How To Saw Off A 12 Ga. Shotgun

[Dave McCracken]

Pat, any place I get my oversized frame into will accomodate a 20" barreled 870 quite nicely.

14" barrels set new standards of flash and bang. Low light shooting with one leaves me blind after the first shot.

But if it works for you, fine. Just don't expect me to agree that it's best for everyone..

 

[Rupestris]

14" barrels set new standards of flash and bang.

You ain't kiddin'. Recently moved from a 26" to a 18.5" for HD. Moving the BANG 8" closer to your head will definately get your attention.

 

[355sigfan]

No Pat you're wrong,

20 inch is perfect. I have a Stevens 67L pump 12 that sports a twenty inch barrel. besides using it for a HD weapon - it serves as a duty weapon & if i wanted to hunt deer i could use it for that purpose also.

Can your 14 inch barrel shoot groups like this at 55 yards? And for what you paid for a tax stamp, i bought my gun for that +50.00 dollars more.

12-34hom

Actually my gun is a Vang and at 50 yards with slugs it averages about 4 inch groups. 20 inches is way too long for the kind of work I need to do with a shotgun. Try manuvering while doing an entry into a trailer house with a 20 inch gun. In my opinion 20 inch guns are stupid. But to be honest I don't use a shotgun much anymore since I can use my M4 carbine now. I admitt I have a lot of money into my 870 but its a better gun. It has a surefire foreend light, MMC ghostring sights, side saddle, Rogard and NP3 finish, Pistol grip speed feed stock and a Giles 3 point tac sling. I used it to place 1st in the shotgun portion of a 3 gun law enforcement competition last year.

Pat

 

[scout26]

Trenton Shotz,

Please do not cut down your shotgun. You'll be ruining a valuable piece of history and dramatically reducing it's value. I'm sure the number the Jagermiester provides you might have a digit or two to the left of the comma and the three zeros, depending on its condition.

If you want I'll trade you either an NIB Remingotn 870 or a Mossberg with a factory 18.5 barrel, that holds 5-6 shots and you can send that old double barrel.

 

[CleverNickname]

Thats true I was just stating the law. I actually went the tax stamp route and class 2'd my 870 and its a 14 inch gun.
pat

I'm waiting on the form 1 for my 870 to go to 12.5"

 

[rudolf]

You should chrono some slugs from the 14" barrel, and you'll see that you not only get flash & bang, but also pay for it with energy loss. Shotgun ammo needs 18-20".

 

[355sigfan]

Actually no it does not need the 20 inch barrel your only losing a100 to 200 fps depending on the load. Heck reduced power slugs and buck from barrels as short as 12 inches are just fine for people. Now for bears I use 2 3/4 Breneke mags and they do just fine as well.
Pat

 

[sm]

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[355sigfan]

Conduit is for whacking something shorter with a hacksaw - not shotgun bbls.-Me

At the moment I am using a bone stock 870 pump with 28" bbls for HD. Loaded with 1oz rifled [Foster slugs].

I refuse to buy anything with the Wilson name - especially a short bbl shotgun. And they are not that far from me as the crow flies.

I have bought the Vang oversized safety, and immediatly - promptly turned it down to match an original 870 safety switch.

Now, with a bone stock shotgun, be it a 26", 28", combo bbl for turkey or deer and thus a shorter smooth bore barrel.

Having added a .010 - .020 constriction.. Pay attention here - I am talking about "those constriction numbers to a particualr shotgun's bore" . Have shot a helluva lot better patterns with buck loadings and slug loadings without having to pay the monies some of these guys get for what THEY THINK, and for WHAT WANT ...and one will not even put the oversized safety on the gun!

Now...sometimes, one does need to "smooth" , "take a sharp edge off" or even lengthen a forcing cone.

Oh for grins ..one of the best damn secrets is a Winchester Winchoke screwed into the Win factory short bbl for deer/ turkey with rifle sights. The price of the Factoy Winchoke in SK was $7.99 , shot a helluva lot better than the high dollar tricked out 14" bbl gun out that day...

I want the person on MY side, that actually has a bone stock shotgun with loads that he has patterned the gun with, and has more money invested in spent ammo, no matter the length of his barrel.

I'll mention only one person - gal I trust - she uses another best kept secret. 1100 in 20 with fixed 26" Skeet choked bbl. Bone stock - except for gun fit tweaked to her.

Than-

Two Folks with tricked out short barreled over priced pieces of crap, with logo'd gun cases and had to have a friggin "stamp" to own the damn things to watch my six.

I am dead frigging serious.

I know what some folks can do with a 20", a 23", a 28" and even a 30" barrel gun.

I always liked the 21" and 23" inch size personally. Yes I do know something - and I am not the only one on this board that knows what I know and has done.

Get what you want, spend whatever your little heart desires. Whack that barrel and pay the stamps. You better damn well train with it. Better damn well know what the loads will do. IF not the BG is shove it where the sun don't shine - or shoot you dead- or cut you deep.

DO Remember - this is a Gun Forum, it is read by folks all over the world. We have members from all over the world.

The guns, ammo available in their country differs. Laws and Regulations differ. IIRC correctly Ireland just made 24" the MINIMUM legal length shotgun to have.

The reason I mention this is simple. We are supposed to be responsible firearm owners on this board and at TFL.

We are supposed to pass forward and share legal responsibilites. I am not going to "convey" to someone in another country that they cannot defend themselves with a bone stock shotgun. I am not going to "convey" or "shame someone" into thinking they Have to have a 14" gun - especially if doing so is illegal.

I am also able to let myself get utterly pissed at remembering the fact a couple of folks who - from other countries , on this board were made to feel so UN-welcome, simply because :

1) all they could legally have was a two barrel shotgun and wanted to get an idea on loads and Patterning.
2) Only legal firearm was a single shot.

Neither of which can be made shorter in respective countries.

Like I said - get a pc of conduit if you just got go whack something shorter.

Gotta cut your broom and mop down to 14" handles - 'cause according to the Internet - ain't no damn way you are gonna get them room to room otherwise.

Can you repost that in english. I had a lot of difficulty following your train of thought. As for Wilson they make great products from 1911's to AR's your missing out. I prefer Hans's shotguns though. But like I said earlier this is kind of a moot point to me know as I can use a Colt M4 now. A good 223 carbine is a hell of a lot better than any shotgun for room clearing and home defense.
Pat

 

[MNgoldenbear]

355sigfan -- I thought the main advantage of the Vang modification to the barrels was for shooting buckshot into tighter patterns so as not to necessitate slug selecting at medium ranges, rather than significant improvement of slug grouping. At least that was what all the people I competed with felt. BTW, a 4" group at 50 yards with slugs ain't anything to write home about. Sorry.

Also, why do you need to do an entry on a trailer house? Just level the sucker! A couple of good swift kicks should do it!

I would guess for entry/clearing work, one could wear "ears", but it's less likely that someone would think of wearing hearing protection in a HD situation. I've unfortunately been adjacent to an AR muzzle when it was fired in a partially enclosed area, and didn't care for it. I don't think the shotgun would be great in that respect either, but I think the rifle has a sharp enough pressure wave to make things really uncomfortable and difficult to retain focus.

 

[355sigfan]

Vangs modifications are for buckshot but mine happens to shoot slugs better than our 18 and 20 inch guns. that 4 inches at 50 yards is pretty good for most shotgun with smooth bores. At least from my experience. ANd its certainly as good as the target posted by 12-34 hom. As for hearing loss when shooting inside. Its not an issue for safety as you go into audatory exclusion anyway under extreem stress. You will only hear faint pops in a gun fight when you fire your gun. You will have hearing damage no matter what you fire. My old department issued electronic muffs for entry purposes. I prefer the suppressor option and thats what I plan on doing to my Colt M4. But back to the point potential hearing loss is the least of your concerns in a gunfight.
Pat

 

[Rupestris]

As for Wilson they make great products from 1911's to AR's your missing out. I prefer Hans's shotguns though. But like I said earlier this is kind of a moot point to me know as I can use a Colt M4 now. A good 223 carbine is a hell of a lot better than any shotgun for room clearing and home defense.
Pat

I'm not an LEO but I gotta believe that #4's from a SG are far less likely to overpenetrate than a .223 in a tight knit borough like the one I live in now.
For some reason I think that a trailer home would be even more suceptible to overpenetration and would allow a round to visit an unsuspecting neighbor when an M4 is used. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

20 inches is way too long for the kind of work I need to do with a shotgun

Key word being "I".
If a 14" bbl gets the job done and you've done your homework then roll on with it. Good on ya brotha.
For the common homeowner a 18.5" to 28" barrel can and will do the job as long as the defender behind the trigger does his/her part.

Personally, I'm lucky to be able to afford an 870 and two barrels (26" & 18.5") + ammo for /UU/R, let alone a tax stamp.

cs

 

[sm]

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[355sigfan]

I'm not an LEO but I gotta believe that #4's from a SG are far less likely to overpenetrate than a .223 in a tight knit borough like the one I live in now.
For some reason I think that a trailer home would be even more suceptible to overpenetration and would allow a round to visit an unsuspecting neighbor when an M4 is used. Please correct me if I'm wrong.



Key word being "I".
If a 14" bbl gets the job done and you've done your homework then roll on with it. Good on ya brotha.
For the common homeowner a 18.5" to 28" barrel can and will do the job as long as the defender behind the trigger does his/her part.

Personally, I'm lucky to be able to afford an 870 and two barrels (26" & 18.5") + ammo for /UU/R, let alone a tax stamp.

cs

Well 4 shot will not penetrate reliably enough to stop the attacker. And when you compare a 223 with softpoints to pistol rounds and shotgun rounds like buck and slugs its overpenetration risk is lower inside of common building materials.
Pat

 

[355sigfan]

WE have folks that are on a budget, in need of something for defense. They are having to put on lay-a-way the $199 870 shotgun at Academy Sports - they damn sure cannot afford a stamp for a 14" bbl shotgun. You can forget the AR...
Maybe someday they can put a lever action 30-30 on lay-a-way to deer hunt with...
END QUOTE

Well if they can't afford an AR they can afford an SKS or an AK. WIth the right ammo these are ok home defense choices. Yes if your dirt poor (in which case you probably cannot afford a computer to be on this board anyway) then a bare bones shotgun can do the job. But an 18 inch bare bones shotgun is a better choice than a 20 inch one for home defense.

No offense but I am still having difficulty following your point. Your post just rambled all over the place with a lot of hostility. Take a chill pill.
Pat

 

[sm]

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[Trenton_Shotz]

Around 1985, a rather stupid co worker showed me a family shotgun. It was an LC Smith, with pretty wood and some engraving. Unfortunately, he had chopped off the barrels to 18" as you intend.

I told him that if he had left it alone, it would be worth at least $1,000 and possibly more. Instead, he had a $200 gun that was not any better at HD than it would have been if he left it alone.

A double with 28" barrels is about as long OA as an 870 with a 20" tube. That last is oft considered nigh optimum for defensive use.

Ansley Fox shotguns are highly prized and go for more than LC Smiths. Sawing off one is bad Karma. Also, it's financially counterproductive.

Save up the couple hundred for a pump gun and leave this be, please.....

yea i think imma leave this alone in try to sell it......i did nothing to it yet...i was just asking how to saw any shotgun down....but im goin to chill on this 1....soon as i find out the value of it im selling it.....i need more handguns any way....

 

[want to be gunsmith]

scout shotgun's not boyscout

Okay I am currently cutting down a sear&robuck unnown model I bought it pretty cheap only 60 buck need help

 

[Red Label]

I'm just curious where this gun came from if you're now anxious to sell it. I just know that I've sold guns in the past and regretted every single one. If this is a nice piece you may regret it too Especially if it was a grandfathers or uncles gun or something.

 

[Mannlicher]

I am very leary of a new member asking this type of question. Sounds way too much like 'alphabet trolling'

 

[NineseveN]

Gotta cut your broom and mop down to 14" handles - 'cause according to the Internet - ain't no damn way you are gonna get them room to room otherwise.

Best.
Quote.
This Month.

 

[Sistema1927]

I am surprised that nobody has yet mentioned the importance of making sure that the overall length exceeds ATF limits.

Wasn't Randy Weaver's problem the fact that while his barrels were long enough, he was 1/8" short on overall length?

 

[Brasso]

Yep. Gotta remember to keep the OAL to 26". At least around here.

 

[pezo]

I'm not an LEO but I gotta believe that #4's from a SG are far less likely to overpenetrate than a .223 in a tight knit borough like the one I live in now.
For some reason I think that a trailer home would be even more suceptible to overpenetration and would allow a round to visit an unsuspecting neighbor when an M4 is used. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

I am not a LE officer either but I have to totally agree with this quote. If I were a LE officer I would realize that a .223 or any other rifle bullet with that type of penetration would be disaterous choice for above mentioned type of job. Not bashing anyone but I just have to think. .223 + trailer. No way, why would you even need it.

 

[NineseveN]

I am not a LE officer either but I have to totally agree with this quote. If I were a LE officer I would realize that a .223 or any other rifle bullet with that type of penetration would be disaterous choice for above mentioned type of job. Not bashing anyone but I just have to think. .223 + trailer. No way, why would you even need it.

Cause cops never miss?


Any rifle caliber and a trailer is a disaster waiting to happen in someone else's easy chair.