What is your barrel length choice?

Do you like a long or short barrel? Most of us shoot different muzzleloaders for different situations. The question: Shooting your preferred gun at your preferred target, what length barrel is your favorite? I love the long provided I can hold it up :rotf:
Flintlocklar :wink:

Larry, Hiking through the woods in the fall for deer, I really like an old Ardesa Hawkin style 50 caliber I have because it is accurate, has a short barrel and is especially light. It is really nice if I don't see any deer and am just lugging it around. :grin:

At the range and shooting off hand, I like the stability of a 40 inch barrel.

My favorite all around rifle has a 34 in barrel, it is a 1 inch .50 cal and has open and peep sights.

Michael

Larry (Omaha) said:

Do you like a long or short barrel? Most of us shoot different muzzleloaders for different situations. The question: Shooting your preferred gun at your preferred target, what length barrel is your favorite? I love the long provided I can hold it up :rotf:
Flintlocklar :wink:

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When I hunted, I preferred the 26-inch shorter barrel on my T/C .50 Renegade, but now that I mostly bench shoot, I really like the 32-inch length on my .50 Great Plains Rifle. I lugged around a 39-inch barrel for 30 years Civil War re-enacting with my 1853 Pattern .58-cal. Enfield, and while it was fine for re-enacting, have not much liked its length for target shooting. Also, my Renegade is very good from the bench at the range, but the GPR at 32 inches is better. So ... 32-inch barrel would definitely be my favorite for bench or off-hand shooting.

I was looking for a very simple long rifle, in either .50 or .54, with a swamped barrel. Length wasn't a factor (well..., I don't consider rifles made with barrels under 38" justify being call "long rifles"), and I found a good deal on a used rifle with a swamped 38" barrel in .54. So I bought it. Absolutely one of the best purchases I've ever made.

I then bought a 42", straight sided .40 for target shooting, which is nose heavy, but I wanted a gun good for standing-unsupported-position (aka offhand) and I like them nose heavy for that. It's also a small game rifle, and the weight isn't a factor for me.

The rifle that I schlep through the woods, trek with, carry a lot is the shorter, swamped barrel rifle, so I'd recommend you get swamped if you're doing more than bench or target shooting.

LD

As eyes gt older I like the long barrels since I can move the rear sight out further and still have a reasonable sighting radius. :idunno:

For target shooting, a shorter (34") stiff barrel. For looks, about 46" is my favorite. I have a 48" and it looks a little on the lanky side. A 44" still goes under my chin, so on a bad day, I could shoot myself.

I'm a short man , 5'-6 3/4 " and don't forget the 3/4 inch! :rotf: I like 32-34 inch barrels on muzzle loading rifles.

:metoo: I'm 5'7 & 7/8" ! 36" is about right.

Ordered a .58 hawkin "carbine" from cabelas years ago, sent it back. Probably a great shooter but just looked kinda silly to me :idunno:

You have to remember that carbines originally evolved for cavalry usage. Land armies still preferred longer barrels, and for several reasons;

1.) Longer barrels gave a longer sight radius, and in theory, made them more accurate.
2.) When firing in close ranks, a longer barrel extended past the head of the guy in the rank in front of you, making you less likely to shoot him
3.) A longer barrel made for a longer pike with a bayonet attached to it. Cavalry didn't use bayonets, because they had swords for that.
4.) A longer barrel generated more muzzle velocity.
5.) A shorter barreled gun is lighter, and handier to pack and wield on a horse.

There are probably other reasons too

For hunting my favorite is an old Sile Hawken Hunter with a 24" barrel. I use a tree for support when shooting.
My T/C Hawken is too heavy and my 42" rock lock is too cumbersome in the woods.

I'm more into the mechanics that the looks. For me it's a question of the right balance for the right job. Barrel length combines with barrel profile and barrel diameter to affect balance. A skinnier barrel might need to be longer and a fat barrel shorter to suit a job. Swamp it or taper it, and length decisions can change again.

I can tell you when length is "right" when I handle a rifle and probably tell you how I'd use it and how I'd not use it. All without pulling out a tape measure.

All mine save one is a 42 inch, that one has a 36 in a NWG style. I thought I would like it, in fact I find it odd looking and just not my go to gun. I don’t find it easier to handle in the woods, it’s only a few ounces lighter. I am thinking of selling it.

My flint rifle has a 44" barrel and my flint fowler has a 42" barrel - both swamped.

I'd have to carry around a four foot step ladder in my ruck gear just to load the thing vertically! :rotf:
My 34 inch straight taper seems just about right in muzzle heft for target shooting.

You don't have to load vertically. Tilt the rifle at a 45° angle and do all your loading, wiping and cleaning on the slant.

Yeah, I know, got some pictures in Walter Cline's book of chunk guns that are over seven feet long standing on the butt stock.
Imagine trying to hold that up for an off hand shot!

Let's see; I have two 38" barreled fowlers, one for turkey hunting which is really handy, three 42" barreled rifles that shoot cloverleafs, one 46" barreled squirrel rifle with an A weight barrel that balances perfectly and am building a 38" barreled Issac Haines in .54 to be my primary deer rifle for hunting my places that afford a 50 yard shot at the most. I like them all.

One of my 42" barreled rifles in .44 has a 7/8" barrel and is a bit heavy. If I hunt with it exclusively I get used to it but my swamped barreled guns feel much better.

M.D. said:

I'd have to carry around a four foot step ladder in my ruck gear just to load the thing vertically! :rotf:
My 34 inch straight taper seems just about right in muzzle heft for target shooting.

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I'm 6'2" and that gets the muzzle up where I can see what's going on with my bifocals. Also puts the front sight far enough away I can begin to see just one of them again with the upper lens portion. ;-)

I love the way 42" to 46" barrels look and they can also handle nicely with the right size contour. But for many years my go to deer rifle was a 36" LL flintlock. Recently I've leaned more and more toward my smoothbore with a 38" barrel. So all my flinters but one are 38"