Is it legal to shorten a shotgun barrel? I have a 28" barrel on my 870 and would like to shorten it to around 18.5"-20". Is this legal? And if so, how would I do it? Would a chop saw be sufficient or a hack saw? Your feedback would be appreciated.
Shortening a SG Barrel??
- Thread starter Rubikahn
- Start date
If you are doing it at home and it is a plain (ribless) barrel an easy way to do it is this:
Measure off the length that you want and mark it. Use a pipe cutter to score the barrel all the way around a slight amount above the mark. Score another line a little more than the thickness of your hacksaw blade farther down the barrel from the first mark. Use a fine triangular file to make a groove in between the two lines. This is to start your hacksaw so that it won't skip when you first bite into the metal. After you've sawn the barrel off, file the cut down flat to the first mark. You can also use a bench sander for this or whatever you think best. Then lightly chamfer the sharp edges with some fine sandpaper. Cold blue the white metal and you are done.
*You can use parallel strips of tape instead of a pipe cutter, but the pipe cutter will ensure that your marks are even and perpendicular to the barrel. You might even be able to use the pipe cutter to cut it all the way through, but I have never tried.
Measure off the length that you want and mark it. Use a pipe cutter to score the barrel all the way around a slight amount above the mark. Score another line a little more than the thickness of your hacksaw blade farther down the barrel from the first mark. Use a fine triangular file to make a groove in between the two lines. This is to start your hacksaw so that it won't skip when you first bite into the metal. After you've sawn the barrel off, file the cut down flat to the first mark. You can also use a bench sander for this or whatever you think best. Then lightly chamfer the sharp edges with some fine sandpaper. Cold blue the white metal and you are done.
*You can use parallel strips of tape instead of a pipe cutter, but the pipe cutter will ensure that your marks are even and perpendicular to the barrel. You might even be able to use the pipe cutter to cut it all the way through, but I have never tried.
Craftsman 441
CGN Regular
- Location
- Wainwright
Rem 1000 Chop Job
I had the same question about shortening a barrel as a do-it-yourself project, so I called CFC. They told me that as long as you respect the 26" overall and 18.5" barrel length rules, it will not change the status of a non-restricted firearm. I talked to a technical advisor and he even told me the lengths that the CFC recognizes as factory sizes. That was really helpful for deciding what length to use for my project.
Best of all, the call dispelled the BS I was told by a guy who said that you have to have a certified gunsmith shorten your barrel to stay legal. He's a certified gunsmith. Hmmmm... I figured I'd call the CFC to see if there was anything to it. I may be relatively new to the hobby/sport/addiction of building, shooting and collecting firearms, but I wasn't born yesterday.
That said, I shortened my Rem 1100 barrel just today at work during lunch. I used a hacksaw and a lathe then filed the vent rib. It went quickly and turned out nice and square. Now if only the last parts I ordered for my project would arrive....
I had the same question about shortening a barrel as a do-it-yourself project, so I called CFC. They told me that as long as you respect the 26" overall and 18.5" barrel length rules, it will not change the status of a non-restricted firearm. I talked to a technical advisor and he even told me the lengths that the CFC recognizes as factory sizes. That was really helpful for deciding what length to use for my project.
Best of all, the call dispelled the BS I was told by a guy who said that you have to have a certified gunsmith shorten your barrel to stay legal. He's a certified gunsmith. Hmmmm... I figured I'd call the CFC to see if there was anything to it. I may be relatively new to the hobby/sport/addiction of building, shooting and collecting firearms, but I wasn't born yesterday.
That said, I shortened my Rem 1100 barrel just today at work during lunch. I used a hacksaw and a lathe then filed the vent rib. It went quickly and turned out nice and square. Now if only the last parts I ordered for my project would arrive....
"...on a barrel with rib?..." Take it to a smithy who knows how. Not all ribs are steel or even metal. Some of 'em aren't attached to the barrel over the whole length either.
"...a pipe cutter..." A pipe cutter yes, but forget the hacksaw. They tend to wander off square. A pipe cutter won't. You'll still have to file it flat and remove the burrs, but the crown will be far closer to square than it will with any saw.
"...a pipe cutter..." A pipe cutter yes, but forget the hacksaw. They tend to wander off square. A pipe cutter won't. You'll still have to file it flat and remove the burrs, but the crown will be far closer to square than it will with any saw.
Big JD-From the hills
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Saskatchewan.
I say, if you can aford it, buy another barrel.
