What is your barrel length choice?

[Coot]

My interest level drops when the barrel of a long gun is less than 40 inches. My two favorites are a 42" in .54 and a 44" 20 bore.

 

[tenngun]

The first muskets were 6.5 to seven feet long. The shooters mostly abot 5.5 tall. Bayonet was yet to be invented so they cut them selfs loading, and they carried there own rest.
Some of the WTBS photos show men with the musket several inches above their heads

 

[wattlebuster]

For my rifles I like the way 38 inch barrels feel and fit. For my turkey smoothbore I have a 32 inch on my 12 ga that feels really good. If I built another thats the length I would go with again

 

[Bon Sauvage]

For aesthetic reasons I prefer a long gun that has a barrel long enough to reach my lower lip when I am standing erect (no jokes please) with the butt stock resting on the ground.

 

[hanshi]

That's what a 40" barrel would show on me. My 38" barrels just comes up to between my chin and lower lip. See, the kid is kinda short. :thumbsup:

 

[Cruzatte]

My rifle has a 44" .54 caliber C weight Getz barrel. Rifle has a 13½" LOP. And I am only 5'6" in my moccasins. It's a joy to shoot. Yeah, I got teased a bit about having a rifle long as I am tall when it was brand new.

My trade gun has a 41" 20 ga. barrel, and even that shorty I have to tip back about 30-45 degrees to load it.

Tenngun makes an interesting point about the short soldiers being armed with long muskets.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

hanshi

the kid is kinda short

Reminds me of this photo...... my kid was kinda short too!
Flintlocklar on the left and don't remember the Missouri shooter holding his rifle.
:wink:

https://flic.kr/p/25Qep9h]

[/url]Scan by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/139498371@N08/

 

[Nemovir]

Mine is 34 in barrel. I once saw a picture of a woman standing on cinder blocks to load her rifle from the bench and I told myself I would never own a rifle that would force me to do that. :redface:

 

[Col. Batguano]

That is just so cool. Looks like about a 68" barrel. I bet that gun is super quiet too. It seems that you can find really long smoothbore barrels, but finding one that's rifled is more of a challenge, as would be finding s blank.

 

[Arcturus]

All my smoothbores and rifles have barrels 41" to 44" long, my preference for looks, sight-radius, balance, and yes, loading. I am only 5'7", and these barrels put the muzzle right at face level when I load...not sure why some guys here about my height feel they would need to tip them at an angle at that length (unless the guns had long length-of-pull stocks).

 

[rdstrain49]

My all time favorite barrel length is the one I'm shooting. Or possibly the next one.

 

[BullRunBear]

For years I was comfortable shooting with 32" barrels but got a 42" swamped barrel with my TVM Late Lancaster in 50 caliber. Also got a LOP long enough for someone 6'5". Much nicer especially for offhand shooting. And that longer barrel helps me see the sights better with aging eyes.

My almost 5 foot tall wife prefers an old Dixie Cub in 40 or a Cherokee in 45. (And yes, we've had decades of "Mutt and Jeff" jokes.) :haha:

Jeff

 

[smoothshooter]

I like medium lengths in muzzleloaders. Somewhere between 34" to 38". That way they are long enough to be held in the crook of the arm with the butt on the ground when loading, but short enough to have the muzzle below eye-level which facilitates handling the components. Never liked having to load a muzzleloader that is so short I have to clamp it between my knees; or so long that I have to angle the buttstock way out at an angle from my body so I can see the muzzle.
The shorter length fits in vehicles easier, and finding quality gun cases is easier as well.
My Isaac Haines type flint smooth-rifle has a 38" barrel, my Tip Curtis Lancaster (?) type has a 38" .45 caliber barrel, and my CenterMark 20 gauge flint fusil's barrel is 30" long.
Am happy with all of them.

 

[Rifleman1776]

These days it is a matter of what I can hold up. My flint longrifle, Brown Bess and others have become safe queens. Age and unexpected malady's will do that to ye.

 

[Elnathan]

I'm 5'10" and I've been very happy with my 44" barrel. I imagine I could handle a couple inches longer without too much trouble, but haven't had the opportunity to try.