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Ideal Barrel Length for Cut Down SxS


bgavin

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I would go 20-22 inches.  The reason most shooters shorten them is ease in moving in and out of props.  

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1 hour ago, bgavin said:

Bingo, did you find a noticeable difference by using the Kick-EEZ pad?

 

I can't say if it is more that the forcing cones have been lengthened or the Kick-Ezz, or a combination of the two, but my ability to get the bead on the second knockdown is faster.  Even though the 22" CD weighs considerably less, the felt recoil feels less to me than my 20" SxS which does not have a Kick-Ezz or lengthened forcing cones.  I don't have anyway of measuring recoil, but I'm definitely handling the 22" CD 512 better and more efficiently and as I said earlier I feel like I can get the shotgun on the second target faster.  Give Boomstick Jay a call, I sent him one I had already purchased however I believe he has (or had) one or two setup and ready to go.  

 

Boomstick Arms: 

 

Phone: (254)368-4540 or (903)227-0305
during Business Hours
Text: 254-368-4540 Anytime
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Leave it as is.  Longer barrels are great.   I have an 18" Parker, and it's a sweet gun.  Kicks like a mule.   I also have a 30" Parker with F/F chokes, the recoil is much more pleasant, and with the longer barrels, I (almost) never miss for fail to knock the targets down.  Can't say the same is true with the shorter barrels.

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It's always fun to see folks recommend what they themselves prefer to someone.  I've used an original Riverside Arms side by side in this sport, starting in the mid-1980s... The Riverside was made in 1919, mechanically the same a Stevens 311.  Great gun, but the devil to keep open with short barrels.  Then I bought a plain Stoeger "coach gun"... still using it from time to time, has worked fine since late 1986 when I bought it.  The only work was to polish the chambers and slightly (and I mean VERY SLIGHTLY), round the entrance to the chambers.  Just enough to take the square off.  Any more and you risk the extractor climbing over the rim and failing to extract, locking up the gun until you can remove the extractors.

 

This Stoeger was joined in 1989 with an "Uplander" model, same basic gun with 26" barrels.  I got this one so my son could shoot the same gauge I loaded, I could tailor loads to his stature, being only 9 at the time, I wanted the extra weight to help reduce felt recoil.  He never had a problem with my reduced loads and that gun.  Many years later, (2015) I bought a TTN, the chinese clone of the Colt 1878 hammered double.  The same basic work, plus in its' case, a little spring and smoothing work was done.  After a year with it, I purchased another, but with 26" barrels.  You do the math on how long that Stoeger operated without any failure.  

 

I won't recommend any specific gun, for they all have their upsides, and downsides.  But... feel, point-ability, learning the proper manual of arms to deftly shuck, load, point and shoot the gun are far more important than any work you'll ever have done.   Doing the minimum amount of work to operate the barrel release, then reliably shuck and reload is more than enough to become proficient with the shotgun.  And is the least likely to cause premature failure... which has been known to happen.

 

But, remember this, like anything, any brand or model has units that were made on Fridays & Mondays...  For every make & model that is mentioned on the Wire, in either positive or negative terms, there are very, very likely hundreds of other owners have the opposite feelings.

 

 

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Mine are all 20". 

 

Years ago I cut a Stevens 311 barrel I bought from a gunsmith that had been shut in a truck door. I bought it to have a short barrel for my 5100 without cutting the original barrel. The new barrel had a huge dent right at 18 1/4. I marked and cut it at 18 even but didn't think of the blade thickness. The barrel came in at about 1/16th of an inch under the legal length so I had to trash it and find another barrel.

 

Moral of the story, measure twice, cut once...

 

 

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On 2/15/2020 at 7:31 PM, Cayuse Jack, SASS #19407 said:

SKB is perfect when cut to 23”.

+1

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