Question about long shotgun barrels?

Question

I was looking at a Shooters Bible from the 70's,and I was wondering why did they make the barrels so long back then.I see so many shotguns in here that the barrels are 40 inches long.

Answer 1

I agree with doc

It basically boils down to"

'Shotgun barrel length is pretty much irrelevant as far as pattern goes. Choke is infinitely more important'

However:

'many people erroniously believe differently, so 30-36 inch 'goose guns' sold well.'

Answer 2

Boys,boys,there is no serious research that proves that longer barrels yield tighter patterns (not "groups",groups are the results of multiple shots fired from a rifle or pistol) nor is there any real evidence that a longer barrel offers any help on high flying game. Here's the reason, the "pucker-gun" chokes that are smaller than a dime do give longer shot strings,the shot are spread out over a longer distance, so not as much shot reaches the target at one time, if the target is moving.

  So that leaves only one reason for the long barrels, a better sighting plane,which is why they are good for still targets. The longer shot string doesn't matter if your target isn't moving, hence the popularity for shooting matches where the targets don't move.

Answer 3

I have one of the Mossberg bolt action 36 inch barrel "Goose Gun" Shooting 3 1/2 mag's in 12 ga you get about another 30 foot of effective clean kill range.

Answer 4

I'm with James W   - tighter groups at long distances -normally goose hunting.

Answer 5

they're a h**l of alot more accurate to

grouping wise

Answer 6

While both Pee Tee and James W. have their points, they are both forgetting one factor in favor of the long barrel shotguns.

That point is TRADITION.

For some hundreds of years, we associated long barrels with greater accuracy, and greater power.  I've handled a flintlock long fowler that had a barrel over five feet long.  Even after fixed cartridges and smokeless powder arrived on the scene, long barrels were the fashion for hunting guns, while shorter barrels were relegated to defensive use.

In spite of scientific evidence to the contrary, tradition dies hard in the gun crank community.  While 24-28" barrels are more common now days, you can still find a few 36" barreled "Goose Guns" on the market.

Doc

Answer 7

Those long barrel guns are geese guns. Geese are high flying birds. Since 10 gauge's popularity was slipping and and 3 1/2" magnums weren't introduced yet, longer barrel were used to extend the effective range of shotguns.

Answer 8

Well the long barreled shotguns are called  goose guns because they are used especially for geese who fly much higher then the rest of the birds/waterfowl it makes the accuracy better when it gets to such high of an altitude. The shorter barreled guns are used for ducks, quail, phesant ect.

But as for the old vs new question: it is because in the 70's they thought that no matter what the longer barreled guns would be more accurate/powerfull but now a days we know that is not the case, it just matters the distance in which you are going to be shooting the gun, like 'criminals' saw off there shotgun..... thats cause it has more powerfull for close ranged shots.....

Answer 9

Primarily to increase sales with really no benefit or improvement in performance.* Sales gimmick.*