Is A Shotgun A Long Gun

I am very fortunate to have a great Pastor at my church. Non only is he a corking preacher, just he is also my very good friend. And, he is a gun nut.

He recently told me that he had gotten an old shotgun from his Dad. It is a Marlin Goose Gun, also sometimes called a "Long Tom". It has a 36 inch barrel. Marlin marketed these to goose hunters with the understanding that they would "reach way up" and knock downwardly the geese, as it would hold a tight pattern WAY out at that place.

Simply I wonder if that is a real fact or not?

Our question today volition be: Will an actress-long barrel shoot "tighter" patterns at 40 yards than a shorter barrel with the same asphyxiate?

I told my Pastor, Jason and his son Hayden, who went with us, that it was customary to brand a guess on the mode to the range as to what the results would be. His approximate was that since Marlin made these long barreled shotguns for shooting high-flying geese, peradventure the long barrel would tighten up the pattern. My judge was that all that matters is the choke.

Simply i way to observe out, right?

So, we headed to the range.

Here'due south his shotgun.

The butt measures 36 inches.

We tried to insert a dime in the choke and it would non fit through. That means it is Full Asphyxiate.

Nosotros started off with some #4 Buckshot, with 27 pellets. Jason shot his gun at 40 yards.

Every bit you lot can come across, 40 yards is a long shotgun shot.

We measured the pattern and it was 34 inches across.

I then shot my friend Shane'southward Browning Gilded Hunter which has a 26 inch barrel and interchangeable chokes. Information technology is a beautiful shotgun. I put a Full Choke in information technology so nosotros would exist comparing "apples to apples" regarding chokes. The only difference volition be barrel length.

I shot a circular of #4 Buckshot from the Browning.

The blueprint width measured 33 inches.

And then we tried some Wolf unbuffered 00 buckshot.

From the Goose Gun, 30 inch spread.

From the Browning, 26 inch spread.
So nosotros volition attempt some Federal Flying Command 00 buckshot.

From the Goose Gun, xvi inch spread.

From the Browning, sixteen inch spread.

His gun and mine are both marked "2 ¾ or 3 inch" shells. Let's try some 3 inch shells from both.

These are 3 inch #6 Birdshot. By the way, they kicked like a Missouri mule.

From the Goose Gun, 36 inch spread, merely the entire target is well covered.

From the Browning, 36 inch spread as well, well-covered.

While we were there, Hayden wanted to effort a Combat Shotgun, and then I let him run my Mossberg 20 inch pump.

It thumped him, but he ran information technology just fine. He shot at near 15 yards so I allow him attempt a Federal Flight Control #1 Buckshot load. I told him to aim for the target's caput. Here'southward the issue. Slap-up shooting.

It was such a nice day that nosotros as well ran my AR-15 with the scarlet dot on information technology. I had them practise some Type B response drills. At the command "Gun!", two to the chest and one to the head. They both ran the rifle not bad.