The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Winchester 37A: chop barrel, thread for choke and sights

koginam · April 19, 2009, 11:00 AM

I have for many years hunted with a short barreled shotgun 18.5 inches and the velocity loss is minimal if at all. The advantage of a longer barrel is sight radius nothing more, in most loads the powder is burned in the first 18 to 20 inches. The choke determines the pattern size and shot density.
The pattern size difference in a 18 inch and a 30 inch with the same choke is nill they are the same. Even with cylinder bore your pattern is not that much bigger at 30 yds with bird shot, with buck it will be because of fewer pellets.
I have a red dot on mine for brush hunting and at 75 yds I can get a 5 inch group with slugs, I could probably do much better if the dot was smaller.

April 19, 2009, 11:00 AM	#9
koginam Member Join Date: August 3, 2006 Posts: 20	I have for many years hunted with a short barreled shotgun 18.5 inches and the velocity loss is minimal if at all. The advantage of a longer barrel is sight radius nothing more, in most loads the powder is burned in the first 18 to 20 inches. The choke determines the pattern size and shot density. The pattern size difference in a 18 inch and a 30 inch with the same choke is nill they are the same. Even with cylinder bore your pattern is not that much bigger at 30 yds with bird shot, with buck it will be because of fewer pellets. I have a red dot on mine for brush hunting and at 75 yds I can get a 5 inch group with slugs, I could probably do much better if the dot was smaller. __________________ In over 30 years as a professional gunsmith I never once got up in the morning and didn't want to go to work.