Anybody ever cut down an H&R single shot break action for a child?

[Stand_Watie]

Any tips/advice on the best way to do it?




I bought a 20 guage shotgun and a skeet trap the other day, and was trying it out today. Anyway I needed a second person to pull the release on the trap so I asked my little princess to come help me. She asked "Is it (the shotgun) one of the loud ones?" and I told her it was and she didn't want to (she doesn't like loud noises, and only wants to shoot .22's). Anyway I pulled my best puppy dog eyes expression and forlornly said "OK, I guess you don't want to spend time with dear ol' dad who works so much overtime he doesn't have as much free time to spend with his only daughter as he'd like to" and she changed her mind and came out to help. After watching me a couple times she decided she wanted to have a go at it after all, so we got my wife's .410 out and she had "a blast". I got the wife to take a pic of us, and as you can see it's still a little large for her. Anyway, I'm was thinking of seeing if I can find somebody with an old broken H&R with a barrel/stock that's interchangeable with this one for 20 or 30 bucks and cut down the stock and barrel so my budding little annie oakley can have one that fits, and be ready to switch out for a full size in a year or two. I was thinking about taking about 6 inches off the barrel (it's too heavy for her to hold up unsupported) and a couple off the stock.

 

[Devonai]

I whacked ten inches off of the barrel of my H&R 12 gauge last year, bringing it down to 20 inches total. I have yet to have another bead sight installed, but it's not critical IMO. I just sight down the length of the barrel.

I used a hacksaw and cleaned up the edge with a file and sandpaper. I put the receiver in a vise, wrapped in cloth to prevent scratching, and sawed away.

 

[Burt Blade]

Keep in mind that there is a Federal law covering long-gun overall length, not just barrel length. It would be a good idea to double check your local, state, and federal laws before you stat lopping off hunks of a long gun.

Randy Weaver lost his wife and son over those rules. He was accused of violating the tax rulethat says you need to pay a five dollar tax before cutting the _stock_ of a shotgun so that the shotgun overall is 1/4 inch too short.

 

[Stand_Watie]

Thanks for the heads up Burt. I am aware of the federal minimum regs, and the length of both the barrel and the overall length would be well within the acceptable standards for the purposes of what I had in mind.

Ironic about Randy Weaver was that he tried to comply with federal law and apparently just mismeasured, or measured differently than the ATF. I won't make that particular mistake.

 

[jefnvk]

Buy a whole new Youth gun. You should be able to find one at Wal-Mart for about $70-80. You can always resell it and get the money back. Plus, she'll get her own gun. That was a big plus for me when I was younger, getting my own youth gun.

 

[Preacherman]

See here and scroll down to look at H&R's replacement stocks. You can buy a replacement wood stock for $32, and cut it down to whatever length you like. Keep the original for later replacement.

 

[LiquidTension]

As far as I know, the ATF couldn't prove that it even WAS Randy Weaver that cut the stock down. Didn't the shotgun go through someone else's hands before the ATF got theirs on it?

 

[BluesBear]

Let's leave Weaver out of this thread.

Preacherman beat me to the punch about the new stock. The new stocks sold by Marlin/H&R1871 will fit on the old guns.

But just for the sake of discussion, they also sell the new ones in 28 gauge.

Compared to a .410, that would be a little bit easier to hit with and a lot harder to outgrow.

 

[Clemson]

Several years ago I cut down a 20 gauge NEF for my son. I cut the stock on a miter box and ground a recoil pad to fit it. I reamed the choke to about .006" constriction, or roughly "Skeet." Then I loaded shells with 3/4 oz of #9 shot and a powder puff load of gunpowder, making a 28 gauge load in a 20 gauge gun. Today, I would be tempted to use Chambermates instead of going through the trouble of loading special training shells.

I still have that NEF. My son will use it to train HIS son (or daughter) some day.

Clemson

 

[Clark]

I put a Fajen plastic butt plate and a scrap piece of Walnut on the butt of this Remington 510 that was cut down for a child.
It is now long again for an adult.

 

[Chawbaccer]

I've done it. Use wedges or what ever and get it setting straight and level on the band saw and cut straight across following the factory butt plate angle. Re-attach the factory butt pad and use a belt sander to bring the wood down to match up with the butt pad, put some stain-varnish on if you are trying to be fancy.

 

[BluesBear]

Clark;

That's a mighty fine job you did on that stock. From a distance most people wouldn't even notice.

 

[pete f]

OK I am going to make a stand for which I may get flamed for, but in my mind the H&R is a horrible gun to teach kids on. Most out there do not have a transfer bar safety and if you are cocking the hammer and your thumb slips off, blammo. My nephew did this while starting to turn around,(yeah I know he violated the rule, but he had the muzzle down) and his thumb slipped and all of us jumped like a foot off the ground as a load of 20 ga hit the ground in the middle of us.

The stock designs have a ton of drop on them and they kick hard for the size. I would really look at the new Remington super small pump guns, Gander had them right around 200 bucks. and resale on them is right around two hundred. too here is the wingmaster JR as they call it.

http://www.remington.com/firearms/youth/870wingjr.htm

and inch shorter than a youth, easily handeled by a ten year old.

I would not again use a H&R topper. I have several H and R's but for a kids gun no i woule think of something else

 

[BluesBear]

Hold it Pete...

The H&R is one of the safest actions ever made.

During the years I was a working at a pawn shop I bought & sold over 200 used H&R single shot shotguns.
I have NEVER seen one that would fire if you slipped the hammer with your finger OFF the triger.

The rebounding hammer will not hit the firing pin unless you pull the trigger.

 

[Clark]

Adding more stock is just like adding a recoil pad, but with glue.

I have put many recoil pads on for myself and others.
I have a system for oil finish stocks.
I put my Boch 4x24 belt sander in an outdoor vice.
I put on hearing, eye, and breathing protectors.
I get my eye parallel with the belt.
I rotate the stock while changing the angle of stock to get the line I want.
When the pad is only .1" oversized, I switch to a very fine grit belt.
I cut into the wood and finish only slightly.
I rub oil on the sanded wood.
I clean myself, the gun, and the sander off with compressed air.

I guess I did go to the random orbital sander, on the that stock in the picture, before applying the tru-oil.

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

I cut my H&R 20 gauge for use as a pack gun. when cutting barrels, i always use a lathe, always. i parted it off at 20" and broke the edges. next up is a set of choke tubes.

 

[goon]

You can just get a youth model. My dad got me one when I was 11 and I still get it out once in awhile, especially when teaching new shooters. Every one I have ever seen had the transfer safety so you would have to run into a really old one for it not to have that.
I have seen them used for around $70.

 

[roo_ster]

My boy was born in October. Before either he or his momma got out of the hospital, my father-in-law drove 600 miles to give him (by way of me) the .410 SxS he taught HIS son to shoot with. Its just an old Brazilian shotgun from K-mart, but it is the thought that counts.

However, my boy's first shotgun will be MY dad's old Savage Stevens .410, as its shorter stock & bbl are more appropriate. THEN he will double his firepower & move to the SxS.

 

[BluesBear]

jfruser, that makes you and your father-in-law both eligible for Father of The Year awards.

 

[gamachinist]

I saw a neat tip listed on another forum the other day about shortening a stock.
It was suggested if you wanted to reattach the cut off part later when the child grows some,
To drill dowel holes in the stock before you cut it off,so when you later put it back on,you would have an easier time of aligning it and glueing it together.

Regards,

 

[BluesBear]

Gamachinist, I to recall reading a tip like that in a magazine many years ago. As I recall they advised to put a spacer as thick as the cut made by the blade of the cutoff saw in front of the recoil pad. That way when you reinstall the cutoff piece the spacer will allow it to align perfectly.

I reasoned that if you use long screws to reattach the stock you could switch it back to the shortened version later on. That way you could use it for several generations of young shooters.

I am surprised that someone like Marlin or H&R hasn't produced a dual length model.