Shotguns are extremely versatile firearms, useful for everything from clay target shooting to home defense to hunting critters that run, fly, strut or hop. Because the uses are so varied, so are the guns themselves, and one of the most obvious differences is barrel length. You can get a shotgun with a barrel as short as 18.5 inches to as long as 34 inches, with some exceptions that are even shorter or longer. So how do you know what barrel length is right for what you plan to do with the gun?
Let’s look at a few basic truths that tell us how shorter and longer barrels differ.
1. The Shorter the Barrel, the Easier It Is to Maneuver
This is the major thing that short barrels do well: They’re a lot easier to move with and handle in tight spaces. That’s a bigger deal than you might think, actually, for everyone from turkey hunters to home defenders. You simply don’t have room to raise and point a long shotgun in a ground blind or down the hallway of your home. Short barrels excel in these situations.
2. The Longer the Barrel, the More Velocity You Get
Just as with rifles and handguns, albeit to a lesser extent, longer barrels lead to faster shot velocities. It’s not a huge difference—about 10 to 15 feet per second faster per additional inch of barrel—but if velocity matters to you, it’s a consideration.
3. The Longer the Barrel, the More Controlled Your Pattern Will Be
Several factors control how your shotgun patterns. Your choice of choke is the most relevant, but barrel length matters, too. The longer the barrel, the more time the shot charge spends in the barrel being stabilized before it leaves the muzzle. More stabilization equals more consistent, tighter patterns.
You’d think turkey hunters, who chase nice tight patterns, would prefer longer barrels for this reason. However, the maneuverability factor far outweighs the improvement in patterns, so turkey hunters typically opt for short barrels they can handle easily in the woods and in ground blinds. They use tight choke tubes and specialized ammo rather than barrel length to get the patterns they want.
4. The Longer the Barrel, the Heavier the Gun
Shotgun weight is a double-edged sword. On one hand, heavier guns fatigue the shooter more quickly. Obviously, lifting the additional weight is tiring, but on top of that, a heavier gun requires more effort to get it moving. Once it’s in motion, though, that weight turns into momentum, which makes continuing the swing easier. People often say that longer barrels “swing better,” and though that’s a subjective feeling, the fact is that it’s easier to keep a long, smooth swing going with a longer, heavier barrel. This is why long barrels are favored for clay target games, which are all about moving the gun smoothly and efficiently.
One major consideration regarding weight is how the gun balances. Longer barrels make for a gun that feels slightly muzzle-heavy, which, as mentioned, makes them easier to swing. Shorter barrels are a little muzzle-light, which makes them fast to move but harder to control or stop—and fast is good on things like close-range upland birds that flush straight out and surprise you, but not so great on shots that require more muzzle movement, like clay targets or crossing ducks.
So What Should You Buy?
I’ll lay out what barrels are good for what uses, but first, understand that overall gun length matters, too, particularly for maneuverability. In general, over-and-unders and side-by-sides are shorter than pumps and semiautos by about three inches. The pump or semi action just takes up more space.
Second, if you’re looking at home defense shotguns, you will find pistol-grip models such as the Mossberg Shockwave that have barrels as short as 14 inches. The legal federal minimum for a shotgun barrel length is 18 inches—any shorter than that and you get into NFA territory with additional paperwork. But because these shotguns are specifically made to be held in the hands rather than mounted to the shoulder, they fall into a different category and can get away with the shorter barrel. These are very maneuverable guns, but they are not easy to shoot well. If you are new to home-defense shotguns, I recommend you go with a traditional shoulder-mounted version.
For Home Defense: You want an 18.5"- to 20" barrel. You don’t need excess velocity or the ability to swing on moving targets for a home-defense gun, which is typically used at close ranges—so go for a short barrel that’s easy to move through hallways and doorways.
For Turkey Hunting: Get a 20"- to 24" barrel. Lean toward the shorter end of that if you really want maneuverability to keep from banging the gun on branches or if you hunt in a ground blind; longer if you aren’t as worried about that and really want to optimize your patterns or want a little more weight in the muzzle end.
For Upland Birds: This can go a lot of ways, from 24 to 28 inches or so. Anything in that range is a good compromise that makes a gun easy to carry and easy to swing.
For Waterfowl: A 28" barrel is pretty standard and works really well for swinging on ducks and geese, and you can take advantage of the extra weight because you’re typically not carrying the gun for long distances. You can consider going to 26 inches if you hunt in cramped blinds or going to 30 inches if you have room to spare and want the smoother swing of a longer barrel (and if you can find it on a waterfowl gun).
For Clays: For skeet, trap and sporting clays, 30"-, 32"- and 34" barrels are the norm. You don’t carry the gun a lot, and the momentum and smooth swing you get with the longer barrels are vital in sports with so many quartering and crossing shots.
One Gun to Do It All: If you’re buying one shotgun that’s going to cover all hunting possibilities and the occasional round of clays, 26 or 28 inches is the sweet spot. It won’t be ideal for turkeys, and it’s a little short for serious clay shooters, but it’s an ideal compromise that’ll cover just about anything. It will be unhandy for home defense unless you live in a very open-concept house with no hallways, but other than that, a 26"- or 28"-barreled shotgun will get the job done on everything from turkeys and geese to quail and skeet targets.
