Can you use a pump shotgun with an 18" barrel for skeet or other clay activities with a tight choke? I want a shotgun for home d

[avent17]

Can you use a pump shotgun with an 18" barrel for skeet or other clay activities with a tight choke? I want a shotgun for home defense that I can also shoot clays without having a gun with a longer barrel.

[jhjimbo]

My guess is you could not shoot skeet very well with an 18" barrel. Why not get a gun with a 28" barrel with screw in chokes and then get another 18" barrel with a I.C. choke for home protection.?

[huntfishtrap]

I personally think barrel length is somewhat overrated in wingshooting, so I think you'd be okay. But that's just my opinion.

[ozark_ghost]

There is a reason that skeet shooters do not use an 18" barrel. It simply does not have the range and pattern integrity to score consistently. You would be better off to get a good platform with interchangeable barrels.

[pjsabella]

If you are shooting skeet at a club then some won't even let you in with a short barrel. The gun club I go to has a minimum 26" barrel rule and they are crazy about checking every gun

[officerdom1987]

I'm with ozarkghost. Get a shotgun like an Rem. 870 where you can put interchangable barrels on it and not break the bank. A tapped 28in barrel you can change chokes out for skeet and use it for small game would be great, and then get an 18in rifled barrel or smooth bore. I'd suggest rifled so you can use sabot slugs for home defense and for deer, depending where you hunt.

[blake g]

I had a 20ga youth 870 express with either a 20" or 18" barrel and I could shot clays just fine with a modified

[6phunter]

sure you can use it, just don't expect to clean many rounds.i've used .22 caliber bird shot from station 7 . the fun is breaking what you can

[DSMbirddog]

I have an 870 with the old smoothbore slug barrel. A 26 in barrel for my 870 with choke tubes is not all that expensive. IMO that 26 inch barrel with a skeet tube in is ideal for skeet.

[Brian Armstrong]

The words home defense and shotgun bring me back to childhood momories of dad running out the front door in his underwear with a remington 1100. He being a vietnam veteran,got me to thinking. What the hell is wrong with defending you're home with a Remington 1100 with a 30 inch barrell. Its not "tactically" "perfect" but neither is white underwear in a gun battle. I am a retired police officer and carried an 870 with an 18 inch barrell for many many years. I cant tell a great deal of a difference in that and my wingmaster 870 with a 28 inch barrell. If you are not going to carry it in a crown victoria for ten years, why worrie about having an 18 inch barrell? I worked a shooting where a guy was shot from about 8 feet with # 7 1/2 shot. I can assure you the fight was over. In short use you're skeet gun for home defense.