12 guage smooth bore

[youngun38]

looking to make somewhat of an all purpose shotgun( if there ever were as such a thing) if you get my drift. keep in mind that im on a homeless mans budget but ive got just a plain jane good ol 12 guage single that kicks to hard to go trap shooting with so i had thought about cutting it down to a bbl of 20" to get that "home defence gun" also thinking it'd be a good walking through the woods gun" but then im wondering about a hunting gun. i dont have much experience with slugs and wandering if the sawn off smooth bore would give any kind of decent accuracy with a rifled pumpkin and how long of yardage do you think for this thing?





THANKING YOU ALL IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR TIME AND KNOWLEDGE!

 

[oneounceload]

If you're on a homeless man's budget, perhaps, for the time being, you should just leave well enough alone...........trying to truly cut a tapered barrel square requires a decent jig and tools. Single barrel guns don't weigh much, so there's no reason you can't use it as a walk-around gun

 

[RyanM]

If the gun kicks too hard to shoot trap, you are not going to want to fire slugs out of it.

And chances are, the gun is already fine as is for home defense and hunting. Buckshot and most rifled slugs are already safe to fire through any choke up to regular full. And break-open guns are already about 4" shorter than pump-actions and semi-autos, so it should already be reasonably compact.

Only change I'd recommend is putting on a better recoil pad. A good poor man's option is to remove the existing pad, and use a slip-on one. Then you don't have to worry about anything but general fit, and you can cut down the stock to fit you better without having to drill any holes. I recommend a Pachmayr Decelerator or a Limbsaver.

 

[Gord]

+1 RyanM.

You can't really have it all without being able to change out barrels or at least choke; a hunting gun isn't going to have the same set of priorities as a home defense gun. You might try looking for an affordable used 870 or 500 and a short HD barrel; or if you have Big 5 Sporting Goods in your area, they sell 500 combo sets (two barrels) for around $289.

I know you're on a budget, but it really doesn't get much cheaper than that; you may just need to save your pennies for a while. It'll be better worth your time than taking a hacksaw to your current gun.

 

[MachIVshooter]

trying to truly cut a tapered barrel square requires a decent jig and tools.

I dunno, I've cut alot of tapered barrels on handguns, rifles and shotguns without jigs. But then, I've got alot of metalworking experience and a good eye for geometry.

Younggun-

There's really no way for us to tell you what kind of accuracy to expect. Some guns shoot rifled slugs really well, others not so much.

As far as picking up something else on a budget, it's totally doable. I see old Remington model 10's for $80-$150 all the time.



Just make sure it has a 2-3/4" chamber. 31's turn up cheap, too, and are a more robust shotgun. The Pedersen-designed 10 is a work of art, but a little more delicate than the Winchester 97, 12 and later Remington models.

Heck, another good one that turns up cheap is the old Wards Western field pump (made by Savage). Usually no more than $150, they have one seriously solid (and distinctive) receiver:



Just keep an eye out on the used shelves, and do your homework. Lots of great older shotguns out there for excellent prices if you know what to look for. And like I said, make sure they're 2-3/4" chambered. A 2-1/2", 2-9/16" or 2-2/3" gun will chamber and fire 2-3/4" shells, but it could cause a dangerous pressure condition as the hull expands into the forcing cone. Without a gauge, the best way to check is to remove the barrel and see if a loaded 3-1/2" shell will go almost all the way in. The guys behind the counter should (hopefully) be able to help you with that (and the disassembly of a used gun; I wouldn't just start taking one apart in the showroom without permission. Bad etiquette)