Shotgun Barrel Shortening - DIY possible?

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Orpana

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I am picking up a CIL Single Shot 12ga with a 30’ barrel. I am thinking of shortening the barrel. My buddy has a machine shop and I’d have him do it ‘professionally’ as opposed to a hacksaw type job.

Provided that I ensure that I am within the legal total length for a non-restricted shotgun (which I think is 24in - but I’ll confirm) can I do this legally? Or do I need to take this to a gunsmith for him to do the same?

Happy to hear your thoughts. Thanks.
 
Cutting your own barrel is perfectly legal, just don't chop it below 18" or it becomes Prohib. You'll also need to maintain ~26" OAL to keep it NR, but with assuming you're leaving the stock alone that shouldn't be an issue.

Just keep in mind that you'll be cutting the choke off, so you'll have a cylinder bore gun after you cut it. If buddy has a machine shop, you should see if he can thread the barrel for chokes after its cut. Maybe use the cut off piece for practice/a trial run?
 
Not at all difficult - leave it 20 inches or more for partridge - cut it with a hacksaw and square it with a file and and then put sand paper in the palm of your hand to dress it smooth. ( cover the bluing with tape first)

A new bead is easy enough to drill in and rivet into place.

Touch it up with blue to make it nice - or if it is a rough old gun, spray paint it.

Cylinder bore 12 gauge will get partridge at further than you expect - but I forge hammer the barrel down to choke it tighter than full choke. This takes a bit more work but does work well.
 
If you are going to try to roll your own choke on a single barrel - do some reading to see what are the actual constrictions for your bore size - often measured in "thousandths of an inch" constriction. And "more" is not necessarily better - British gunmakers experimented for years to get it right - at some levels of constriction, the patterns start to get bigger, not smaller!! I have not attempted to do so - would be interested to hear about other's people attempts at doing it. Pattern density into 30" circle at 40 yards seems to be pretty much standard measure of performance?

I have also read that "modern" loading techniques for shot shells - improved shot cups, buffer material, etc. - can give performance that is several choke levels above what was experienced with the old "standard" shot wads and lead shot. So loading techniques can also influence your pattern at 40 yards. I would think would have to select a particular load and repeatedly try that load to see how shot pattern changed as the choke was "rolled" - switching between brands, shot size, etc. would likely confuse any analysis?
 
The "do it yourself with a hacksaw" is very doable and just as good of a job as "lathe-cut can produce with a little care & attention (I've done it both ways)...that gets the barrel shorter...but most hacksaw owners don't have the tooling to reposition the bead properly. Kits from Brownels are available but for a "one-off" its more cost effective to have a gunsmith do the job....oh by the way, he'll probably do it the hacksaw way...be done quicker than lathe set-up takes.
 
I did a 20 gauge a few years ago, just chucked up the barrel in the metal lathe, parting tool and then a little bevel on the outside and a quick once over with a bit of emery cloth to remove any burrs and it was done

20" single shot 20 gauge, nice handy little gun for short range work.
 
Bandsaw will ensure a straight cut. I have done a few with a pipe cutter. There is enough work to clean it up that a hacksaw would likely produce the same result. Of course a lathe is best...
 
kjohn said:
While I haven't shortened any shotgun barrels - yet, I have often wondered about the same thing.
Click to expand...

Im sure if the stock is quared up solid and leveled, then placing some straight pieces against the barrel (squared up and leveled) and measuring across the top (again with a straight and leveled piece) it would give you the center.
 
Often shotgun barrels are not very concentric when you shorten them a lot... you may end up with a wall .100 thou thicker on one side at the muzzle... and it looks rather weird. Some times I will turn a short taper for a short distance and blend it in as best possible... of course this requires a re blue.
 
53Izzy744 said:
Ive always wondered if there was an easy way to find top dead center to position a new hiviz bead on a shortened barrel
Click to expand...

430-2050.jpg
 
I have not done shotguns, but have done a few rifles - assemble barrel to receiver - the only time a "level" bead will count?? Level the receiver - barrel held in padded or soft jaws in bench vise - level the receiver horizontally across the top if there is a flat, vertically against a flat side if there is no flat on the top. Then an indicator like above will find Top Dead Center on the barrel. I have not made stocks - not completely certain they are "square" enough to receiver to level against?? Maybe they are? I would go from the receiver, if possible...

Once receiver is squared up and level, with very good eyes and a steady hand, should be able to get very close with a level on top of the round barrel - straight bottom of level will only touch at a tangent point - when level reads "level", it is sitting on that TDC tangent point...
 
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