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Good general purpose barrel length for CZ 712?

3K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  Pine Creek/Dave 
#1 ·
Hi folks,

This is my first post in many years, so please be gentle. I'm picking up a CZ 712 Utility as a home defense/around the farm shotgun, as I'm 61 and my shoulder wants a mild recoil.

I know the Utility has a short barrel, but I'm hoping to purchase a second barrel, either a 26 or 28 for hunting (Doves/quail/ducks) and wanted to get an opinion on which would be better for a general purpose.

Finally, is there a place one can buy parts - walnut stocks, barrels, etc for the Huglu/CZ's? The utility doesn't come with wood and well, I just hate plastic on anything but an M16A2/M4/A1.

Thank you,

Dave
 
#3 ·
I am going to disagree. For all around barrel length on a semi auto, I like a 26" barrel. Due to receiver length, they say a 26" barrel semi auto is about equivalent to a 28" barrel O/U. I find this to be basically true and consider those lengths the all purpose lengths. A 28" barrel semi auto then would be about a 30" O/U which I consider getting out of the general purpose realm and into leaning towards target or pass shooting realm. That length would be a hindrance in a rabbit thicket or a grouse woods. I would even consider a 24" barrel semi auto to be all purpose. Shorter than that starts into the home defense realm. 26" semi will still be fine for targets and pass shooting and will still work in the grouse woods or rabbit thicket. That to me makes it the best all around general purpose length.

For the 3 species you mention, ducks would be the only thing I would use a 28" barrel for. Doves and quail would get a 26" barrel although if pass shooting doves a 28" would be fine. But then again, shooting ducks with a 26" would be fine as well. I would stick to the 26" for the semi auto.
 
#4 ·
double20 said:
I am going to disagree. For all around barrel length on a semi auto, I like a 26" barrel. Due to receiver length, they say a 26" barrel semi auto is about equivalent to a 28" barrel O/U. I find this to be basically true and consider those lengths the all purpose lengths. A 28" barrel semi auto then would be about a 30" O/U which I consider getting out of the general purpose realm and into leaning towards target or pass shooting realm. That length would be a hindrance in a rabbit thicket or a grouse woods. I would even consider a 24" barrel semi auto to be all purpose. Shorter than that starts into the home defense realm. 26" semi will still be fine for targets and pass shooting and will still work in the grouse woods or rabbit thicket. That to me makes it the best all around general purpose length.

For the 3 species you mention, ducks would be the only thing I would use a 28" barrel for. Doves and quail would get a 26" barrel although if pass shooting doves a 28" would be fine. But then again, shooting ducks with a 26" would be fine as well. I would stick to the 26" for the semi auto.
You are doing WAAAAAY to much thinking there d20, I used a 28 inch full choke 870 TB back in my youth, starting in September with dove and squirrel, through duck, goose, pheasant quail (in close in oak thickets), shot at rabbits, (emphasis on the shot at part), woodcock , and target shooting in between. 28 inch barrel is the do all length :D :D :D :D. I don't own a gun with a barrel less than 28, and only own 1 with a longer barrel, a Maxus with a 30 inch.

cdb
 
#5 ·
cdb1097 - to each his own. I did a lot of rabbit hunting growing up and as a young adult when I had 2 different beagles that I ran rabbits with. The two best rabbit guns I ever had was a Mossberg 500 pump with 20" vent rib barrel with screw in chokes. Only had IC, Mod, and Full so I always used IC for rabbits. The other gun is my Stoeger Uplander SxS with 26" barrels. I choke it SK and IC when using it. Both of those guns are considerably shorter than any 28" barrel semi auto. A couple of times I took my CZ Mallard with 28" barrels out for rabbits and it did ok but it was noticeably slower to bear to target than the 26" Stoeger. When you are in the middle of a briar patch with blackberry vines and a rabbit flushes in a direction you didn't expect and you have to twist and swing your gun through said vines, bushes, and small trees - shorter is better. Trust me. Same can be said for ruffed grouse hunting. In the 80s when Southeast Ohio still had grouse, we hunted them. Greenbriers were abundant and those grouse had a knack for flushing behind you or flying to your right as a right handed shooter where you were forced to spin and swing your gun a long ways through vines, greenbriers, and small trees just to get on target. Longer guns were a handicap there too. Maybe if you had rabbit hunted with a shorter gun, you might have actually shot some rabbits instead of just shooting AT them! :lol: {hs#
 
#6 ·
double20 said:
cdb1097 - to each his own. I did a lot of rabbit hunting growing up and as a young adult when I had 2 different beagles that I ran rabbits with. The two best rabbit guns I ever had was a Mossberg 500 pump with 20" vent rib barrel with screw in chokes. Only had IC, Mod, and Full so I always used IC for rabbits. The other gun is my Stoeger Uplander SxS with 26" barrels. I choke it SK and IC when using it. Both of those guns are considerably shorter than any 28" barrel semi auto. A couple of times I took my CZ Mallard with 28" barrels out for rabbits and it did ok but it was noticeably slower to bear to target than the 26" Stoeger. When you are in the middle of a briar patch with blackberry vines and a rabbit flushes in a direction you didn't expect and you have to twist and swing your gun through said vines, bushes, and small trees - shorter is better. Trust me. Same can be said for ruffed grouse hunting. In the 80s when Southeast Ohio still had grouse, we hunted them. Greenbriers were abundant and those grouse had a knack for flushing behind you or flying to your right as a right handed shooter where you were forced to spin and swing your gun a long ways through vines, greenbriers, and small trees just to get on target. Longer guns were a handicap there too. Maybe if you had rabbit hunted with a shorter gun, you might have actually shot some rabbits instead of just shooting AT them! :lol: {hs#
Couldn't hit one with a shoulder fired laser guided missile :!: :!: :!: Don't hunt Wabbits, and don't shoot at SC Wabbits :!: :!: :!: I'm an Elmer Fudd kind of guy :lol: :lol: :lol: I hate those waskley Wabbits.

cdb
 
#7 ·
I just bought a 712 Utility as well, and had similar thoughts. I contacted CZ USA about a walnut stock set and was told "it wasn't available through their webstore. Likewise, I don't see 712 barrels listed on their webstore, so I think they are missing out on some business.

BTW, I checked the choke tubes and found them tighter than expected.
 
#8 ·
Dave,

I have many fine double guns with different length barrels, for you're Dove and Quail hunting a lively 26" gun is just fine. However the 28" barrels also work very well. In reality either gun works well. If you are going to hunt Quail in some of the thicker GA cover all the time, I would go with the 26" barrels, if your are going to hunt the open GA fields, the 28" is just as good. Habitat usually determines which one of my guns I use on any given day, even hunting the same birds. Most of my hunting here in Pa is for Grouse and Woodcock, very few wild Quail left in our mountains unfortunately.
Have fun hunting!

all the best,

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith man
 
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