortable for you. Personally, I like a short barrel 95% of the time. YMMV.

I've got 32" and a 28" Browning O/U. I prefer the swing of the 32" but it does get heavy mounting it after a while. I can hoist the 28" all day and not get tired. Since you said your only hunting will be dove I would recommend the 30" barrels because dove hunting’s really not much different then clays. You won't be carrying it all day like an upland hunt and there seems to be a general consensus among “experts” that, all things being equal, most folks shoot better with longer barrels.

With the long barrels (especially if you’re short) you’ll have to be mindful of the ground when you break the gun open. I’m 6-ft and with my 32” shotgun broke open I have to pay more attention then with a 28” gun when I’m carrying the shotgun around.

Also, if you haven’t shot a lot with a Beretta O/U, make sure you do before you shell out the money. I can shoot a Browning O/U all day but the Beretta O/Us I’ve owned beat the snot out of me. They’re great guns but they’re light and didn’t fit me at all.

I have various shotguns in 26", 28" and 30" and they all have their place and purpose.
When you speak of shooting sporting clays, are you talking about shooting with friends on weekends or are you competing in registered shoots? If it's the former, I'd say get the 26" barrel and shoot clays with it, since it would be good practice for when you go hunting.
I personally think the 32" and 34" barrels are just for guys who are lacking elsewhere, but who can't afford a one ton dually. Just my personal opinion.

In the end it all boils down to swing dynamics and what your personal preferance is.

Also, THERE IS NO WAY A O/U SHOTGUN SWINGS FASTER THAN A SEMI-AUTO OR PUMP OF COMPARABLE LENGTH..




Gun safety is no accident.

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I personally think the 32" and 34" barrels are just for guys who are lacking elsewhere, but who can't afford a one ton dually.

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I don't have a short bbl, I just have big hands!

Seriously though, tell me why the best shooters I know shoot 32" O/U or 28" Autoloaders?

Shotgun,

26" bbls are for wusses that aren't man enough to swing 32" bbls.

Lighten up Jason

But, for your information, I'm 6'7" and 325. I think I can physically handle a 32 or 34 inch barrel if I could see any advantage to it. There are PLENTY of great shooters out there swinging a 30. It's just all about personal preferance, and you know, that insufficiency problem.

Gun safety is no accident.

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But, for your information, I'm 6'7" and 325.

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That is NOT what Roy D Mercer wants to here when he says "How big a boy are you"!

"Hell, going from a 28" full size 870, to a 24" youth model makes the youth model feel like it swings like a pistol. So in addition to the 4" of barrel length, I think there's 1.5" of LOP also."

Apples and oranges.

But, as I said, it's all about personal preferance. What works well for one person doesn't do so well for another. The added barrel weight of the second barrel on the O/U is what makes the O/U swing a little slower and smoother with (usually) a better follow-through


Gun safety is no accident.

[This message has been edited by Shotgun Ag (edited 6/27/2009 9:48a).]

I always used longer barrels for target shooting and shorter ones for hunting. Reason being is that the longer barrel entices better follow through, but the shorter barrel is great for rapidly changing flight patterns.