Short black barrels matter.

Some folks think those long barreled guns are great for the prairie, but have you ever tried to get one out of a pickup in a hurry :)?

Back when I still attempted to grouse hunt in the mountains of VA generally my shotguns were 24 or 26 inches however as you say I can’t remmember being in any situations 28 or even 30 inch barrels would’ve been an impediment. On the other hand however I’ve been in some situations doing drives for deer that short barreled guns were the rule of thumb and a lot of times a necessity ! Point in fact a bunch of times on Chincoteague NWR I’ve been in some spots and seen Sika deer where a 24” barrel would get hung in the wild rose or some other devil bush . Been in some spots in central VA in the last six or seven years on deer drives that were very very tight as well . Hence the reason I want one of the factory original EH 24” barreled gun :cool:

I have a beautiful grade 6 Ithaca SBT which letters to 34”. It now sits at 28”. Why the barrel was cut is anyone’s guess. It also had the forend very professionally drilled and lead added in order to balance the gun. Don’t recall but I believe it has .018 choke.
What a shame on such a valuable and rare gun.

Phil, I have seen a bunch of valuable and rare guns similarly butchered - it's really a crying shame to be witness to such ignorance.





.

Kind of like chokes. Choke is all mental. Your core will be very similar and that is what you want to break targets with. That gives you the "diesel smoke" breaks we so love. Guys ask me all the time what chokes to use on our course. I tell them to focus on the target and work on your mount instead of changing chokes. They wind up being amazed at the difference that makes.

Dean, when it comes to hunting guns, I am like you and prefer the 26"-28" for the simple reason of less weight being carried through the woods. It may only be a mere couple of ounces, but when everything else hurts, those few ounces matter!! :cool: