What is your favorite barrel length?

[Magungo1066]

What is your favorite barrel length? I am buying a Brooks' 20 gauge fowler, with a 48 inch barrel, and I am anxious to see how it handles. Originally my first, and at the time only, flintlock was a 50 caliber rifle with a 42 inch barrel. My second, newer rifle has a 44 inch barrel and I like it a lot. Does anyone out there prefer the long barrels? If so how long? And who prefers the shorter barrels?

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

FWIW I have a 48” 62-cal fowler and not only is it my favorite 62-cal flint smoothie, it offers superb handling and is also my most accurate one, 3-5 holes touching at 25-yards offhand.

Trying to best the late Tip Curtis’s 50-yard offhand target, LOL!

 

[hanshi]

My .62 flintlock smoothbore has a 38" barrel, it's the only flint smoothbore I've ever owned. I'm not picky about barrel length even though 38" works well for my uses.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

You mentioned that you have rifles of 42” and 44” barrels, but you neglect to say whether they are straight octagonal or swamped barrels, as the handling will be significantly different, all benefits to the swamped, of course.

 

[Magungo1066]

The 42 is octagonal, straight and handles like a telephone pole. The 44 is swamped, octagonal and handles like a Ferrari.

 

[tenngun]

Mine are all 42, would like to get a longer but my roindtoit is still in the shop being repaired

 

[Johnny Tremain]

42 swamped is mighty balanced.

 

[Treestalker]

Currently working on a 'Hobbit Gun' with a 20ga bbl 10 inches long. Looks kind of like a walnut blanket gun in back action percussion with a 12 1/2" pull butt stock. I bet it will scream for goblin meat! Barrel from a Stevens single shot modern. It's real fun to handle, but I bet the muzzle blast will rattle the ears off a wooden jackass!

 

[Art Caputo]

My rifles and one smoothbore all run 38” to a bit over 43”, with the rifles being a mix of swamped and straight, all well balanced. Being predominantly a hunter, longer then this range becomes unwieldy for me.

 

[GANGGREEN]

Mine mostly fall into the same range as Art Caputo's. I have a Joe Schell SMR that I think has a 35 or 36" barrel, but otherwise 38" is the shortest and 46" is the longest, with the majority at 42". Honestly, for me it's less about comfort and utility while hunting or shooting and more about how I perceive their beauty and aesthetics. 38 and 42" seem to be the most common commercially made swamped barrels, but I really wish that there were more options in the 39-41" range as I think they look a bit nicer than the 38" barrels but would still be light enough and utilitarian to make them popular and useful.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I like 36" or less. Even though I own three muskets, plus a rifle, that are all 42 inches or more..., in smoothies, I like my serjeant's [sic] carbine, my trade guns, and my SxS are 36" or less.

LD

 

[Tom Compton]

I have several 42” rifles. I like the look of SMRs.
My go to deer rifle is a .54x32”. My approximation of a NWTG sports a 36” octagon to round. I guess I just lean toward shorter barrels for hunting.

 

[Yewbender]

I really like the look of long barrels on flinters. My SMR is 38”, thank god cause it is a heavy .54 barrel. The .36 and .50 are 42”. My only smoothie is 42”. For me 42” is perfect cause i’m only 5’5” and any longer i’ll need a stump to stand on for loading

 

[Stumpkiller]

I like a carbine. 42" Swamped.

 

[SDSmlf]

Love the look and feel of the 40” +/- a few inches barrels. For the hunting that I do, find 26” to maybe 32” most practical. Function is winning out, at least for me.

 

[Dale Lilly]

I spent many years hunting in Idaho and Montana, much of it on horseback. I found it nearly impossible to remove anything over 34 inches from a saddle scabbard. Additionally, anything longer would actually interfere with either the horses legs or it would sick up so high it would be very unhandy to reach while mounted. I have long guns but my hunting history makes me appreciate about a 32 inch barrel. My 1 1/2 cents worth. I know why short barrels worked for the mountain men. Polecat

 

[SDSmlf]

I spent many years hunting in Idaho and Montana, much of it on horseback. I found it nearly impossible to remove anything over 34 inches from a saddle scabbard. Additionally, anything longer would actually interfere with either the horses legs or it would sick up so high it would be very unhandy to reach while mounted.

I use an ‘iron’ horse, some would call it an ATV. Have found that a 26” long barreled gun fits in the easy rider rifle rack that is mounted in front of the handle bars with both ends of the gun inside the width of the fenders. Anything longer and I’m hitting brush and saplings with the muzzle or stock butt, or possibly both.

 

[rodwha]

Outside of a longer sighting plane, what is there to gain by getting into the really long barrels?

 

[bud in pa]

My smoothie had a 42 inch octagon to round barrel. Due to the thickness of the brush and my deteriorating physical condition, I cut it to 36 inches a couple of years back. As I get older and weaker I am contemplating cutting it to 30 inches. I guess as time goes on, if I am still alive, i may wind up with a 62 cal flintlock pistol.

 

[hanshi]

My long time go-to rifle (.45) is 36" but my shortest is 25". I have to flatten my back against a wall and stretch to reach 5'5"; and it hurts to do that. Had a very accurate Virginia rifle .50 X 42" I shot and hunted with quite a bit; but the 9.5 to 10 lb rifle started to aggravate my arthritic hands and I sold it. Didn't want to since it was really nice.