26 or 28

[St_Croix_Banks]

Looking at Beretta 12ga Silver pigeon O/U almost exclusively for pheasant. Some rec trap shooting . Should I go with 28" barrel or 26"? Former O/U was Ruger Red Label with 26"

[gixxer01]

I typically reserve anything 28" or longer for a trap or waterfowl gun. 26" works well in the field, especially behind a pointer. A 26" makes for a nice brush and grouse gun also.

[walleye18]

26 or 28 is all preference and personel opinion.

If you can - try and shoot a 26 or 28 and compare them....you will like one over the other - then choose accordingly.

Everyone is different. For me, a 28 is the way to go.

[charliepete]

28" barrels will have a better resale value if you send it down the road.

[mwal]

On my O/U I like longer because there is no receiver and it puts the weight out there for momentum when swinging. My upland auto loader is 26 for better handling.

Mwal

[JeffB]

On my O/U I like longer because there is no receiver and it puts the weight out there for momentum when swinging. My upland auto loader is 26 for better handling.

+1 for an auto I like a 26" for O/U I like the 28 but try them both out if you can.

[gspman]

A 28" should swing smoother and since you are out in the open when pheasant hunting you really don't need a short barrel. Unless you really, really like the 26"-er or the 28"-er balances poorly I would go with a 28". Compare the 28" o/u to a 28" semi-auto and the o/u will still be a fair amount shorter. If you add in shooting clays I'd definitely recommend the 28" model again for stability and smoothness.

[DaSwede]

A 28" should swing smoother and since you are out in the open when pheasant hunting you really don't need a short barrel. Unless you really, really like the 26"-er or the 28"-er balances poorly I would go with a 28". Compare the 28" o/u to a 28" semi-auto and the o/u will still be a fair amount shorter. If you add in shooting clays I'd definitely recommend the 28" model again for stability and smoothness.

I agree with this 100%.