21" or 24" Barrel okay for bird hunting?

[bearitone]

Got into handguns and rifles over the last 3 years.
No experience with shotguns.

Want to get a something that I can use for 3-Gun but, also take bird hunting with my buddy who is dying to have me go.

I've been eyeing the Beretta 1301 Comp Pro 21" or 24" but, my buddy insists I need at least a 28" barrel to go bird hunting. He couldn't word his argument super well but, basically wants me to do my research before making a decision and he's confident I'll come to the same conclusion.

Is there a real case to choose a 28" gun over a 21" to 24" gun for shooting birds other than sight radius? (Because I plan on slapping a red dot on anyway)

Does birdshot really lose velocity so quickly that I need to add 4" to 7" to the end of the gun to make it lethal enough to take down a bird?

Assuming I have enough velocity, and sight radius doesn't matter, will it be difficult to find a combination of ammo and choke that will pattern correctly for dove/chucker?

Thanks all for your time

[9Cal_OC]

Maybe run a tighter choke if you have the shorter barrel.

Red dot on a bird shooter? Haven’t heard that one before.

[BillyMays]

Shooting flying targets is not the same as shooting steel plates. The red dot will be very distracting. Do yourself a favor and head to your nearest clays range- rent or borrow a gun and get some basic instruction. Then you'll see why a 3-gun shotgun is very different from a bird gun.

In regards to barrel length, you can do it with a 21" barrel but you'll lose some range. 26" is usually minimum for birds, and 28"/30" is the most common.

[RayPDA]

I’ve hunted with a 24” M2; over the years “upland” specials of various pumps, autos and O/Us have been offered to hunters with less than 26/28” barrels.

Choke constriction, shot size, shot material and your pattern have more to do with effective range than barrel length as there are no real gains in velocity from shotgun barrel length after roughly 18” or so. Take the 24” hunting and have a blast, and get some range time in on the trap and skeet fields first for some precise and familiarity; )

Heck, I’ve got a 21” barrel for one of the beretta 303s that i think I’ll take on the next quail hunt…

[BajaJames83]

While maybe not ideal you can make a 24" work. Ive hunted with a 26 for years never any issues. Also bisted probably a million clays with it

[Spyder]

I hunt ducks, honkers, and brant with a 20" spray painted Mossberg 500. The hardcore waterfowl guys hate it, which makes me love it even more.

[Spyder]

Maybe run a tighter choke if you have the shorter barrel.

Red dot on a bird shooter? Haven’t heard that one before.

Not uncommon, and works great. Especially common for turkey hunters.

In regards to barrel length, you can do it with a 21" barrel but you'll lose some range. 26" is usually minimum for birds, and 28"/30" is the most common.

Range difference in 21 and 28 is going to be about... 7 inches. (yes, it will be a little more, but...not much.)


Barrel length matters, but not nearly as much as folks will have you believe. Much like a 6.5 bullet hitting a double lunch on an elk will put the elk down just as well as a 338 WinMag bullet taking out a lung, if YOU have the skill to wield the shotgun, and it patterns well with the ammo you are using, a shorter barrel will be perfectly fine.

My do-all gun is a 20" Mossberg, and I shoot the heck out of dove, quail, ducks, geese, brant, coyotes and turkeys with the same gun and cheap steel shot. (Coyotes don't get steel. They get spendy TSS) I'll swap chokes when I go from upland game to waterfowl or turks, but... it works fine for all.

While not the end-all of information and knowledge, it is a good place to start, and it freaks out all the folks who think they know it all.

https://www.theboxotruth.com/barrel-length-shotgun-affect-velocity/

[Trapper]

For me, barrel length is as much about the balance and ability to swing smoothly while shooting as it is about velocity or pattern. For turkey, quail, or ducks over decoys you could get away with a 24” barrel, although my recommendation would be to get a second barrel rather than searching for one gun that does both equally well. For geese and doves I’d want a 28” or longer barrel.

[Thefeeder]

><

You can use any barrel length you like...consider the stuff below

Here are the basics for a bird hunting / clays shotgun.

Standard stocks
Removable chock tubes
Bead sight

No pistol grips, TAC stocks, mounted sights......skip bright beads or large beads also.

More things to consider---
Where are you going to learn how to hit flying targets? Can you use that barrel length at that range? Ya have to practice and learn somewhere. What you have learned shooting rifle and pistol will not help one bit when trying to hit flying targets.....it is a very different skill set

When you get pretty good at hitting flying targets.....all the other shotgun shooting disciplines will become a lot easier..

[JagerDog]

I hunt ducks, honkers, and brant with a 20" spray painted Mossberg 500. The hardcore waterfowl guys hate it, which makes me love it even more.

If you have a blindmate, I'm sure they don't like the muzzle blast.

I wouldn't share a blind with a 20" barrel. Muzzle blast and safety.

[Bakerloo]

Get an inexpensive dedicated bird gun. You'll find that flying targets are a lot of fun. Either of those will work in the field and at the clay ground.

https://www.sportsmans.com/shooting-gear-gun-supplies/shotguns/winchester-sxp-black-shadow-pump-shotgun/p/p49380

https://www.sportsmans.com/shooting-gear-gun-supplies/shotguns/stoeger-p3000-realtree-max-5-camo-12-gauge-2-34in3in-pump-action-shotgun-28in/p/1471907

[Imageview]

Birds don't carry tape measures, I'm sure they won't be offended by a shorter barrel. I prefer 26" barrels, although my duck gun is 28". I have a few 24" barrels, and one 20" though and would use them if all they are all I had. I've hit clays with a youth sized 20" barrel and a 10.5" lop stock. The recoil was not pleasant, but it was fun.

Red dots are great for aiming, but as the old saying goes you aim a rifle and point a shotgun. I would remove it for birds other than turkeys, and remount it after. People can do it, but that doesn't necessarily make it a good idea.

More importantly is practice. It's going to be really hard to get practice shooting moving targets with a 21" barrel because it won't be allowed on almost any trap, skeet, or sporting facility. Some places don't allow 24" barrels, some do.

Long barrels aren't about site radius, again we're pointing not shooting, it's about balance and movement. A longer barrel is easier to swing and match the movements of the target you are shooting, it's more natural and easier to control. Short guns feel "whippier" and are harder to shoot well. They lend themselves more to instinctive shooting situations, but a short barrel for hunting is usually 26". 20-24" barrels are usually reserved for children, whose proportions make that size appropriate, and tactical games (where you're mostly aiming anyways, and it's not much like anything else you do with a shotgun).

But there is a solution: get a pump shotgun with both lengths of barrels. You can find semi autos that have different barrel lengths but those are considerably more expensive. A pump with an 18.5 and a 28 is cheap and holds it's value well, so you can sell it after a year when you know what you want or keep it because pump shotguns are sweet. Then get out there and start shooting like crazy, take a lesson or ask someone for help if you can't get a lesson, because birds aren't easy to hit and you are gonna need practice if you want to actually hit a bird.

[MJB]

It never works tac & hunting one or the other. I'd go to the range and see if you can shoot someone's hunting shorties.

Reading only goes so far real experience is the best.