Can I shoot skeet with an 18.5 inch barrel?

[Kali]

I am looking to buy my first shotgun. I have a rifle and a handgun so I figured I need one. But my friend who hunts a lot was telling me I need to get a 26-28" barrel, totally opposed to an 18 inch. But im not so much of a bird hunter, considering I live in San Diego and there's just not a lot of close hunting. So the SG will be primarily used for shooting clay pigeons in the desert ( or range?) and will probably keep it loaded for HD. But I was thinking why cant I use an 18 inch for skeet? What if I just use a hand thrower and dont toss as far, will it still work? Thoughts?

I was thinking something with both a pistol grip and a stock, so I could use it both for HD and skeet but skeet is more important to me than HD because I still keep a loaded .357 by my bed and I dont imagine a situation where I would be turning to many corners in an HD situation. If someone ever broke into my house I would just lock my door and point the shotty at the door, so barrel length isnt as important in that situation. Your thoughts?

[AndrewMendez]

One of the Mossberg Models Big 5 sells comes with 2 barrel's. If I am not mistaken its a 18" and 26", you can change it within 2 minutes. Throw a choke on the 26" and you have yourself a halfway decent skeet gun. As far as the pistol grip, I think people will look at you funny trying to shoot skeet with that, and as far as using it for HD....I personally don't like it, but I will let the others put in their input

Andrew

By the way, Welcome to Calguns.

[nagorb]

One of the Mossberg Models Big 5 sells comes with 2 barrel's. If I am not mistaken its a 18" and 26", you can change it within 2 minutes. Throw a choke on the 26" and you have yourself a halfway decent skeet gun. As far as the pistol grip, I think people will look at you funny trying to shoot skeet with that, and as far as using it for HD....I personally don't like it, but I will let the others put in their input

Andrew

By the way, Welcome to Calguns.

Its a 28" and you cant change the choke, I forget what they call it.

I have the combo from big 5 and it works great for hitting clays. My buddy also has one of the hd guns, 18" barrel and he does pretty good with clays.

Who cares what other people think.

[Kali]

Thanks for the advice guys. After reconsidering it ill probably drop the pistol grip. I have always just wanted a PG for hd because I love the way they feel but its probably not the right time for it right now. Im low on funds and its hard for me to justify buying something to be ready for that 1 in a million vs buying something ill actually get use out of.

EDIT: Also I just looked up the difference between trap and skeet so excuse my ignorance a couple of hours ago I thought they were the same thing.

[Sh00tFurst]

I prefer pg only for hd.

Too each his own, plus I'm gangsta.

[nagorb]

Thanks for the advice guys. After reconsidering it ill probably drop the pistol grip. I have always just wanted a PG for hd because I love the way they feel but its probably not the right time for it right now. Im low on funds and its hard for me to justify buying something to be ready for that 1 in a million vs buying something ill actually get use out of.

EDIT: Also I just looked up the difference between trap and skeet so excuse my ignorance a couple of hours ago I thought they were the same thing.

Get the mossberg big 5 combo, it has both 18in and 28in barrels that way you can shoot clays at the range then go home and change barrels and add a pistol grip for HD.

I personally don't like a pg for hd but who cares what others say, you need to be comfortable with what you shoot.

[ysr_racer]

Can you? Yes. Will most ranges let you? No.

[offdeez]

He says he's going to shoot in the desert. Go for it, and pistol grip it out. It's your gun, do it how you like. I've shot clays at a range with a 18 inch and had fun

[Esquire]

For busting clays, the choke likely plays a greater role than the barrel length in terms of shot spread pattern. 18" barrels often come with no choke (cylinder bore) so the shots spread out more quickly, making it harder to hit clays from a distance. As another poster pointed out, the longer barrel length helps with sighting.

If shooting clays is going to be the primary purpose of your shotgun, then 26 to 28" barrel with Modified or Improved Cylinder choke is the most popular choice. You'll find that the chokes are either built-in (barrel tapers), or screw-in types.

Dedicated traps guns have even longer barrels, but personally I find them just too long (30") and rather expensive. The Over and Under (O/U) action is really nice for clay shooting (and bird hunting), but they run pricier. I started with an inexpensive single shot and worked fine for me. Now I shoot O/U, with Modified choke in one barrel, and Improved Cylinder in the other. 28" barrel.

As for the thrower, buy a $5 hand thrower and have a buddy throw for you, and you for him. Kind of hard to throw on your own, then pick up the gun, aim, and shoot, although I have seen people do that.

I use Trius One-Step thrower when I go alone. It's a foot-pedal operated clay thrower and works pretty good. I bought mine for $99. It should be cheaper now.

[Kali]

Thanks again for all the advice very helpful.

And im sure you all have seen something similar but I just came across an awesome video of shooting clays.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7IE_dXoicA

[Rambo, John J.]

If you are going to buy a shotgun with a barrel less than 20 inches and use it at a trap/skeet range, make sure that range allows a barrel length less than 20 inches. The range that is closest to me, Triple B, does not allow a shotgun with a barrel less than 20 inches. That Mossberg Big 5 combo might work here. Otherwise, get whatever you want.

[ysr_racer]

Just so everybody is clear, "trap" and or "skeet" are specific games shot at a range that probably has rules about barrel length.

Shooting clay targets in the desert is a different story.

[HikeandHunt]

Does shot size help with clays and a 18.5" barrel?

I was shooting clays at a local range yesterday and I didn't really do so well. It was my first time and I noticed that I was hitting them okay as long as they were close up. Once they gained some distance I couldn't hit them even though I knew I was dead-on. I am wondering if using a larger shot size than #8 would help hit them out farther.. like 7 or 6 shot.

[tonelar]

Would the longer barrel keep your pattern tighter? I've shot with a coach gun before nad noticed I had to be faster on the trigger than when I was shooing my 28" barrel 97.

[freonr22]

If you are going to buy a shotgun with a barrel less than 20 inches and use it at a trap/skeet range, make sure that range allows a barrel length less than 20 inches. The range that is closest to me, Triple B, does not allow a shotgun with a barrel less than 20 inches. That Mossberg Big 5 combo might work here. Otherwise, get whatever you want.

What would their reasoning be?