should I get a longer or shorter barrel length?

[police women of America]

So I've decided to get two bird hunting shotguns this year, one for me and one for a hunting partner. It's a little early but I think I found the shotguns I want. It's a Remington 12 gauge. But there are two options, they're the exact same except for the length, one is a 26" and one is a 28". So should I pick whichever is comfortable? Or are barrel lengths more technical? Also any tips or extra info on shotguns is appreciated!

EDIT: I will probably only be hunting ducks and geese.

[jasnt]

What type of bird hunting? For upland or turkey I'd go 26 or less (reason being mobility). For ducks or geese I'd opt for the longer if available to stretch the range of the steel best ya can

[bobcat]

You really can't go wrong with a 26 or a 28. But because you said Remington, I assume it's a pump or auto, and that gives you an extra 3 inches of length over a double barrel shotgun, just in the extra length of the receiver. So I would recommend going with the 26 inch barrel.

[AWS]

Past 18" there is little difference in ballistics of a shotgun shell until you get into some waterfowl loads running slow powders. 

Barrel length will affect handling dynamics, but neither longer or shorter are better.  I hunted waterfowl for years with a 21" barreled pump which closely matched the the handling characteristics of my competition International Skeet O/U with 26" barrels.  The vogue is longer barrels for Skeet and Sporting Clays and is running over into hunting.

I hunt upland with, a 5 lb 15 oz 12ga SxS with 25" barrels, a 6 lb 3 oz 20ga O/U with 28" barrels, another 20ga SxS with 26" barrels, a pair of hammer SxS's with 29 1/2" barrels.  These are all great guns in my hands, fitted to me and shoot where I look.  Which is more important than barrel length.  I'm short and have to have stocks shortened up to an inch and a 28 or30" pump or semi auto is a brute for me to shoot with.

Find a shotgun that mounts to your shoulder easily and shoots where you look, swings with the bird like it has a bird magnet in it and has a decent trigger so your not pulling off the bid when our trying to pull the trigger.  I have a nice high end Euro SxS that should be an awesome upland shotgun 5 lb 15 oz  12ga with 28" barrels the triggers are heavy and although it is fitted to me I cant hit cr-p with it, go figure.

Hunting over pointing dogs you can get away with a little less choke.  When I'm hunting over pointers I run !C ad IM in my SxS, over flushing dogs SK-II(Light Mod) and IM.
Good luck on your search for the perfect upland shotgun

[JDHasty]

26 w/a repeater is enough sighting plane.  That being said, when I shot registered targets and did very well (a couple State buckles), I shot a Beretta A303 w/32 inches of barrel.  But my favorite upland bird gun is an Ithaca 20 w/25 inches of barrel.  Which would be like a double with 28.

Unless it is a pit gun used for decoying waterfowl - 26 is about right.  And you will not want for more length in a goose pit.  It is nice to have, but totally unnecessary.     

[RadSav]

Since you have this in the "Upland" category I will share what I look for in an upland gun.  This might very a small amount when choosing a duck blind gun.

For me, when I'm shopping upland shotguns I concentrate a lot on balance.  I want to take that gun from down at my side, out, up and in to my shoulder with the most fluid motion possible.  I find that best done with a gun that balances in my hand the best.  I also prefer lightweight guns when chasing chucker. 

The other thing I spend a lot of time on is finding a gun that when balanced well in my hand there are no protrusions in that hand grip area that dig in to my hand or wrist.  I had a SxS that was a great shooter and balanced well, but it had a habit of really hurting my hand during a long day of hunting so I almost never used it.  Because I didn't think to pay attention when I bought it I ended up taking a huge hit to the pocket book when I sold it a year later.

The 26 and 28" barrels really do little in regards to patterns.  And I have some 26" guns that swing and track better than other 28" guns.  So if it were me, and the only difference between the two is barrel length, I would handle them both and see which balances and shoulders the best for you.

Then after you make your decision...replace the pad with a Sims!!

[jetjockey]

I agree with everyone else.  Ballistics will be identicle, the real difference is the swing.  My favorite quail gun is a LC Smith 20ga with 26" barrels.  It's quick to the shoulder and swings fast for those close in shots on speedy quail.  However, my favorite pheasant gun has 28" barrels due to the more stabilized swing it gives me on those longer shots.   IMO, 28" is about perfect for all around upland hunting, with 29-30" barrels being ideal for pheasants.

[270Shooter]

I like a 28 for my hunting but that is ducks 95% of the time.

[police women of America]

Thanks for the answers!

[Henrydog]

the most important thing with a shotgun is that it fits you.  Even the same brand and model of gun, each ones a little different.  Mount each one, and swing it and pick which one feels more comfortable

[wildweeds]

26 for instinctive point shooting at fast flyers and 28 inchers is better for smooth swinging crossers. I've had both but now I've gotten to the all around 28. I hunt with pointers. But when I had springers the 26 was the go to shooter in 20 guage.

[fethrduster]

I have an 1890's Husqvarna 16ga with long 31" Damascus barrels, and it is fantastic on long crossers.  It only weighs 6lbs 10z.  I have other 16's with 25.5 and 27.5" barrels that are 6lbs or under, and they are great for quail, grouse, and other fast flushing birds.  Long, light barrels are fun to shoot in the uplands.  I highly recommend them.  Long, heavy barrels?  Not so much.

[Special T]

Here is my stage coach express I used a couple seasons back. 20" barrel