Hacksaw or pipe cutter for 12 ga barrel?

[Mtwoodson]

My 870 needs a shorter barrel for in-home use. I have an older plain 28" Mod choke with plain bead. I'm thinking 22" is what I want. Hacksaw, plumbers rotating pipe cutter, or ?
I was thinking about another bead, and then wondered about just a 1/4" white line down the top center of the barrel instead.
Thoughts or advice?

 

[wilcam47]

A gun smith...

 

[Americus]

why dont you get an 18" barrel separately?

 

[freddie]

Check out youtube I recall some using hacksaw - pipe cutter might be useful for marking your cut line

 

[Doctor_M]

Measure twice.

 

[freddie]

just found on you tube: "Lord Alex" - used pipe cutter

Lots of other approaches just type in Shotgun barrel cutting

 

[campns]

why dont you get an 18" barrel separately?

+1 on this, once you cut you cant go back! Your forcing cone and ability to predict shot pattern goes out the door, and you may as well throw rocks with slugs. Plus using a pipe cutter could "force Crown the barrel in" and that would be bad news, meaning if it's too much it could catch on a burr or something and essentially turn into a elmer fudd shotgun. take it to a smith or just get an 18" barrel with the rifle sights they have them both rifled and unrifled.

 

[samcolt45]

A pipe cutter will make a clean cut but push a small ring of metal into the bore. You can use a rotatory burr or stone in a dremal or a variable speed drill and carefully remove the ring caused by the pipe cutter. A hacksaw will make a more rough cut but no ring in the bore. If you use a fine tooth blade and cut slowly you can get pretty good cut. You can smooth the hacksaw cut with slow filing.

 

[HT4]

Hacksaw, bandsaw, cutoff wheel, etc all work fine. I prefer a bandsaw. Scribe your cut line using a rolled piece of heavy stock. Even everything up with a file afterwards. A short, hardened (and square) piece of angle iron works great as a filing guide. If you are threading the barrel for a brake or breacher, the die works great as a filing guide (assuming you lined it up right).

The cylinder bore is more than adequate for HD purposes.

I've done this twice with good results. Planning to SBS a 870 soon and will do it again.

 

[J Beard]

Caution with pipe cutter, if there is any taper to the barrel it can walk on you.

I would recommend a gunsmith first, band saw second

 

[SOMDSHOOT]

Why not take it to a local machine shop and have them do it right so it doesn't look like you whacked on it with a butter knife.

My next question is, if you already have a 28" barrel why do you feel the need to cut it down for "in home use" ? My 28" barrels fit just fine in my home.

 

[Caeb75]

When I have cut a shotgun barrel, I took the bulk off with a band saw. Then I went accross the muzzle on a mill and then used a crowning tool. Had I not had these tools available to me and the know how to use them, I would have paid a gun smith to do the work. Buy once cry once and all.

 

[Mtwoodson]

FWIW, I have multiple barrels and want a short one. If I screw up, I'll just try another. I can buy a new/used one($$$$), have a gunsmith do it for me($$$$), or do it myself (no $$$$). I've gotta say I'm surprised by all the "don't do it's". It's just an 870 barrel, not a Purdy.

 

[wilcam47]

FWIW, I have multiple barrels and want a short one. If I screw up, I'll just try another. I can buy a new/used one($$$$), have a gunsmith do it for me($$$$), or do it myself (no $$$$). I've gotta say I'm surprised by all the "don't do it's". It's just an 870 barrel, not a Purdy.

why ask advice then?

 

[lsw]

Practical advice: for a plain, non-vent-rib barrel, mark and drill the position of the new bead BEFORE you cut. You'll be able to use the original bead to help find the correct position on the barrel so the bead is vertical when the barrel is installed on the shotgun. If you wait til after you cut down the barrel, it will be more difficult to position the new bead correctly.

As others have said, using a pipe cutter makes a square cut but leaves a ridge of metal inside the barrel that must be removed. Regardless of whether you use a pipe cutter, hack saw, or bandsaw, some hand work will be needed afterwards to clean things up.

 

[smokey]

umm.....
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/95...-3-18-1-2-cylinder-bore-with-bead-sight-matte

 

[Alea Jacta Est]

FWIW, I have multiple barrels and want a short one. If I screw up, I'll just try another. I can buy a new/used one($$$$), have a gunsmith do it for me($$$$), or do it myself (no $$$$). I've gotta say I'm surprised by all the "don't do it's". It's just an 870 barrel, not a Purdy.

Did someone say "y'all sure got a Purdy mouth there boy"?????

 

[BradMacc82]

why dont you get an 18" barrel separately?

Because 18" would be SBS/NFA territory. 18.5" is as short as you can go w/out jumping into NFA.

Hacksaw with a fine blade. Yes it's slower, yes it's harder to do a straight cut if you don't set a good line as a guide. But it's the method more than a few gunsmiths have actually used for decades.

Still have to clean/dress everything up afterwards though.

 

[smokey]

Because 18" would be SBS/NFA territory. 18.5" is as short as you can go w/out jumping into NFA.

Hacksaw with a fine blade. Yes it's slower, yes it's harder to do a straight cut if you don't set a good line as a guide. But it's the method more than a few gunsmiths have actually used for decades.

Still have to clean/dress everything up afterwards though.

nope, it's 18"
http://www.atf.gov/firearms/faq/national-firearms-act-short-barreled-rifles-shotguns.html

most manufacturers and smiths cut it down to 18.25" or 18.5" to give themselves some wiggle room on the lawful side. You could have a barrel exactly 18", since the sbs comes in to play with something LESS than 18", but you probably don't want to trust your measuring device to be exactly the same as whatever federal agent could be measuring it to the micron.

 

[BradMacc82]

nope, it's 18"
http://www.atf.gov/firearms/faq/national-firearms-act-short-barreled-rifles-shotguns.html

most manufacturers and smiths cut it down to 18.25" or 18.5" to give themselves some wiggle room on the lawful side. You could have a barrel exactly 18", since the sbs comes in to play with something LESS than 18", but you probably don't want to trust your measuring device to be exactly the same as whatever federal agent could be measuring it to the micron.

Learned something new today.

I humbly admit my mistake.