I've been given a mill and lathe as retirement gifts from my Wife. Yeah! I took four semesters of gun smithing and consider myself to be a novice at best. But love every minute. Now we moved and as we meet new people I'm finding those who would like some of the things I can do. I've just been asked to cut down a shotgun barrel and re-thread it. My questions include: Is this legal? To what length can it be cut? If I pin the flash/breach device would it be considered barrel length? What would be the cost one should expect for this kind of service? Thanks for considering me.
Cut and thread a 12g
- Thread starter rockyboy
- Start date
- Status
Clemson
Member
18" is the minimum length. Choke work is normally done with a reamer and a tap. The reamer is held in the lathe headstock (I use a collet chuck) and the barrel is pushed onto it from the tailstock end. Threading with the tap is done by hand. It takes about an hour to do correctly. Charge accordingly knowing your overheads and your tool cost. Also note that you cannot keep a gun overnight unless you have an FFL.
entropy
Member
ALWAYS add an extra 1/2" minimum to shotgun barrel 18" cut downs. And be sure you are measuring it the way the ATF does.
Jim Watson
Member
Requirements for a permanently attached muzzle device to count on barrel length are pretty strict. I wouldn't push it, 18.5" of real barrel is the safe way.
Clark
Member
I am set up for Remchoke, but I have found the reamer takes time. I get close with a boring bar, then the reamer, then the tap.
There are some finer points of having enough metal to tap. Some bores are off center. Some walls are thin.
There are some finer points of having enough metal to tap. Some bores are off center. Some walls are thin.
rangervoss
Member
Congrats on your new toys. What I would suggest starting out with, is reading the ATF guidelines front to back. I am not trying to be mean here in anyway and this is a great source for a lot of knowledge, but in the end would you feel comfortable saying in front of a court and judge that you thought you were good because you asked a forum? If cutting a shotgun barrel causes that much uncertainty, you really would gain much from reading those rules. Good luck and enjoy!
18.5" it is. I have not worked on shotguns. The one in question seems to be of the $100 bill level of quality. I agree that the barrel may well be off center and worry about how well it will take threads. I normally thread to the bore and not the barrel. Now I wonder if this is need or not. Guess I'll find out when I chuck it up. Thanks all.
- Status
Similar threads
