yes.

 

5'4" and 120 at 15 means he could be 5'8" and 150 by Summer. I seem to remember my jeans getting shorter often around that age...

Agree with sera. Don't think I ever have disagreed with sera, and if at this point I think I did, I'd have to question my own opinion.

 

A 26" barrel on an autoloader seems to work well for many people. After all it is about an inch longer overall than 28" barrels on an O/U. A friend of mine has been shooting a Benelli M2 with w/26" barrel for a couple of years now and it seems to work very well for him.

I recently bought my 12 year old son an SX3 w/26" barrel and it seems perfect for him. I am 6'2" and although I prefer at least a 28" barrel on a pump or autoloader, I have no problem shooting either the SX3 or M2 in 26" barrel. While 24" may work for your son now, it will be less than desirable in the future. I personally wouldn't go shorter than 26".

 

I'd hold out for 26"....which is what I like in a repeater........Art

 

My favorite length is 24". Each to his own opinion. I have a 21" semiauto that I dearly love. it is compact and does what I need a shotgun to do. All of my recent purchases have been 24". I don't find it necessary to have a longer barrel for hunting purposes. All the powder has been burned by the time the load has used 18-20 inches of the barrel. If I was a clay shooter, I would use a longer barrel. In a blind, all you need is a 21-24" barrel. The shorter the better for hunting and general use.

That is my opinion for what it is worth. BTW, I am a turkey hunter. A short barrel is a blessing in a turkey blind or in the brush. You won't lose any velocity, even with a 21" barrel such as I have on my Remington 1100. It is death on turkey and upland game.

 

I come down on the side of a 26" barrel. That seems to me to be about the best compromise for field and sport use.

 

I see things differently.

Heavy guns benefit from shorter barrels. Light weight guns benefit from longer barrels.

My 8lb beretta has a 28" BBL but I want to pick up a 24" for hunting as its handling is very slugish and its so muzzle heavy.

My 5 1/2 lb franchi is also 28" and I run an extended choke and some weight in the mag tube because it handles plenty fast but the longer barrel and wieght forward smooths the swing out.

Last, brand is important. THe reason is the length of the reciever and overall length of the gun. A 26" benellie is the same length as a 28" beretta for example.

 

Well you guys got me to stop and think. I will wait to find the 26 inch. My additional complication is that my son is a lefty. Not very many used leftys out there especially in 26 inch.
I agree with the last poster. I used to have a 28 inch semi and it was difficult in the grouse woods. 26 inch helps a lot.
Thanks

 

We recently purchased a new shotgun for my son, who is 5'6" roughly 90 pounds and turned 12 yesterday. We shot a whole bunch of guns eventually settling on a Beretta A400 light with 28" barrels due to the guns light weight. Our shooting will be a mixture of sporting clays and upland hunting. We went with the 28 over 26 barrel because he could easily handle the extra length (his choice). I guess my point is you have to take into consideration the model and how easily your son can swing the gun. There are heavier guns we considered were I would have purchased a shorter barrel to get the right swing. Good luck with your purchase.

 

Actually, given your use case, the 24" sounds nice to me. A more compact gun could be a real plus.

 

26"

 

For what you are hunting, and the type of shooting that you are doing, I don't think a 24 inch barrel is a bad idea at all. I hunt quail and rabbits here in Kentucky and there is a lot of brush and woods to walk through. The shorter barrels sure do make it easier to get through it all. I have a 20 inch barrel pump that is great for what I do, and 28 is getting just a little long for me for the uplands. 26 inches is usually just about as much barrel as I like on a repeater.

FWIW, I have a 26 inch barrel SxS that is just about perfect in the uplands that would make it roughly the same overall length as your semi with a 24 inch barrel. Now if you are shooting a lot of clays, it would be different.

 

26" sounds perfect.

 

Well I found one. For full disclosure I was looking for a left handed semi auto which really limits my choices. For a new gun it is mostly Benelli and Remington. I am partial to Benelli mostly because I own one and shoot it very well and it has been very dependable. I also like the ability to adjust the drop and cast of the stock with the shims.
The 24 inch gun I was looking at was a SBE and used but in great shape. It was a good price. Butt then I was trying to convince myself that even if he doesn't like the length when he is done growing he can sell it an look for a 26 inch. I knew if he had a 26 it would work very well for him because mine does for me.
I kept looking for a Black M2 lefty and finally found one in stock NIB. I bet I checked with 20 dealers and they were all out of stock. The price was a hundred more than the SBE but I feel very confident that he will keep if for most/all of his life.
I also got to wondering how much longer the manufacturers will be making left hand autos. If they did stop, I wanted to make sure I got him one he would likely hold onto a very long time.
Thanks for the thoughts
Jim

 

Jim,
Good going, buy for the long haul, after all your son is still growing and getting stronger. A 'Man Sized' gun will be much better for him.

That is what I did for two of my younger brothers when they were teens, and they made out fine with Wingmasters.

Bill

 

Winchester sold a Model 1300 Upland Shotgun that came with a 24" barrel. If I were you I would buy a 24" over a 26" because it is a better for your kind of hunting. Think of it this way with extended Turkey choke which is usually 2 inches past the end of the barrel. You are now at 28" where with a 24" barrel you would be a 26" for turkey. Still a little long but a lot easier to swing and those Toms can see every movement. Also if you are thinking of going out for Grouse or Phesants use an extended choke tube like a Carlson or a Briley which extend about a inch past the barrel. I don't see how it would be that much different than a 26" using flush tubes. Plus for home defense a 24" would be a God send over a 26" barrel. I have to say I am 6ft tall and I have one and love it!

 

I have 8 26" semi autos and 0 24". FWIW 24" will more difficult to sell.

 

I don't think barrel length is the real issue here.

The key thing will be the butt stock fit, so he can naturally and comfortably hold and shoot it.

Secondly, would be his weight and sensitivity to recoil out of an M2 with an inertia recoil system. I know the stock design moderates this somewhat (again, a lot of this will depend on the fit of the gun to your son) but I think you will have to keep an eye on this.

It sounds like you've already purchased the gun. The M2 is a great gun, and it should last him a long time. If you haven't already bought it though, and your son weighs 120 pounds, I'd be looking hard at a Winchester SX3, Browning Silver, or one of the Beretta gas auto's.

I would definitely go with a 26" barrel on whatever gun you buy.

 

Since the difference in the two mentioned lengths is unimportant other than in buying a gun case...I would consider first what the lad would prefer.
Matters not whether he has any supposed foundation for a choice at his point in life...just that it is his scattergun and..he likes it.
We shoot best what we like...not what someone else says is best.
Difficult to believe, I know. :roll:

 

FYI the OP posted that they purchased a gun a little over two months ago.

 

Good catch Berudd. I usually check the dates but didn't this time, and for the life of me I don't know why people open up an old thread when it has to do with a buying decision.
I based my (qualified comment) on the OP's statement that "I found one" and I didn't say "and we are buying it" or "we bought it".

That's why I said, "if you haven't bought it yet....."

Anyway, I hope it works out for them.

Thanks for the heads up.

 

Well if nothing else it brought it up to the top and now I've finally read the end of the story.