s airgun barrel length important?
Posted on April 4, 2005 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 25 Comments
By B.B. Pelletier
Here is a subject that gets people riled – quick! Is barrel length important in an airgun? Yes, it is, but the reasons may be different than you think.
Barrel length DOES NOT determine accuracy
There is NO CORRELATION between barrel length and accuracy. A short barrel can be more accurate than a long barrel, or vice-versa. Length alone has nothing to do with it.
Pellet control is not the issue
The people who think longer barrels are more accurate often say it’s due to the greater control the longer barrel exercises over the pellet. A barrel does not “control” a pellet in the same sense that a dog trainer controls a dog. Once the pellet leaves the muzzle, it doesn’t matter whether it has been in the barrel for 10 inches or 30; it is now a ballistic missile and subject to the same physical laws.