Anybody shoot shorter barrels better offhand?

[Skychief]

Do any of you shoot more accurately offhand with a shorter (say 28"-34") barreled rifle versus a longer (say 40"+) barreled rifle?

Thanks, Skychief.

[volatpluvia]

When I shoot offhand with a longer rifle, being right handed, I have to aim a little to the left on long shots in order to hit center.  That is because the gun pushes my shoulder to the right while the ball is travelling up the bore, especially with lighter loads.  Lighter loads equal longer barrel time, more time to push the shoulder around.
A shorter barrel, especially with more powder equals shorter barrel time
volatpluvia

[BrownBear]

For slow deliberate shooting, I find muzzle weight to be an asset, but if longer barrels meant longer "dwell" times in the bore, I can usually manage to wobble off target a little further.  And of course, there's the advantage of a longer sighting radius.  If my eyes were still young I'd opine that a shorter barrel with plenty of muzzle weight might be better.

Of course, in my current uses speed of mounting and swinging are also factors in connecting with an often-moving target on hunts.  For that I like less muzzle weight and barrel length.

I fergit....  What was the question?   

[Dave Faletti]

For me it depends on rifle weight and  balance point.  The heavier the rifle the more critical its balance point is for me.  I tend to have shorter barrels for the heavy rifles and long for the light ones. I don't care for front heavy rifles though some people do.  Difference in preference, technique?

[Dphariss]

I never could shoot a muzzle light rifle well.
Long barrels oscillate slower than short ones or so it seems.

Dan

[rsells]

My best free hand shooting is done with a 12 lb Hawken rifle with a 34 inch barrel (54 cal).  However, I can say that now that I have gotten much older and less active I can tell the difference between when I start a match verses how well I am doing at the end of the match.  All depends upon the match length.  I am working on a similar rifle with a lighter barrel hopefully to improve my end game a bit.  
                                                                     Roger Sells

[Daryl]

I shoot short heavy guns better than light, long guns.  I think perhaps I do better with 32" or shorter barrel - as long as it has some weight.  My DR with 30" tubes, at 9 1/2 pounds and the .69 English gun wIth 32" 1 1/8" BL., same weight, are about perfect for offhand shooting, for me.

 Interestingly enough, the light, my little Musketoon is easy for me to shoot offhand - neither heavy in barrel nor much overall weight and the sights are WAY to close together - bulky too, yet I shoot it as well as any other rifle I have - go figure.  Even though it doesn't feel as good as any other rifle, it gives equal or better results - again, I don't know why.  It only does 1" for 5 shots off the bags at 50 yards. I have more accurate rifles that don't do as well offhand on steel, nor at 25 yards offhand on scoring targets.  I haven't tried it at 50 yet, on scoring paper.

[Roger Fisher]

15/16th .45 39+ straight for me, she hangs on a string pretty well (makes a good x stix, bench, log gun also), but I had to move the balance point back after they cut me in 99.   

[Canute Rex]

A little engineering theory here (forgive me) about mass distribution.

Imagine two steel rods, both of which weigh the same. One is the same dimension all along its length and the other is a thin shaft with a sphere of steel on one end. The club shaped rod will resist turning about its light end better than the uniform rod because its mass is concentrated out on the other end.

If you think of a rifle as a mass that pivots where it meets your shoulder, in theory you would want all the weight out at the muzzle. In reality that would be hellish to shoot. If you wanted a really steady rifle, irrespective of length, you would pare down everything except at the muzzle and the buttstock, such that the rifle would balance well for holding overall. A swamped barrel does a little of this. Maybe plugs of lead inside the nosecap and buttstock would do the job? More like a dumbbell weight distribution.

The man who made my rifle pared away the stock to make it light for carrying in the woods, but it was muzzle-light and he was dissatisfied with it. He sold it to another friend of mine, who made a tapered brass ramrod for it. Weighted it down nicely at the front. Now I am the only impediment to accuracy.

A nose heavy shorter rifle could shoot better than a butt heavy longer rifle, all else being equal. A nose heavy longer rifle should beat them both, if the shooter has enough arm to hold it steady.

[Daryl]

I should also note, and not to lightly, that my short heafvier guns that shoot so well, are cap-locks as well.  The longer guns, although holding better generally, are flinters.  Now, if I had a long cap-lock and I'd probably win some events.

[hanshi]

I do best offhand with my 42" muzzle heavy EV (straight barrel).  But after a little shooting it does begin to wear me down and that's the only downside.  With a shorter heavy rifle I would last longer and not wear down so soon.

[Bill of the 45th]

40" are the shorter barrels.  44" to 56" are the longer ones.   24" to 34" must be pistol barrels yer talking about

Bill

[Frizzen]

I know the wife and I shoot better with long pistol barrels. Say 11 inch vs 6 inch.

[whitebear]

I may well be wrong on this, I have been wrong twice before but we don't talk about that.   I am having trouble with the idea that "shooting at longer ranges especially with lighter loads" the ball is in the barrel long enough for the gun to recoil and throw you off the target to the extent that you need to hold to the left.

The lighter the load the less recoil you will have thus the less you will be pushed off target, and the ball is already out of the barrel before the recoil has much effect if any.  As usual this is my 2d your mileage will most likely vary.

[northmn]

One big problem with longer barrels I had was that in a wind the wind would catch the longer barrel while holding and want to blow me off target.  When i look back on the guns I shot best, they were shorter barrled.  I just have been shooting a 1" straight barreled 58 with a 32 inch barrel and love the feel of it.  I also seem to be able to shoot it easier. The weight forward some talk about is in this rifle but not so much as to want to tip me over.  Another shooter I knew that shot long rifles switched to a 1"54 in about 36" and shot better.  He never went back to the long rifles.  While I loved the long rifle, if I were serious about winning a match it would be with something like the 58 I mentioned.

DP 

[hanshi]

My major complaint with long barrels - that would be anything over 38" - is that they are too long for me to handle.  I'm forever banging it against things or knocking things over and can barely get the EV to fit in my Toyota Tacoma.  And the wind does catch it, too.  My favorite is a 36" Lancaster.  A swamped 38" is perfection. 

[doug]

     For me a long barrel is much easier to shoot accurately as long as it is not too heavy.  For me a short barrel waves all over the place and the longer barrel has more inertia and waves slower.  Much the same principle as the offhand target 22 rifles you see with a hollow tube extending out beyond the muzzle

cheers Doug