Don't want to get into trouble

The rules are that the barrel must stay over 18" long (as measured by a dowel dropped down the tube to rest against the breech face with the action closed).
And the total package must not drop below 26" overall.

The stock may be shortened as much as you want, so long as you keep the whole thing over 26".

Cutting the stock down will make for a VERY disappointing weapon, and your wife is going to achieve frightfully little success at doing more than scaring the squirrels if you do that, but legally you'd be fine. (Though she might find she likes you LESS than the squirrels after she shoots the wrist-sprainer you just made for her! )

The pattern won't be affected by shortening the barrel. The pattern WILL be affected by cutting off the choke section in the last couple inches of the barrel. Cutting that length off will make for a cylinder bore gun, whereas it most likely is now Modified choke, I think. So it will throw a considerably broader and less dense pattern, which isn't so good for small game. You could have the barrel cut and threaded for choke tubes, but that will cost as much as the gun is worth.

By cutting the barrel back any choke will be removed, so you will have a cylinder bore, that is no choke.

Just how long is that barrel 32 or 34 inches?

Not many of those long barreled guns were made you just might want to keep it as it is and find one of those new throwaway guns.

And, how much will the pattern be affected taking 14 inches off of the barrel?

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As the others have mentioned, length has nothing to do with the other. Cylinder choke is cylinder choke; cutting off the stock makes it even more uncomfortable and inaccurate to shoot.

It kicks like a mule, but isn't so bad if you don't shoulder it.

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Wait... you shoot a shotgun with the butt away from your shoulder?

That makes the "kick" WORSE! And it could not be accurately pointed for wing-shooting.

Well, whatever ... at least you know what the law says!

Sam1911: I think he is shooting it from the hip.

BBQJOE: For squirrels in garden you would be much better served to buy another used single shot 410 for $80 to $100 then to chop up this gun. Even new shotguns can be inexpensive. I just saw a new Stevens 20 gauge pump for $169.

Cut down the stock and add a nice recoil pad. I'm not a fan of pistol grips.

BBQJOE said:

No, I'm just saying if you don't shoulder this particular firearm, it doesn't hurt or leave a massive bruise on your shoulder.
I really never use this gun, so re-purposing it doesn't bother me, if I can find a more practical purpose for it.
If she can't hit anything with it (which I doubt) it'll still make her feel better scaring stuff off.
But I'd feel better with her walking around the desert with a short 12 ga than her judge.

If I was rolling in cash, the approach would be much different.

Thanks again!

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I guess I don't get the logic. You aren't rolling in cash so you are going to chop up a functional gun and eliminate the little bit of value that this gun has? You are going to do this to create a gun you know your wife won't be able to hit anything with. She already has a Judge to make noise and scare things off. A gun that she can't hit anything with is useless.

Sounds like you want to make a copy of the shotgun Eric Harris used at Columbine...

Your 67H, on average, is a $200 shotgun that is fully functional. With the 30"+ barrel, it'll make someone who appreciates that sort of thing a fine field gun.

Sell it and use the proceeds for some fire crackers if all you want to do is scare away squirrels. Or sell it and buy a cheaper single shot or a new budget pump action. A Maverick 88 or Pardner pump can be had for under $200 all day.

Transforming a 12 ga. into a short barreled, pistol grip weapon, is going to make it into a miserably inaccurate and excruciatingly painful weapon to fire. She'll probably hate you after firing it just once. From the hip, or other wise, it's gonna kick like a mule in a bad mood. I've sprained my wrist more than once shooting a 28" barrel with a full stock off the hip, I can't even imagine what a chopped down version would feel like.

If you have any doubt about the painful wrist wrenching effect, all you have to do is have her fire it from the hip as is, then multiply that by about 2 or 3 times. That's about what it will be like once it's had the barrel cut down to 18.5", and half of the butt stock removed, probably even worse than that.

Just sayin.

GS

Sell it. Trade it. Whatever. Get her a single shot 410. You're already buying 410 ammo for the Judge.

From the hip, or other wise, it's gonna kick like a mule in a bad mood. I've sprained my wrist more than once shooting a 28" barrel with a full stock off the hip, I can't even imagine what a chopped down version would feel like.

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Ok, ok...now hold on. While pistol (only) gripped shotguns are inarguably far less useful and accurate than stocked guns, and you CAN hurt yourself with one if you aren't careful, the hype about physical damage from shooting them is pretty danged overblown.

Some pals and I bought PGO Mossbergs back in our college days and used them many times out at the local clays range, wingshooting (or attempting to) thrown clay birds. None of us ever even got a hangnail from the "brutal" recoil, even holding them up in front of our faces trying to sight the birds down the barrel. Even fired one-handed with high-brass buckshot they recoiled strongly, but not in any way that would hurt a full-grown adult man.

Once I got semi-serious about hitting anything with that gun, a full-length stock was procured for it.

Put yer hacksaw away and do this!

"Sell it. Trade it. Whatever. Get her a single shot 410. You're already buying 410 ammo for the Judge." Nice Call USAFVet

Saw a H&R Topper .410 in a pawn shop last month for $100. It was scratched up and had a bit of rust on it. Nothing 0000 steel wool and oil wouldnt handle. Best of all, it was functional! I see them all the time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFpyE8CVZ1c

THAT is why you don't want to make it a pistol grip-only shotgun. And that is one of the less injurious ones to be found on You Tube. But it was the first one to pop up, and not in the middle of a compliation.

I learned that lesson the same way, BTW.

entropy said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFpyE8CVZ1c

THAT is why you don't want to make it a pistol grip-only shotgun. And that is one of the less injurious ones to be found on You Tube. But it was the first one to pop up, and not in the middle of a compliation.

I learned that lesson the same way, BTW.

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no....thats why you dont let untrained shooters fire powerful and difficult to control firearms.....you can find videos like that with people shooting magnum revolvers as well.

they take a bit of practice (like everything else).....but PGO shotguns are not some uncontrollable menace that only serves to harm the shooter.

I have a PGO shotgun, shot it 1 handed a bunch, never once hurt myself with it, even pretty accurate with the thing, to the point that i feel i could rely on it to defend myself if needed (not that it would be my 1st....or even 2nd or 3rd choice as a HD gun).

Another guy was posting not long ago about cutting off the choke of a single shot to make a cool looking squirrel gun. The ineffectiveness of cylinder bore for squirrels is bad enough, but then adding a pistol grip will make it really fun trying to hit anything even with a cylinder bore.

I bought a Winchester Defender combo years ago. Came with both barrels and a stock, and a Pistol grip. While the 18" open Defender barrel was great for close range rabbits, and shot slugs well, it was useless for squirrels. Of course I had to put the pistol grip on it to play at the outdoor range for a day. Then the stock went back on, and the pstol grip has never been back on it since. The regular stock was far more comfortable even shooting from the hip. Of course, I've never tried shooting squirrels from the hip with either, but I'm guesing taht's a skill that needs a lot of work to develop. Anybody looking for a barely used Winchester 1200 pistol grip?

A good used single shot goes for 75-100$ today. Sell yours and guy two!

I had a very nice Savage 67 cut down into a 18.5" riot gun. A few months ago, during a clumsy moment in the gun safe, it fell over and landed on the trigger guard. I did not think anything of it until I tried to cycle to action- the ENTIRE pot-metal trigger group was broken in-half, guard included. I ended up selling an unfired, late production 67 with a removable choke with the riot gun as "spare parts". The funds went to buying a good condition Stevens 620.

I bought a Mossberg Security back in the late '80s, and immediately removed the wood and put pistol grips front and back. I was determined to make a "cool" shotgun.

Huge mistake.

If you've never shot a 12ga with pistol grips, you really have no concept of how brutal that design really is. I never wanted to shoot it after that. It sat in my safe for many years until I finally put the original wood back on it earlier this year. The 18.5" barrel still kicks like a mule, but at least it's into my shoulder now and not my wrists taking the brunt of the force.

You don't have to take the word of someone on the internet you don't know. But, as a 230 lb man, I am reasonably certain your wife will not like it. Not one bit.

If you plan on going PGO, see if there is a birds head grip for that particular model (I doubt there is). They are much more comfortable to shoot than the chopped down wooden stock.

M-Cameron said:

no....thats why you dont let untrained shooters fire powerful and difficult to control firearms.....you can find videos like that with people shooting magnum revolvers as well.

they take a bit of practice (like everything else).....but PGO shotguns are not some uncontrollable menace that only serves to harm the shooter.

I have a PGO shotgun, shot it 1 handed a bunch, never once hurt myself with it, even pretty accurate with the thing, to the point that i feel i could rely on it to defend myself if needed (not that it would be my 1st....or even 2nd or 3rd choice as a HD gun).

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I get what you're saying, but you have practiced with yours, and and probably don't hold it like in the vid. I used to shoot Trap one handed with an 870 with the Pachmyr pistol grip (standing on the Trap house) and do very well, except with the hard left birds, which I have a hard time with anyway.

The SpeedFeed pistol Grip like on the Witness Protection 870 is the only pistol grip I'd use, and that is strictly for hip shooting. A breaching gun might be the only exception to that, but I have little use for one.

BBQJOE's wife is probably not going to put the time in to practice shooting a pistol gripped shotgun enough to become proficient at it. She just wants something she can grab and pop a squirrel raiding the yard/garden. That's it. A standard .410 Mossberg 500 will do the job just fine. The model with the foregrip designed for home security would be a little better yet. I recommend to BBQJOE to have her try to shoot both a .410 and a 20 gauge before he buys the gun he should sell the Savage to buy. The 20 gauge 500 comes in many different models, and if she can tolerate the recoil, is infinitely more useful than a .410.

BTW; Ahnold himself would get it like the gal in the vid when firing 3" Mag. 00 Buck. BTDT, and it hurt. But yes, with birdshot, it is manageable.

bought PGO Mossbergs back in our college days

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Did the same, a few rounds of birdshot and a regular plastic stock was ordered and installed

OP, unless you hate your wife, don't have her fire a PGO gun, especially in 12 gauge.

Sell or trade it. I am the type that does not like chopping the barrel of any shotgun. If chopping the barrel is an option then I prefer to get a new barrel for it. Since your gun is discontinued I doubt there are barrels available. While I don't know the laws in Arizona you may wish to sell it and look for a good 410 at an estate sale, yard sale, or even a flee market. Many years ago (roughly 25-30 years ago) I found a Mossberg 190 bolt action in 410 at a yard sale for $20. That shotgun later became my mother's home defense gun. She passed in 2002 and the gun came home in the same condition I gave it to her. The deals are out there so keep looking.