Turkey season around the corner, questions about barrel length...

[BucDan]

I was considering posting this in the hunting sub, but since this encompasses all, I figured I should post it here.

So I have a Mossberg 500 All Purpose 12G 28" barrel. I've been waiting and waiting for their All Purpose 20" barrel to come into stock, but it never does. I find the 28" too cumbersome with swing for its purpose and a pain to transport in a 48" bag which doesn't easily fit in a car trunk, I prefer not to take down the barrel each and every time for transport.

I was considering getting it cut down to 18.5"/20" and threading it for chokes to make it truly all purpose, where all I have to do is take out the dowel rod from the magazine tube and change the choke to an improved cylinder for HD.

I know I can just get a 18" cylinder barrel, but even those are hard to come by, and I prefer not to have extra parts laying around. It's my one and done hunting/HD shotgun until it breaks. The Gucci Beretta 1301 in the future will be a range toy/HD.

Reading on barrel length and velocity for shotguns, it seems there's not much loss at all per inch that is significant to the performance of the shotgun. I'm not taking shots further than 30 yards on turkey.

And a shorter barrel shouldn't make a difference for pattern spread since it'll be choked for hunting anyway, right?

I use a red dot, so sight radius is irrelevant to me. I know swing is good for waterfowl and clay, but that's not my interest. Should it come, I'd use it anyway.

I know my patterning may be affected, but I'm ok with that.

Thanks!

[edgerly779]

Once you cut or use 18-20 cannot use on skeet or trap or sporting clays range.Most are 25" min length.

[BucDan]

Once you cut or use 18-20 cannot use on skeet or trap or sporting clays range.Most are 25" min length.

I'm 100% ok with that. Goes to show you how much I know about skeet and clay

https://www.mossberg.com/product/940-pro-turkey-85158/

Mossberg and the industry in general seems interested in taking turkey guns all the way down.

[edgerly779]

I use 28" barrels on my o/u had the forcing cones lengthened and bored to 3" mag. I am used to swing weight. Sporting clays is great practice for hunting .
If you cut barrel to 25" it will lighten swing weight . Still develop good velocity.

[wweigle]

I think a 20 inch multi choke barreled shotgun would make a handy turkey gun. Would make a fast shooting quail gun also. I say do it if your plans for the gun are as you indicated in your original post. I have cut a couple of shotguns down to a little over 18" for home defense and in retrospect I think I should have went with 20 inches. Not exactly sure why, but the 18 inch guns seem a little light up front and unbalanced to me. I would cut to 20, maybe shoot, or at least get a feel for portability and balance before cutting further.

[edgerly779]

Good brush gun for hogs as well.

[hermosabeach]

Many of us don't wear ear pro when hunting

I would not want to shoot a Turkey load - heavy / magnum load without ear pro from a 20" gun.


26-28" makes it a lot quieter to the shooters ears and moves the peak of the SPL further away too

Ideas
Get a case for a hunting length shotgun

Or unscrew the barrel. It's one screw. Hand tight. Not a big deal


For the $$$ to have a barrel chopped and threaded, I'd pass on doing it to a mossberg.

Turkey shoots require a tight pattern for a headshot. I don't know what to expect from a barrel being cut to 20" and threaded for chokes.


Will it pattern with the heavy shot? Don't know until after it is converted and $$$ spent.

[edgerly779]

Ask Bob Day at rd barrels. He is the expert on shotguns. He worked my brother and my over unders to handle steel ammo ,

[hermosabeach]

Will this fit your gun?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mossberg-Model-500-12-Ga-3-VR-20-Accu-Choke-Shotgun-Barrel-/304314908228?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0

[edgerly779]

Do not take out mag plug if using for hunting. 2 rounds in mag max for Ca.

[BucDan]

I think a 20 inch multi choke barreled shotgun would make a handy turkey gun. Would make a fast shooting quail gun also. I say do it if your plans for the gun are as you indicated in your original post. I have cut a couple of shotguns down to a little over 18" for home defense and in retrospect I think I should have went with 20 inches. Not exactly sure why, but the 18 inch guns seem a little light up front and unbalanced to me. I would cut to 20, maybe shoot, or at least get a feel for portability and balance before cutting further.

That was the idea. I felt 20" is just right for a do it all.

Many of us don't wear ear pro when hunting

I would not want to shoot a Turkey load - heavy / magnum load without ear pro from a 20" gun.


26-28" makes it a lot quieter to the shooters ears and moves the peak of the SPL further away too

Ideas
Get a case for a hunting length shotgun

Or unscrew the barrel. It's one screw. Hand tight. Not a big deal


For the $$$ to have a barrel chopped and threaded, I'd pass on doing it to a mossberg.

Turkey shoots require a tight pattern for a headshot. I don't know what to expect from a barrel being cut to 20" and threaded for chokes.


Will it pattern with the heavy shot? Don't know until after it is converted and $$$ spent.

I wear surefire EP4 with the plugs opened. It worked well last time with a 18" 6.5 creedmoor rifle outdoors. No issue hearing cracks and gobbles.

I don't want to unscrew the barrel. As dumb as thay sounds. I also want it HD capability. No long hallways in my house. 28" too unwieldy for that.

I've read tight patterning isn't determined by barrel length. But the choke itself. Which seemingly makes most sense.

Will this fit your gun?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mossberg-Mo...-127632-2357-0

It'll fit. But it's matte and not blued. Won't match, and too expensive.

Do not take out mag plug if using for hunting. 2 rounds in mag max for Ca.

I know. Thanks for the reminder though. I asked my local gunsmith and they can't thread for chokes.

[SanDiego619]

The day turkey season begins, those turkeys are gonna disappear. They know. Somehow, they know.

[FISHNFRANK]

I’ve killed at least a dozen turkeys with a 26” Benelli M2 with bead sights. If you can get a Turkey to 40 yards killing them isn’t complicated, calling them that close is. Don’t worry about the gun too much, buy good quality calls like woodhaven and get a good Turkey vest/seat like Alps. I’d say the ideal length gun would be 24”-26”. Remember that a longer barrel has a longer sight radius too if your aligning beads which adds to accuracy. And sometimes you have to shoot a Turkey running if they spook so shooting instinctively like a quail shot is necessary. I don’t think you need optics for Turkey.

Ammo is important. I’d recommend TSS from Federal. It’s hideously expensive but I killed a Turkey last year at 53 yards with #7 in a 20 gauge. Heavy shot is good and cheaper but doesn’t pattern as well or kill as authoritatively as TSS. I do use a patternmaster Turkey choke but the Benelli factory full is just about as good. Use a short pop up blind

Frank

[Ducky's Dad]

I asked my local gunsmith and they can't thread for chokes.

Bob Day is in Pico Rivera. If you don't want to drive the barrel to him, ship it. If you don't want to ship it, take it to The Shootist in Murrieta. Last time I checked (July), Pete Stepansky was gunsmithing there on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Pete knows Bob and can ship the barrel for you.

[BucDan]

Thanks for the tip. Was out there last 2 seasons, kinda got a feel on what works for me. I did everything the way hunters normally do things, but realized not everything they do works for me.

Bob Day is in Pico Rivera. If you don't want to drive the barrel to him, ship it. If you don't want to ship it, take it to The Shootist in Murrieta. Last time I checked (July), Pete Stepansky was gunsmithing there on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Pete knows Bob and can ship the barrel for you.

You have contact info for Bob Day?