24" or 26" Semi Auto

1
Hey as some of you know, I"m not at all experienced with Shotguns. But I'm looking to get a Stoeger. Just don't know if I need to go 24 or 26. I want to shoot clays with it either in Skeet Shooting, 3 gun or even hunting at some point.

Ok let me have your thoughts.

Thank you in advance.

Catalyst
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Re: 24" or 26" Semi Auto

2
Catalyst wrote:Hey as some of you know, I"m not at all experienced with Shotguns. But I'm looking to get a Stoeger. Just don't know if I need to go 24 or 26. I want to shoot clays with it either in Skeet Shooting, 3 gun or even hunting at some point.

Ok let me have your thoughts.

Thank you in advance.

Catalyst
A bunch of us got to fire a Stoeger M3000 at the Annual Meeting. It's made of awesomesauce.

http://www.stoegerindustries.com/m3000-shotgun
Last edited by atxgunguy on Mon Nov 03, 2014 1:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: 24" or 26" Semi Auto

3
atxgunguy wrote:
Catalyst wrote:Hey as some of you know, I"m not at all experienced with Shotguns. But I'm looking to get a Stoeger. Just don't know if I need to go 24 or 26. I want to shoot clays with it either in Skeet Shooting, 3 gun or even hunting at some point.

Ok let me have your thoughts.

Thank you in advance.

Catalyst
A bunch of us got to fire a Stoeger M3500 at the Annual Meeting. It's made of awesomesauce.

http://www.stoegerindustries.com/m3500-shotgun
Yes...well thats exactly about the time I got hooked and said, I NEED to get one. So i'm taking steps to address that.
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Re: 24" or 26" Semi Auto

6
curtism1234 wrote:26" is a good all-around length.

If you were purely hunting in heavy cover, I'd be tempted say 24". If you were purely shooting clays, I'd say 28" or longer.

If you flip a lot guns when you're bored or don't like them, the 26" will be far more desirably on the market.
Thats about a knowledgeable answer as I'm going to get around these here parts so I'll just let the fellas know to go with 26".

Thanks Curtism123456789101112131415....
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Re: 24" or 26" Semi Auto

7
I'm no expert, but my understanding is that the trap guys generally use shotguns on the heavy side with barrels also on the long side, like 30-32 inches. Somewhat lighter and shorter for skeet.
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Re: 24" or 26" Semi Auto

8
I know there is no real evidence to suggest a 26" barrel is better than a 24" for sporting clays, but I'm infinitely better with a 26".

Comparatively speaking, a 28" barrel seems like you're aiming down a freaking cannon and gets very fiddly in both maneuverability and weight.
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Re: 24" or 26" Semi Auto

9
atxgunguy wrote:I know there is no real evidence to suggest a 26" barrel is better than a 24" for sporting clays, but I'm infinitely better with a 26".

Comparatively speaking, a 28" barrel seems like you're aiming down a freaking cannon and gets very fiddly in both maneuverability and weight.
I don't disagree. Somewhere between 20-26" is the cutoff between unswingable and fine. I have held the 20" double Baikals before and they messed me up bad :blink: I held either the 22" or 24" - I don't remember which - but that model was fine.

Even 20 years ago, your options were generally either 28" or 30". Today, the options are 26" or 28". If you want a 30", they can be a little difficult to find and are expensive.

Re: 24" or 26" Semi Auto

10
Beaurrr is correct that dedicated trap guns are the logest of all (some even 34"), but that shouldn't rule out a shorter barrel for casual trap shooting. (I have heard of trap clubs that enforce a minimum barrel length, but that is usually 24"). If you get serious about any of these sports or disciplines, that's when you consider buying a dedicated gun, not before.

I think 24" and 26" are both good barrel lengths for 3-gun. Compared to an 18-20" barrel, which you do see quite a bit in 3-gun, a 24"-26" barrel will allow you to put a generous mag tube extension without having it extend way past the end of the barrel, which I think looks ridiculous. It also gives you a reasonable sight radius for slug stages, assuming you can find a way to put rifle sights on it.

But does Nordic Components or anybody else make mag tube extensions that fit this Stoeger? That is a possible drawback with choosing a smaller/newer shotgun manufacturer -- not as many aftermarket options. A good shell capacity for 3-gun is 8+1. That's translates to a tube roughly as long as a 22-23" barrel.

Best barrel length for the purposes you describe, trying out all the shotgun shooting disciplines and hunting? Probably 26".
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Re: 24" or 26" Semi Auto

11
Yeah- When I had my shotgun shipped off to have removable chokes installed, I also had them lop off 2" to make it 26", it was originally 28", which was just absurdly long.
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Re: 24" or 26" Semi Auto

12
FYI, my Stoeger is a M3000 with a 26" barrel. It's all stock except for the Nordic Components +6 extension that lets me load 10 shells.

It's going into the shop soonish to get the loading port opened up for 3 gun, and I'm installing a larger and less stiff safety.

Re: 24" or 26" Semi Auto

13
Sweet information guys. Looks like the outfit I'm going to use has a used 28" barrel I could use for clays and they might offer up a deal on that. I'll probably end up buying their 24" model if they throw in that 28in barrel to just swap out. Best of both worlds.

Catalyst.
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Re: 24" or 26" Semi Auto

14
Catalyst wrote:Sweet information guys. Looks like the outfit I'm going to use has a used 28" barrel I could use for clays and they might offer up a deal on that. I'll probably end up buying their 24" model if they throw in that 28in barrel to just swap out. Best of both worlds.

Catalyst.
Both is always the best choice!

Re: 24" or 26" Semi Auto

15
Fukshot wrote:
Catalyst wrote:Sweet information guys. Looks like the outfit I'm going to use has a used 28" barrel I could use for clays and they might offer up a deal on that. I'll probably end up buying their 24" model if they throw in that 28in barrel to just swap out. Best of both worlds.

Catalyst.
Both is always the best choice!
Done deal. As soon as they get their shipment of Stoeger M3000, I'll get a 24" competition ready along with a NEW 28" barrel for only $150 bucks!

Best of both worlds indeed!

Catalyst
Last edited by Catalyst on Fri Nov 07, 2014 2:58 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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