Originally Posted By: joedI just went through this a short while ago. I detest shotguns with long barrels and see no reason for them. Sure they may have their use for shooting sports but in the field to me they seem useless.
The only purpose of the long barrel is for swing on birds as was explained to me.
I have killed quite a few coyotes with shotguns over the last 25 years or so. At least 40% of those shots on coyotes with my shotgun were very similar or just like shots that are taken on birds with a shotgun. If you don't swing out in front of a coyote that is running 25 mph to 40 mph you won't hit it with your pattern.
Longer shotgun barrels swing smoother and steadier than short barreled shotguns do. Skeet, Trap, Sporting Clays shooters, duck and goose hunters don't have any problems shooting 28" to 34" shotgun barrels.
The only reason all of the shotgun shooting sports shooters shoot shotguns with longer barrels is that they want to hit what they are shooting at.
So the effect that longer barrels have on patterns is, it is easier to put the pattern where you want it to be with a longer barrel.
Shooting coyotes with a shotgun is much closer to being like shooting flying birds than it is like shooting at standing turkeys.
