Is 18.5 Inch Barrel To Short For Three Gun?

[GrimReaper]

Looking at a Nova Tactical with 18.5 inch barrel, someone mentioned it may be to short for three gun, any opinions on the use of 18.5 inch barrel use in 3 gun?

I've read some post and seem to say 21 and 22 inch barrels for three gun are good, how much of a handicap would that 3 or so inch difference make.

This gun would be strictly for home defense and 3 gunning.

[MikeFoley]

Opinions and barrels will vary, but this is my experience: The length of the barrel doesn't matter as much as the choke and the ammo selection. I use a 21" with IC for 99% of this game. Twice in the last 3-4 years I used MOD and once I used a Turkey choke for some clays at 50 yards. I use #6 field loads on 99% of the COF's for steel and clay targets, unless they are all close targets then #8 if I have them on hand.

If the Nova has interchangeable chokes, and an available mag extension, then go for it if you like it.

Most of the time you see an 18" cylinder bore barrel shooting steel with #8 shot and bad hits, it isn't going to work for all of those reasons. A well placed shot, a choke tube tighter than Cyl., and a heavy enough dose of pellets will take you far.

[AH6IP]

What Fomeister said is dead on. Because it is a pump, barrel length/dwell time/gas/etc is a non issue. Go with it.

[GrimReaper]

According to Benelli's web site it does have the cylinder choke, I'm not sure if there interchangeable though.

Mag extension's are available, and I planned on getting that.

[GrimReaper]

No interchangeable chokes on the Benelli Nova Tactical, so I have been trying to find out the cost of threading the barrel. With the additional cost it might not be as good a deal as it originally appeared.

[SinistralRifleman]

I shot 3 gun for a while with a 14" Short Barrelled Shotgun with 5+1 capacity. The only handicap I had was capacity.

The barrel length was a non-issue, it had no choke either, for farther targets I just used heavier loads.

[Cactustactical]

Different chokes and when to use them are the key to being successful with shotgun, not barrel length. If this gun you are looking at is a fixed choke, staay away from it. You will be limited at what you can do with being able to change chokes.

What the longer barrel length gives you is the ability to use a longer magazine tube and carry more rounds during the course of a stage.

[TeamGE]

You can always have a longer mag tube then the barrel. 23" mag tube for IMG rules, (9 rounds), and plug that to 8 rounds for USPSA rules, Limited and Tactical Class.

[diehli]

My guess is that the main reason that most would go for a 21-inch barrel is because of the vent rib, which most tactical guns wouldn't come with. For me--and, I'm sure, for many others--shooting with a vent rib is faster than shooting with rifle or ghost ring sights.

[George]

Get a shotgun with changeable choke capability. You don't have to change them all the time, but you do have to play with a few to find the one "you" can shoot the best result with.

Without changeable choke capability, it will only be a temporary 3 gun tool unless it happens to have the right muzzle constriction to start.

--

Regards,

[texasag93]

My 18.5" works for me! Well, it does the job, I sometimes don't! TXAG

[Religious Shooter]

I'm assuming you want to shoot He-Man, Limited or Tactical. I wouldn't get an 18.5" if you want to shoot all the matches and be reasonably competitive.

18.5" is fine for USPSA. No problems there.

... but IMGA (or at least some matches that follow some IMGA type rules) has a stupid rule (IMHO) that's akin to the scope rule that just died this year.

http://www.rm3g.com/RM3G_Rules.PDF

6.8 Shotgun - Tactical Class

...

6.83 Barrel Length may not exceed 22 inches and magazine tube may not extend more than 1 inch beyond the end of the barrel.

This rule isn't in the SMM3G rules. But it is in the RM3G rules.

So at the RM3G and probably other IMGA-type matches, you can't have a 23" tube with the 18.5" since it will be more than 1" beyond the muzzle. You will probably loose 1-2 rounds with a RM3G legal tube.

But who knows... maybe RM3G will change their rule.

[norbs007]

GreamReaper, I have a Benelli Nova with a 28" VR interchangeable barrel and thinking of having it cut down to 22". Don't know if its a good idea and who could do it. It's a bit heavy but I think it would be really nice for He-Man. The Benelli website shows a +3 mag extension for the H20 model. It would be nice if somebody can make a +4 extension. Add the recoil reducer and it should be a nice blaster. Will let you know what I can find; or if anybody knows somebody please share. Thanks.

[Cactustactical]

TeamGE,

you must be talking about Open class only when you are talking about a 23" mag tube.

Tactical has been restricted to at most a 21" barrel with mag tube extending only 1" past it at most matchs. That is based on a IMGA rule which most matchs follow to some degree. Tactical can start with a max of 9 in the gun. Where the longer tube comes into play is during the stage itself. You can load it up to max, ( past 9), if the stage gives you time to and it makes sense to.

[Religious Shooter]

Check out the rules for the 2005 SMM3G

http://www.smm3g.net/2005%20SMM3GRules.pdf

6.8 Shotgun - Tactical Class

...

6.8.8 Magazine tubes may not exceed 23 inches in length.

That's one thing that's good about true USPSA matches... there are one set of rules.

IMGA has different flavors.

[TeamGE]

Cactustactical,

As Religious Shooter already pointed out, 2005 SMM3g match did set the IMG rules for the max 23" mag tube, and I would bet that the rest of the IMG matches will follow soon. In the past, shooting a 22" barrel, and a mag tube 1" past the barrel was the norm for IMG. If you have a 21" barrel, you could use a 1" extended choke in the barrel to get to the magic number. You are correct that it is desireable to have that longer 9 round tube to get 10 in the gun after you start the stage.

[Cactustactical]

IMGA rules are guidelines, not hard rules. Each match director tweaks the guidelines to what he feels they should be. I thank RS for his research into the rule changes of the recent SM match.

This is a thread drift from the original question. The real benefit to a 21 inch barrel over an 18.5 inch is having the longer mag tube, 1 inch past the barrel. It gives the ability to add more rounds than what you can begin the stage with.

[TeamGE]

Mr. Cactustactical,

I don't see where this is a thread drift at all. We are simply stating the reasons why you would want a 18, 21 or 22 inch barrel. The rules are rules, and we shooters have to change our equipment to meet the rules for each match. It is the first concern we have in picking our equipment. Hopefully, IMG rules will get more consistant soon.

Lets remember GrimReaper's original useage, "home defense and competition".

I think that a 18.5" barrel is the best for home defense, but it will need a IC or M choke to be usable for competition. If need be the barrel can be threaded for chokes for around $150.00, or a choke can be silver soldered in place for less. Use 1 1/8 oz, #8, #6, and #4's when you need to and you will do just fine for 3gun. Check the rules for the match you are going to, and add a mag tube of the appropiate length.

If you want to meet the "1 inch past the barrel length" rule for some IMG matches, then you will want to get to the 22" inch mark what ever way you can, as I described in past posts. This will allow for maximum capacity. I agree with 300lb'ers remark, that a vent rib is much easier to aim with, then irons or ghost rings, so this would be another reason to find another barrel over the 18.5".

If a second barrel is set up for competition, the 18.5 can always be put back on the receiver for home defense.

[GrimReaper]

Thanks for the help/ideas. I think I may wait and save a few more bucks and purchase a Benelli M1 Tactical which comes with three choke tubes. The prices seem to be decent for the M1 since the M2 is on the market now, been seeing some for just shy of $700 with shipping.

Can't see getting the Nova and having to dump more money into it right away for the threading.

Norbs 007, I found a place that did barrel mods, but the link is on my work computer, I'll try finding it tomorrow and sending it your way. Prices were decent too.

[norbs007]

Norbs 007, I found a place that did barrel mods, but the link is on my work computer, I'll try finding it tomorrow and sending it your way.  Prices were decent too.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's great Grim. Thank you.

[GrimReaper]

Sorry for the delay, PM sent too.

Carlsons Choke Tubes

Found there site after reading another post recommending them.