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Wow, barrel length in a 12ga really has a pretty trivial impact on velocity compared to what it does in rifles. In the data for buckshot, the 26″ barrel gained less than 100fps over the 14″ barrel. Almost half the barrel length, less than a 100fps difference.
Velocity is more easily analyzed than balance and swing since it can be measured with a chronograph. According to Blazek, with barrels measuring 20 to 32 inches—which covers the gamut of game guns— there’s a gain of about 10 feet per second per 2 inches of barrel length for standard loads, and roughly 15 fps per 2 inches for magnum loads.
Barrel length affects the performance of a shotgun in several ways, some major, some minor. Here are six things you should consider when deciding the right barrel length for you next shotgun....
Ballistics Charts & Data for the 12 Shotgun. Velocity, Energy, Short/Long Trajectory for 12 caliber rounds.
Longer barrels are useful to slightly increase velocity, but mainly they are helpful in maintaining the integrity of the shot column out to greater distances. The penalty is a much heavier, slower-pointing gun that is tough to use effectively in tight confines.
Production shotgun-barrel lengths range from 14 inches (Mossberg’s Shockwave model, which technically is a “firearm,” not a shotgun) to 32 inches on shotguns made for clay-target games.
For example, you’re loading for a 10″ barrel pistol in .223 Remington and are using 52 gr bullets. You would like some idea of the velocity, but the only load data for the bullet weight is for 22″ barrels. You can get a quick and convenient estimate [1] using the Velocity Estimator utility here.
The effect of barrel length on shot velocity depends on the type of load you are using. Most target powders behind relatively light target loads burn quite quickly and develop full velocity within the first 20″ or less of the barrel.
But does barrel length affect shotgun muzzle velocity, and should we care? For the velocity examination I tested 12 and 20-gauge shotguns with interchangeable barrels. I used 1 1/8-ounce target loads for the 12-gauge evaluation, and for the 20-gauge evaluation I tested 1-ounce small-game loads.
"The final muzzle numbers for the tests conducted during The Great Shotgun Chop are included in the accompanying chart but the summary is as follows: the starting muzzle velocity with a 30-inch barrel was 1,555 fps. The highest muzzle velocity measured was at the 26-inch point at 1,605 fps.