[Lightsped]

I have a 24 inch (I think) barrel that I would like to reduce to the legal 18 inch or whatever. Anyways, what type of place can reduce the length of barrels professionally? What tools/skills are needed?

[Dave McCracken]

Any smith can cut and crown properly but think it over.

Most repeating shotguns have interchangeable barrels, often available for less than the bob job.

What kind of shotgun is it?

[1911JMB]

With a sawzall or a hacksaw and a little patience you could do it yourself. Then you could go to the smith and have a bead site installed for 15 bucks or so.

[pauli]

i'd definitely vote for just buying an 18.5" barrel. they really aren't all that expensive, especially used.

[hoghunting]

Check www.ebay.com for a used barrel. They always seem to have plenty of them for sale.

If you're trying to save money, 1911 is right. You can cut the barrel down with a hacksaw and file it smooth. Just take your time and don't rush.

[Erik Jensen]

a basic pipe cutter (the clamp-type ones that you tighten a bit with every revolution) will work just fine on a non-ribbed barrel, I'm told...

[thirty-thirty]

I think a pipe cutter would leave the barrel choked. I've used a 14" cut off saw (abrasive type) before and it made a nice clean cut.

[caliber729]

If you are really inclined to do it yourself, then you will need only two items. First use a hacksaw to cut barrel to length. Second, you will need "Shotgun Barrel Facer" from Brownells.

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/ns/store/productdetail.aspx?p=5171

Make sure you get the properly sized pilot. Don't forget to re-blue / refinish the shiny metal on the crown.

Also, be very sure of how long your barrel will be before you start cutting. You don't want any trouble.

Good luck