long winded back story first-
i've gotten hooked on goose hunting this year and wanted a dedicated goose gun. i now have a 28" 835 ultimag that outright puts down everything i fire it at, and is pretty effective and dead nuts on turkeys out to 50-55 yards and coyotes out to 70-75 yards. it's set up with one of those 6 position pistol grip stocks, along with a forward grip / light combo and a red dot for coyotes at night.
the thing is this "patience" setup is not the best when wing shooting. when a change of choke and ammo is introduced, the POI is a good 2 ft. off at 50 yards, which is another reason i want to go to another goose only shotgun. i can basically set and forget my turkey / coyote setup, then grab the dedicated goose gun with out having to mess around with re-sighting and such, especially when the seasons overlap.
so i have my mind set on another 835 pump. i've found a few used ones for a good price, but are 24".
i was thinking of putting all my turkey / coyote hunting BS from the 28" to the 24", then use the 28" i already have for goose only.
<span style="font-weight: bold">on to the actual question:</span>
with today's modern ammo and chokes, is the barrel length really that important as it once was for getting / keeping a tighter group at longer ranges?
will i generally get the same amount of performance out of the 24" as i would out of the 28" out to the yardages mentioned before?
i've heard / read that most of the powder is burnt up about 20" to 22" down the barrel, and that the longer barrel is more or less for a better sight picture and follow through, but would like to hear some results from folks that may have gone through the same thing of going from a long to a shorter barrel or visa versa.
the easy answer is "wait for another 28" barrel so i'll have piece of mind", but the 24" i've found are in great shape and under $240, a new 28" one is $400.
again, my mind and budget is set on a 835 pump, no need for the remington or benelli or semi auto tangents.
i've gotten hooked on goose hunting this year and wanted a dedicated goose gun. i now have a 28" 835 ultimag that outright puts down everything i fire it at, and is pretty effective and dead nuts on turkeys out to 50-55 yards and coyotes out to 70-75 yards. it's set up with one of those 6 position pistol grip stocks, along with a forward grip / light combo and a red dot for coyotes at night.
the thing is this "patience" setup is not the best when wing shooting. when a change of choke and ammo is introduced, the POI is a good 2 ft. off at 50 yards, which is another reason i want to go to another goose only shotgun. i can basically set and forget my turkey / coyote setup, then grab the dedicated goose gun with out having to mess around with re-sighting and such, especially when the seasons overlap.
so i have my mind set on another 835 pump. i've found a few used ones for a good price, but are 24".
i was thinking of putting all my turkey / coyote hunting BS from the 28" to the 24", then use the 28" i already have for goose only.
<span style="font-weight: bold">on to the actual question:</span>
with today's modern ammo and chokes, is the barrel length really that important as it once was for getting / keeping a tighter group at longer ranges?
will i generally get the same amount of performance out of the 24" as i would out of the 28" out to the yardages mentioned before?
i've heard / read that most of the powder is burnt up about 20" to 22" down the barrel, and that the longer barrel is more or less for a better sight picture and follow through, but would like to hear some results from folks that may have gone through the same thing of going from a long to a shorter barrel or visa versa.
the easy answer is "wait for another 28" barrel so i'll have piece of mind", but the 24" i've found are in great shape and under $240, a new 28" one is $400.
again, my mind and budget is set on a 835 pump, no need for the remington or benelli or semi auto tangents.
