I have an old double barrel side by side shotgun.....12 guage..... I want to shorten the barrels down to 18.5 inches. Any way of doing this at home..... I know the standard answer to hack saw........
Gunsmithing any home tricks for shorting a shot gun
- Thread starter Prebanpaul
- Start date
Re: any home tricks for shorting a shot gun
Hacksaw AND miter box might not work out so bad.
Hacksaw AND miter box might not work out so bad.
Re: any home tricks for shorting a shot gun
Ive done a few with a hack saw. Just mark well and stay on the line. Once you get it cut use a good sharp file that is at least 1" wide and true up the ends.
Ive done a few with a hack saw. Just mark well and stay on the line. Once you get it cut use a good sharp file that is at least 1" wide and true up the ends.
Re: any home tricks for shorting a shot gun
how about a metal blade on a shop saw. Ive set up a jig on my chop saw and cut metal with good accuracy. very straight cuts
how about a metal blade on a shop saw. Ive set up a jig on my chop saw and cut metal with good accuracy. very straight cuts
Re: any home tricks for shorting a shot gun
A couple of years ago a buddy and me chopped an old coach gun from 22" to 18 1/2".
All we used were two pieces of steel secured firmly and evenly on either side of the barrel. We measured and measured again, and made sure that the bar steel was square on the ends.
Then, we used a diamond plated hacksaw blade to cut AGAINST the metal that we secured to either side of the barrels with the flat side of the blade touching the bar steel. You will have some rough sanding to do when you are done to clean up the edges, but it will cut straighter than most blades that are unreinforced will allow. You have to account for the flex in the blade itself.
Go slow! If your cut starts 'veering' off to one side there isn't much you can do to fix it except to flip it over and cut from the other side.
A couple of years ago a buddy and me chopped an old coach gun from 22" to 18 1/2".
All we used were two pieces of steel secured firmly and evenly on either side of the barrel. We measured and measured again, and made sure that the bar steel was square on the ends.
Then, we used a diamond plated hacksaw blade to cut AGAINST the metal that we secured to either side of the barrels with the flat side of the blade touching the bar steel. You will have some rough sanding to do when you are done to clean up the edges, but it will cut straighter than most blades that are unreinforced will allow. You have to account for the flex in the blade itself.
Go slow! If your cut starts 'veering' off to one side there isn't much you can do to fix it except to flip it over and cut from the other side.
Re: any home tricks for shorting a shot gun
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: RoosterShooter</div><div class="ubbcode-body">A couple of years ago a buddy and me chopped an old coach gun from 20" to 16 1/2".</div></div>
If you have the paperwork for an SBS or AOW, why not go even shorter?
I mean, I would have gone to 12" or maybe even 10"!
Seems like a lot of paperwork hassle to only cut 1.5" shorter than the minimum 18" barrel length to me...
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: RoosterShooter</div><div class="ubbcode-body">A couple of years ago a buddy and me chopped an old coach gun from 20" to 16 1/2".</div></div>
If you have the paperwork for an SBS or AOW, why not go even shorter?
I mean, I would have gone to 12" or maybe even 10"!
Seems like a lot of paperwork hassle to only cut 1.5" shorter than the minimum 18" barrel length to me...
Re: any home tricks for shorting a shot gun
I would pay a man that knows what he is doing to shrink my barrel.
I would pay a man that knows what he is doing to shrink my barrel.
Re: any home tricks for shorting a shot gun
I believe 16 1/2 " is too short for legal shotguns unless you get Federal permit. I understood 16" for rifles and 18" for shotguns. Is that what Ruby Ridge was about?
I believe 16 1/2 " is too short for legal shotguns unless you get Federal permit. I understood 16" for rifles and 18" for shotguns. Is that what Ruby Ridge was about?
Re: any home tricks for shorting a shot gun
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: former naval person</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I believe 16 1/2 " is too short for legal shotguns unless you get Federal permit. I understood 16" for rifles and 18" for shotguns. Is that what Ruby Ridge was about? </div></div>
What he said^^^ TWICE!!
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: former naval person</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I believe 16 1/2 " is too short for legal shotguns unless you get Federal permit. I understood 16" for rifles and 18" for shotguns. Is that what Ruby Ridge was about? </div></div>
What he said^^^ TWICE!!
Re: any home tricks for shorting a shot gun
yeah I would erase that statement of illegal activity as well..........
yeah I would erase that statement of illegal activity as well..........
Re: any home tricks for shorting a shot gun
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Prebanpaul</div><div class="ubbcode-body">yeah I would erase that statement of illegal activity as well..........
</div></div>
Yeah, sorry I was mistaken.
Talked to him this afternoon, and it was 22" to 18 1/2".
Sorry for the mistake. As you get older insignificant details tend to blend together.
It was his Mosin Nagant 91/30 that we cut down to 16" and tacked on a 2" muzzle brake after crowning it.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Prebanpaul</div><div class="ubbcode-body">yeah I would erase that statement of illegal activity as well..........
</div></div>
Yeah, sorry I was mistaken.
Talked to him this afternoon, and it was 22" to 18 1/2".
Sorry for the mistake. As you get older insignificant details tend to blend together.
It was his Mosin Nagant 91/30 that we cut down to 16" and tacked on a 2" muzzle brake after crowning it.
Re: any home tricks for shorting a shot gun
Hope the MAN believes that correction. A powerful argument that one should NOT EVER put anything on line that he doesn't mind the world knowing. A lot of effort is being employed to search out any and all perhaps illegal gun activity now.
Hope the MAN believes that correction. A powerful argument that one should NOT EVER put anything on line that he doesn't mind the world knowing. A lot of effort is being employed to search out any and all perhaps illegal gun activity now.
Re: any home tricks for shorting a shot gun
A hose clamp tightened around an object usually works well as a guide for a fairly straight cut..... I've never used it on a shotgun though.
A hose clamp tightened around an object usually works well as a guide for a fairly straight cut..... I've never used it on a shotgun though.
Re: any home tricks for shorting a shot gun
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: former naval person</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Hope the MAN believes that correction. A powerful argument that one should NOT EVER put anything on line that he doesn't mind the world knowing. A lot of effort is being employed to search out any and all perhaps illegal gun activity now. </div></div>
It's kind of hard remembering details of activities that occurred 15 yrs. ago. Heck, I have a hard time remembering what I did last week!
Oh well. Let the cards fall where they may!
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: former naval person</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Hope the MAN believes that correction. A powerful argument that one should NOT EVER put anything on line that he doesn't mind the world knowing. A lot of effort is being employed to search out any and all perhaps illegal gun activity now. </div></div>
It's kind of hard remembering details of activities that occurred 15 yrs. ago. Heck, I have a hard time remembering what I did last week!
Oh well. Let the cards fall where they may!
