irishcajun

Another Newbie question.

The most common length seems to be 24". But several economy guns American Knight, T/C value packs come with 22' barrels. Some of premium guns are in 26", Cabela's sells several makes in the 26" length.

Is there a perfomance difference in going from one length to another that is worth the extra money? Cabela's seems to think so. I am thinking of practical deer hunting applications 75-150 yds, not long range bench rest shooting matches

Mark whiz

I shoot the USAK with the 22" barrel and it has not hindered me so far. I am pretty confident with it out to 125yds, maybe 150.

I have been extremely happy with this gun, but I will say that this gun tends to be a little bit picky when it comes to bullet & powder choice. That is most probably a function of both the barrel length & the 1:28" barrel twist working together.

This is not an insurmountable problem since I can now put bullets through the same hole at 100yds - but it took awhile to get it there. If you don't have the time for (or don't enjoy) spending a lot of time at the range working up loads, then I would suggest the 24" barrel, as I believe you will find it a bit more forgiving in the accuracy category.


"Every moving thing that liveth, I give unto you as meat" (Gen 9:3)

Trust God..........but keep your powder dry!

irishcajun

Thanks for the reply.

Is there a similar jump up in accuracy or ease of use going from a 24" to a 26" barrell?

It seems like the 26" barrell will run $30-60$ more, which over the life of the gun is really insignificant. I am more interested in getting the right gun, than pinching pennies. I know the 26" may be a little harder to manuver in a tree stand but I wouldn't imagine it would be a problem.

I looking at Knight Bighorn and/or Super Disk, and the T/C Black Diamond both come in either the 24" or 26" barrel. Based on what you said I should probably rule out the American Knight and Traditions Buckhunter they have a good price but come in 22" barrels.

Once again thanks for the input.

Mark whiz

I might be mistaken, but I believe most of the 26" barreled guns are the .45cal models. Even so, I tend to doubt that the extra 2 inches are worth the bucks to move up to a 26" model. Like you said, you're not looking at taking 200 - 300yd shots, so why spend your scope (or powder) money for the extra 2". One thing about muzzleloading, it don't matter if you put a 50" barrel on it & load it with 300gr of powder - it's still a muzzleloader with its inherent deficiencies when compared to a cartridge rifle.

I'm really happy with the USAK - it is a great 1st gun to learn MZloading with. I'm likely to upgrade to a higher model at some point - though when a gun does everything you tell it to do, it's hard to just replace it for the sake of "new & improved".

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Ruger-Redhawk

My Knight Disc is a pre 98 model and has a 22" barrel.The new ones have either a 24" or 26".I bought this gun over the internet.I was told it was a 26" when I acquired about it.When it arrived it sure looked short. I measured it and it was 22" instead.I had emailed Knight about the shorter barrel.I asked about the velocity loss due to the shorter bbl. He told me you only lose about 50 FPS.The shorter barrel makes it easier carrying through the heavy brush. At 100 yards it drives tacks.At first I was disappointed that it had the shorter barrel. Now I've gotten to like the short bbl and wouldn't trade it for a longer bbl..I guess it's what you get use to.Ruger Redhawk

1950KID

I have a 26" Bighorn, but i think the standard model is 24". I shoot 300 grain XTP's with 100 grains of 2F. I'm right on at 100 yards, and 6 inches low at 150. I've never shot it over 100 yards while hunting.
You can find good prices on 24" Bighorns.