Shotgun Barrel Length vs. Velocity
Today we take a look at the muzzle velocities of various 12ga shotguns. Sorry 20ga guys, but you should be used to being left out by now.
Better audio equipment is on the way but for now we’re both stuck with hot garbage.
Also I’d really like to show you where my 8″ Saiga 12 fits in, but it’s been at the gunsmith for going on three years. Any day now! And sorry, no “Littlest Shotgun” today.
Hopefully you’ll find this video entertaining, informative, or helpful in some way. Be sure to check out the detailed velocity info below. Feel free to save the charts for reference.
Click here to save the Velocity Chart as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (.xls file)
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. Barring any concerns about NFA laws or wanting a longer mag tube (because if your mag tube is going to be longer then you might as well extend your barrel to the end of it), 14″ really seems like a pretty optimal barrel length.