Rye Miles #13621 Posted January 16, 2016 Posted January 16, 2016 The thread on different grips got me to think about different barrel lengths. I have a pair of Colts that are slicked up and ready to shoot, one is a 4 3/4" the other a 5 1/2". The 3/4" difference doesn't bother me but does anyone have any thoughts on using different barrel lengths? I've seen some guys use 3" and 7 1/2"!! How many of you use different barrel lengths? Rye ( yea I know it's winter )
Tyrel Cody Posted January 16, 2016 Posted January 16, 2016 I have a pair of open tops, one 5.5" and one 7", so I do it occasionally. I miss just as much with different barrel lengths as I do with the Smoke Wagons that are both 4.75". Go shoot, have fun
River Jordan, SASS 18742 Posted January 16, 2016 Posted January 16, 2016 my main match guns are both early 3rd Colts --one is 4 3/4 and the other is 5 1/2 I like to think it is "the Cowboy way" to use what you have until otherwise needed
Prairie Dawg, SASS #50329 Posted January 16, 2016 Posted January 16, 2016 You know me Rye......I'll shoot my 3" snubbie and 12" buntline on the same stage. But to me, it's all about the guns, not about being a speed demon. --Dawg
Colorado Coffinmaker Posted January 16, 2016 Posted January 16, 2016 Heck Rye, I've been known to shoot my 3 1/8 inch Snubbie right along side my 3 1/4 inch Snubbie. It can unbalance a person. Coffinmaker
Roger Rapid Posted January 16, 2016 Posted January 16, 2016 My favorite match guns are a pair of 7-1/2 Uberti's in .45LC. I also have a pair of the same guns in 5-1/2. The difference in weight (empty) is minimal; the 7-1/2s weigh 2 pounds 8.8 ounces, the 5-1/2s weigh 2 pounds 5.7 ounces. So the weight difference is 3.1 ounces. (By comparison, the additional steel in a 5-1/2 Uberti in .38 puts it at 2 pounds 9.9 ounces or 4.2 ounces more than the same gun in .45LC.) I feel that the added length of the 7-1/2 gives me a bit more stability than with 5-1/2s, and I contribute that to greater accuracy more than I do the longer sight spacing. I shoot traditional, so the drop to my cross draw holster is no harder with a 7-1/2 than with a 5-1/2, and my strong arm holster is a lower Buscadero-type rig so the return of the longer barrel to my strong arm holster is no harder than with 5-1/2 (these old shoulders don't let me reach up easily to waist-high holsters). Of course, if you have some friends who will let you try theirs, the best way to know what's right for you is to put a pair of the various lengths to the test. RR
El Hombre Sin Nombre Posted January 16, 2016 Posted January 16, 2016 Almost all the guns I own are 5.5", but I do run a 7.5" 51 and a 5.5" 51 when I shoot plainsman. I don't see much difference in barrel lengths except when shooting gunfighter. I just need them to be the same is all. As for 4 3/4", I can't tell the difference when shooting, but I hate the look of them. Something about the ejector rod being flush with the barrel just doesn't look right to me. Merely cosmetic.
Mud Marine,SASS#54686 Life Posted January 16, 2016 Posted January 16, 2016 My .45 Colt Vaqueros are are 4-3/4" in my right hand and 5-3/4" in my left hand. That works for me. However, as a Grand Patron, I do not believe that younger and faster gunfighters should follow my lead! :)
Three Foot Johnson Posted January 16, 2016 Posted January 16, 2016 I've shot these a couple times at matches - 3 1/2" and 18".
H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 Posted January 16, 2016 Posted January 16, 2016 I normally shoot different barrel lengths. Usually a 4-3/4" Colt and a 5-1/2" clone. But at least once a year, I trot out the 12" Buntline and the 3" Sheriff's model for fun. You can get more different than that!
Rye Miles #13621 Posted January 16, 2016 Author Posted January 16, 2016 Heck Rye, I've been known to shoot my 3 1/8 inch Snubbie right along side my 3 1/4 inch Snubbie. It can unbalance a person. Coffinmaker Man you really live on the edge don't ya??
ShadowCatcher Posted January 16, 2016 Posted January 16, 2016 The thread on different grips got me to think about different barrel lengths. I have a pair of Colts that are slicked up and ready to shoot, one is a 4 3/4" the other a 5 1/2". The 3/4" difference doesn't bother me but does anyone have any thoughts on using different barrel lengths? I've seen some guys use 3" and 7 1/2"!! How many of you use different barrel lengths? Rye ( yea I know it's winter ) 7 1/2 in a buscadero, 4 3/4 in cross draw.
Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283 Posted January 16, 2016 Posted January 16, 2016 Howdy This pair of 2nd Gen Colts are my usual Main Match pistols. I wear the short one on the right, the long one on the left, butt forward. Makes it easier to draw without getting my elbow tangled in my armpit. No, I am not particularly fast with them, but that is not important to me.
Tom Bullweed Posted January 17, 2016 Posted January 17, 2016 My current pistols are OMV .45s: one each of 4-3/4 and 5-1/2. It is just what I have. I did have a 3.5" Cimmaron Thunder that seemed to shoot softer, due to lowrr velocities in the same loading. I imagine that a 7.5" would have more recoil tha the shorter barrels due to velcociy increase but less muzzle flip due to the extra weight at the muzzle. At typical cowboy-speed, it might make no difference.
The Blarney Kid Posted January 17, 2016 Posted January 17, 2016 I shoot with a 3.5 in. Thunderer and either a 5.5 in. Ruger Vaquero or 7.5 in. 1875 Remington. If I shoot percussions I have 2 1851 Navies with 7.5 in. and 2 1860 Armies,one 8 in. and one 5.5 in.
Carolina Gunslinger Posted January 17, 2016 Posted January 17, 2016 The best barrel length is: The one you like, that will make you play with the guns more, shoot them more, and love them more. The less you think about this the more fun you have down range. I shoot 5.5, 4.6, and 3.75" vaqueros and they all balance well for me. If I could only shoot factory loads....5&1/2" every time, but since I can roll my own with bullets that are light, I'd say the 3 inch guns are every bit as competitive.
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