barrel length

Geo T, Spenc10,

With further research, as opposed to working from fault memory, I find you both to be quite correct in your assertions. My apologies to Squeeze for adding to the misinformation found on the internet and to any confusion I might have caused.

thanks all, I relish the wealth of knowledge here, and welcome the banter of differing views. It gets me to see thing from all perspectives or look at things from a different angle. I think Ill go with a 28", to stay semi true to the original guns form. I dont shoot competition, just for fun. I dont even know of any BP clubs around me, just a brigade of cannoneers and I dont have enough time for the hobbies I already have to venture into new territories. :grin: Im just wondering about the quality of different manufacturers now. is it all a manure shoot? or are there large differences in standard quality?

Because I don't experience any disadvantages w/ longer bbls and also because they look a lot better, the bbl lengths on my LR builds are 44" and 46" depending on style. After all, they are called "longrifles". The Hawken half stocks have 36" bbls.

Flash Pan Dan....yes, BP will more or less explode or burn very rapidly w/o containment, but smokeless powder needs containment to generate pressure to burn quickly and efficiently. Many are amazed that when smokeless is ignited in the open, it just slowly burns....and not yield the "fireworks" of BP. Smokeless can be much more dangerous w/ overloads than BP, because as the pressure increases, so does the efficiency of producing expanding gases and one amplifies the other and so on. This doesn't happen w/ BP.....Fred

Dan, I have read about the 24" rule too but it was in reference to modern shotguns.

Testing has indicated that with modern propellents anything over 24" on shotgun barrels is strictly for ballance and sighting plane. Modern powder has allowed barrel lengths to be reduced substatially and still develope good velocity. Blackpowder cartridge shotguns generally had barrel lengths of 30-32" or more inches as anthing shorter didn't develope hard hitting velocities.

Perhaps you were just remembering backwards. Too much reading and sometimes it all just runs together. Enjoy, J.D.