Shortening a shotgun barrel?

[Mike1234]

Hey guys, I just bought a mossberg 400G and wanted to shorten the 30 inch barrel, as far as I know this is legal as long as it's not shorter than the minimum Length requirement, has anyone done this before? Does anyone know the minimum length requirement for shotguns in Canada? Any input is greatly appreciated.

 

[alexD92]

IIRC, the barrel length must be over 18 or 18-1/2" long and the overall length of the firearm must not be under 26 or 28".

 

[Wendell]

You can shorten the barrel, provided the barrel is still 457mm (or greater) in length and provided that the overall length of the firearm is still 660mm (or greater) in length.

Barrel and Firearms Lengths
http://nfa.ca/node/128

Criminal Code (R.S., 1985, c. C-46)
# PART III : FIREARMS AND OTHER WEAPONS
http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/C-46/page-3.html#anchorbo-ga:l_III

Criminal Code (R.S., 1985, c. C-46)
# PART III : FIREARMS AND OTHER WEAPONS

“prohibited firearm”
« arme à feu prohibée »

“prohibited firearm” means
(a) a handgun that

(i) has a barrel equal to or less than 105 mm in length, or

(ii) is designed or adapted to discharge a 25 or 32 calibre cartridge,

but does not include any such handgun that is prescribed, where the handgun is for use in international sporting competitions governed by the rules of the International Shooting Union,
(b) a firearm that is adapted from a rifle or shotgun, whether by sawing, cutting or any other alteration, and that, as so adapted,

(i) is less than 660 mm in length, or

(ii) is 660 mm or greater in length and has a barrel less than 457 mm in length,
(c) an automatic firearm, whether or not it has been altered to discharge only one projectile with one pressure of the trigger, or
(d) any firearm that is prescribed to be a prohibited firearm;

“restricted firearm”
« arme à feu à autorisation restreinte »

“restricted firearm” means
(a) a handgun that is not a prohibited firearm,
(b) a firearm that

(i) is not a prohibited firearm,

(ii) has a barrel less than 470 mm in length, and

(iii) is capable of discharging centre-fire ammunition in a semi-automatic manner,
(c) a firearm that is designed or adapted to be fired when reduced to a length of less than 660 mm by folding, telescoping or otherwise, or
(d) a firearm of any other kind that is prescribed to be a restricted firearm;

Barrel length

(2) For the purposes of this Part, the length of a barrel of a firearm is
(a) in the case of a revolver, the distance from the muzzle of the barrel to the breach end immediately in front of the cylinder, and
(b) in any other case, the distance from the muzzle of the barrel to and including the chamber,
but does not include the length of any component, part or accessory including any component, part or accessory designed or intended to suppress the muzzle flash or reduce recoil.

http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/C-46/page-3.html#anchorbo-ga:l_III

 

[H4831]

Of course, when you shorten the barrel, you remove the choke and end up with a wide open barrel.
So what do you intend to shoot with it. With standard sizes of shot you likely couldn't kill a duck or a grouse, beyond about 18 yards.

Edited to say sorry, didn't realize what section I was in. I guess you guys don't care about shooting a duck or a grouse!

 

[curtmg]

Of course, when you shorten the barrel, you remove the choke and end up with a wide open barrel.
So what do you intend to shoot with it. With standard sizes of shot you likely couldn't kill a duck or a grouse, beyond about 18 yards.

Edited to say sorry, didn't realize what section I was in. I guess you guys don't care about shooting a duck or a grouse!

Hehehe, Unless the Duck is kicking down my door at 3am, I'll probably just let it be.

18 inches for manual actions, 18.5 inches for semi-autos. If it doesn't have a vent rib, you can likely just use a pipecutter. I'd likely go at least a quarter inch longer than necessary just to be on the safe side of a grumpy LEO's measurement. Also Overall length needs to stay above 26 inches, but that's not likely to be an issue unless you aren't using a stock or a grip, most recievers are big enough, that even a pistol grip would put the length beyond the minimum with an 18 inch barrel. Single shot, break actions excepted from this, as they can be quite short (meaning, you have to be careful to be above 26 inches with them).

Of course if you bought a factory produced short barrel, it could be as short as you like, and you'd only need to worry about the 26inch minimum. There are those who feel adding a pistol grip to go under 26 inches is fine, but until someone gets taken to court and a judge actually gives a verdict, that remains a grey area. Problem is, anywhere you'd get a positive verdict, it'd be unlikely to be taken to court in the first place.

 

[mp5k]

Hehehe, Unless the Duck is kicking down my door at 3am, I'll probably just let it be.

18 inches for manual actions, 18.5 inches for semi-autos. If it doesn't have a vent rib, you can likely just use a pipecutter. I'd likely go at least a quarter inch longer than necessary just to be on the safe side of a grumpy LEO's measurement. Also Overall length needs to stay above 26 inches, but that's not likely to be an issue unless you aren't using a stock or a grip, most recievers are big enough, that even a pistol grip would put the length beyond the minimum with an 18 inch barrel. Single shot, break actions excepted from this, as they can be quite short (meaning, you have to be careful to be above 26 inches with them).

Of course if you bought a factory produced short barrel, it could be as short as you like, and you'd only need to worry about the 26inch minimum. There are those who feel adding a pistol grip to go under 26 inches is fine, but until someone gets taken to court and a judge actually gives a verdict, that remains a grey area. Problem is, anywhere you'd get a positive verdict, it'd be unlikely to be taken to court in the first place.

Exactly what he said!