Advice Regarding Cutting Down Barrels?

[Pistolero357]

I have an inexpensive side-by-side shotgun that I am planning to cut back to 19 inches or so. I don't have a band saw so am contemplating the use of a hack saw with a fine-tooth blade followed by cleanup with a file. Any advice, especially from someone who has done this before?

[003]

Make sure you understand how and where the barrels are attached together. On cheap side by sides, they may only be connected in one or two places. If you cut below where they are attached, you may have two single barrels, connected only at the receiver.

[tmh1]

Not a SBS, but I did take a 20 ga field gun with 28" barrel and made it into a more home-defense oriented gun with an 18.5" barrel. Really easy to do with a 30 tpi blade in my hand hack saw. I just ran a piece of duct tape around the barrel where I wanted to cut, and used that as a cutting guide. Then finished off with a Dremel and some cold blue solution.

I started with this, vent rib and all:


And wound up with this:


The following 3 pics show prep for, and post cut with the hack saw. It also shows the razor saw I used to cut the rib on top of the barrel, which I don't think you will need to worry about with a SBS gun:




Bottom line is that it is not too difficult to do, just measure 2x and cut 1x. And since you don't really feel you have valuable gun, and since you apparently want it in a different configuration, I say let your "inner gunsmith" take a crack at the job!

[smith and wesson]

Easy to do with a hacksaw, it took me 5 min to cut down my little 150 dollar shotgun.

[ChuckDizzle]

Why going with the odd 19 inch length? You should go short as legally possible and make a sweet "coach gun" out of it.

[smith and wesson]

Why going with the odd 19 inch length? You should go short as legally possible and make a sweet "coach gun" out of it.

It's better to leave a few inches, when you read about the legalities some say it's measured from breach to where the shot exits while others say you have to measure as if there is a shell in the breach to tip of barrel. Even professionally cut barrels are 18.5 to 19 inches.

[Pistolero357]

Figured I'd leave an inch or so in case I make some kind or error. Leaves about 3/4 inch for making a better cut.

[Pistolero357]

Thanks for the advice and for the encouragement!

[ChuckDizzle]

I've always been told it was measured from the chamber in battery (no-round in the chamber). That would make sense because if it was measured with the round in the chamber even an 18.5 would be too short with a 2 3/4 shell.

[200Apples]

.
^ ^ ^ What Chuck said.

I too have always read that barrel length is measured with an empty chamber, closed action, dowel dropped through muzzle to breach, marked, withdrawn, then measured.

Cutting a side-by-side is tricky, apparently. Good luck to you.

:-)

[xsefan]

[Pistolero357]

Thanks for the advice, people. I ended up cutting the barrels with a buddy's band saw, then filing things smooth with a hand file. Needed to fill the space between the two barrels with a little epoxy and JB Weld worked fine. Jammed a little steel wool about 3 inches down and slowly filled the rest of the space with the JB Weld.

I finally had a chance to take it to the desert and test fire it. Barrels were still well aligned. Nothing blew up or apart and the shots went where they were supposed to. Looks like I've got a nice little coach gun imported by Kassner. Will have to try shooting a little informal trap with it one of these days soon!

[rysin]

I have a ? about this. Is there an over all length that this guys needs to think about before he cuts? Just asking.

[Thefeeder]

Not a SBS, but I did take a 20 ga field gun with 28" barrel and made it into a more home-defense oriented gun with an 18.5" barrel. Really easy to do with a 30 tpi blade in my hand hack saw. I just ran a piece of duct tape around the barrel where I wanted to cut, and used that as a cutting guide. Then finished off with a Dremel and some cold blue solution.

I started with this, vent rib and all:


And wound up with this:


The following 3 pics show prep for, and post cut with the hack saw. It also shows the razor saw I used to cut the rib on top of the barrel, which I don't think you will need to worry about with a SBS gun:




Bottom line is that it is not too difficult to do, just measure 2x and cut 1x. And since you don't really feel you have valuable gun, and since you apparently want it in a different configuration, I say let your "inner gunsmith" take a crack at the job!

Is it just me or is the barrel cut to 17 1/2 " ......tape looks like its sitting on 1 " and extends to 18 1/2 ...total of 17 1/2 "

Does it measure 18+ when you close the bolt and measure using a rod inserted in the barrel? Or am I a little dizzy today.

[bigbully]

I have a ? about this. Is there an over all length that this guys needs to think about before he cuts? Just asking.

Per the Calguns shotgun flowchart, overall length for a shotgun should be 26" or more before triggering SBS.