Explain Barrel Length To Me

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Yail Bloor

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I have a Remington 870 Express Super Magnum with a 28" barrel. I'm fixing to get some gear to make it a more tactical setup, but I am confused by shotgun barrel lengths and the laws that govern them. Am I correct in understanding that shotguns are not subject to a barrel length requirement as long as the overall length of the firearms exceeds 26 inches?

The Norinco Coach Gun has a 12" barrel, and overall length of 29.5" and is non-restricted. Does that mean you could put a 12" barrel on an 870 and be good to go? I'm thinking I will end up going with either a 14" or 18" barrel, pending further research, but I want to make sure I'm above board here. If someone could take the time to explain I would be appreciative.

Forgive my ignorance.
 
ShawnC6 said:
For manual action shotguns yes.

Keep in mind they have to be factory barrels. You can't cut below 18"
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I'm looking at the Remington 870 Police Barrel 12 GA 18" at Wanstalls, so that's good to go then. Is there any reason to think the "Police" barrel wouldn't work on the "Express" shotgun?
 
Any barrel you buy or that you will find available and is a remington 870 barrel will work except under 12" i am pretty sure the 8" barrels out there have the magazine tube bracket in a different place but 14 18 etc will all work well
 
12.5" will meet the end of the mag cap. Nice, trim setup. 14" will meet up nicely with a +1 adaptor. Longer than that becomes less interesting, if what you want it a very compact gun.
 
BigUglyMan said:
12.5" will meet the end of the mag cap. Nice, trim setup. 14" will meet up nicely with a +1 adaptor. Longer than that becomes less interesting, if what you want it a very compact gun.
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I'm more interested in increasing capacity and a barrel not a ridiculous 28 inches. So I'm thinking +3 extension with an 18" barrel. I gotta figure the measurements, but I think that's the way I'm leaning.
 
Yail Bloor said:
I'm more interested in increasing capacity and a barrel not a ridiculous 28 inches. So I'm thinking +3 extension with an 18" barrel. I gotta figure the measurements, but I think that's the way I'm leaning.
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If you want a shotgun that is actually useful for hunting birds or clays, stick to 26" to 28". If you want a noisemaker to shoot stationary targets, then go with a shorter barrel and extended magazine, and try posting in the black and green shotgun forum for more ideas.
 
Yail Bloor said:
I'm more interested in increasing capacity and a barrel not a ridiculous 28 inches. So I'm thinking +3 extension with an 18" barrel. I gotta figure the measurements, but I think that's the way I'm leaning.
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Yeah, you're in the wrong forum. Shorter barrel/high capacity guns aren't something discussed much in the hunting forum because they swing and balance like #### and both of those things are very important to hunters. A shotgun that holds a half box of ammo in it's magazine isn't something anyone in this forum gets too hopped up about. I'm plenty happy with my 12.5" barrel when I decide to go camping. Holds a box of buckshot with no spares rolling around.
 
Damn, apologies, I didn't realize I had clicked the hunting shotgun forum. All the same, I will be keeping my 28" barrel for future hunting application, but yes, I do also want to be able to convert it into a noisemaker. Anyway I think I got the answers I needed, so thanks guys for the tips.
 
Express Super Magnum is 3.5" chamber- the shorter barrel will need to be stamped for 3.5" shells if you want to use 3.5" shells in it. All the new factory replacement barrels I've seen are stamped for 3.5"
 
18-20" barrels can be made to handle OK in a pinch with the addition of a weighted mag extension, as in filled with lead shot expoxy'ed in place.

Granted you're still left with a louder gun with shorter sight line compared to the typical sporting length setup, but at least the swing will be smoother.
 
stevey3737 said:
Any barrel you buy or that you will find available and is a remington 870 barrel will work except under 12" i am pretty sure the 8" barrels out there have the magazine tube bracket in a different place but 14 18 etc will all work well
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i believe the remington model 870 special field gun made in the mid eighty's had a barrel that only fit that particular model . some one correct me if i do not have the correct model.
 
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Yail Bloor said:
I have a Remington 870 Express Super Magnum with a 28" barrel. I'm fixing to get some gear to make it a more tactical setup, but I am confused by shotgun barrel lengths and the laws that govern them. Am I correct in understanding that shotguns are not subject to a barrel length requirement as long as the overall length of the firearms exceeds 26 inches?

The Norinco Coach Gun has a 12" barrel, and overall length of 29.5" and is non-restricted. Does that mean you could put a 12" barrel on an 870 and be good to go? I'm thinking I will end up going with either a 14" or 18" barrel, pending further research, but I want to make sure I'm above board here. If someone could take the time to explain I would be appreciative.

Forgive my ignorance.
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Our classification laws are complex. This question is probably better suited to the legalese forum.

You can read the definition of prohibited firearm for the barrel length and overall length minimums.

The thing that you need to remember is that our classifications include consideration of factors such as HOW a firearm came to be at a certain length, and WHO made the firearm that way.

A firearm like the double barrel coach guns can be manufactured with barrels at 12" and overall length and 24" and be NR because they were manufactured that way.
Take a full length barrel and stock, and cut it down yourself to be identical to the manufactured one, and it is prohibited because YOU modified the shotgun AFTER the fact.

The definition of prohibited shotgun includes any rifle or shotgun that has been modified by sawing, cutting "or any other modification" so as to have an OAL less than 660mm, OR a barrel less than 457, regardless of OAL. It is a hotly debated, and ultimately unanswered question as to whether or not the substitution of after market parts constitutes "any other modification".

At the end of the day, if you find yourself in front of a judge, explaining that you swapped out your 28" factory barrel for a 14" factory barrel, and a cop can't tell who did the modification or how, the judge will have decide if there is any legal difference between chopping your barrel with a hack saw vs simply changing it to a different one. At the end of the day, the result is the same, and a judge will consider the *cough* risk to the public of a short barreled shotgun, and make a ruling. I wouldn't want to be that guy.
 
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Cameron SS said:
f


Our classification laws are complex. This question is probably better suited to the legalese forum.

You can read the definition of prohibited firearm for the barrel length and overall length minimums.

The thing that you need to remember is that our classifications include consideration of factors such as HOW a firearm came to be at a certain length, and WHO made the firearm that way.

A firearm like the double barrel coach guns can be manufactured with barrels at 12" and overall length and 24" and be NR because they were manufactured that way.
Take a full length barrel and stock, and cut it down yourself to be identical to the manufactured one, and it is prohibited because YOU modified the shotgun AFTER the fact.

The definition of prohibited shotgun includes any rifle or shotgun that has been modified by sawing, cutting "or any other modification" so as to have an OAL less than 660mm. It is a hotly debated, and ultimately unanswered question as to whether or not the substitution of after market parts constitutes "any other modification".

At the end of the day, if you find yourself in front of a judge, explaining that you swapped out your 28" factory barrel for a 14" factory barrel, and the resulting shotgun was less than 660mm, the judge will have decide if there is any legal difference between chopping your barrel with a hack saw vs simply changing it to a different. At the end of the day, the result is the same, and a judge will consider the *cough* risk to the public of a short barreled shotgun, and make a ruling. I wouldn't want to be that guy.

Bottom line, as long as your shotgun remains over 660mm, it is not prohibited, even if the barrel is shorter than the shell in the chamber.
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If you cut a factory shotgun barrel to less than 18", it becomes prohibited, regardless of the overall length of the shotgun.

https://nfa.ca/legal-issue/barrel-and-firearms-lengths/

CC s. 84(1) “prohibited firearm” (d): If the barrel has been SHORTENED to less than 18″/457mm, after leaving the factory, “by sawing, cutting or ANY other alteration or modification” that forces the firearm into the “prohibited firearm” class.
 
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