doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com 32 inch barrels on a SxS ?

Can you give an example of a gun that falls in the middle of the various physics parameters that you have measured? Yes, I can. Holloway & Co. (Thomas Naughton was master of the shop) Pigeon Special (Australia export) SLE, 32" bbls, 14 3/4" LOP, weight = 7# 15 1/2 oz (1/2 oz under maximum allowed for a pigeon gun weight), balance = 5 7/8" in front of front trigger, unmounted swing effort = 2.40, mounted swing effort = 9.70, and compactness = 11.82. This is a heavy pigeon gun and can be described subjectively as weight forward, slow between the hands, and slow from the shoulder. A faster gun of the same weight would be a W-W M-21 Skeet BLE with 26" bbls and LOP of 15 3/4", weight = 8# 1 oz, balance = 3 3/8", unmounted = 1.89, mounted = 8.27, and compactness = 10.42. It is a heavy 'lil mudder with aft balance and upper end of normal swings. On the other side of the Holloway we can find an Ithaca NID Trap BLE with 32" bbls, 15 3/4" LOP, weight = 9# 2 oz, balance = 5 1/2", unmounted = 2.95, mounted = 11.73, and compactness = 12.24. This one is very heavy, forward balance, and very slow/ponderous/steady/ stately swings.

For those saying, "No, no, no, I told you so!" consider Woodward BLE Light Pigeon with 30" OE bbls sleeved to 32", 15 1/2" LOP, 7# 8 oz, 4 3/4" balance, 2.21 unmounted and 8.65 mounted. This gun is toward the bottom end of heavy, has neutral balance, and middlin' slow swings. Duck gun for sure.


Without being able to measure other's guns, can you give likely scenarios on how 32" barreled guns start to vary from an average? As follows. As barrel weight and length goes up, balance moves forward and swings get slower. As stocked action weight and length goes up balance moves rearward and swings get slower. The further the barrel balance (barrels only) is from the assembled gun balance, the more influence the barrels will have on balance and swing effort. The same principle applies to the stocked action.

I thinks it's tough because subjective attributes vary so much between one to another. Very true. The physical strength, muscle speed, and shooting style are critical to gun handling fit.

A 32" barreled double may handle, for difficult to pinpoint reasons, better than the 30" pump or auto loader (add 4-5" for the action to the barrel length) that some of us started off with, or have some familiarity with the guns that worked so well at the clays range. Only thoughts is all.