orvpark
Member
I just wanted to say thanks for all the info posted here. Thanks to all the reading I have done the last week or so, I decided to put my pistol in the safe and pick up a shotgun for home defense.
I went shopping and decided I'd rather spend $300+ on a different gun than something that would live under the bed. I decided on a $100 budget and started hitting pawn shops. I found myself a rather beaten Mossberg 500A with a real crappy spray paint camo job and walked out the door for $100.
I went home and stripped the gun down and decided to rid myself of the hideous paint, and try my hand an shortening the 24" barrel. A can of brake cleaner later I had a spotless, beat up gun. Functionally it was flawless, I shot 50 rounds through it at the range of various ammo. I should have took some pictures before so you could really appriciate the after.
I lopped the barrel with a portoband, and filed it smooth to a nice 18.25", measured with a dowl down the barrel, action closed, trigger pulled.
After I stripped it, I smoothed down most of the imperfections and taped everything off I didn't want painted. I shot some self etching primer on it, followed up by a few light coats of some duplicolor truck bed coating from about 24" away. I figured since I already had it, it would keep me in budget and do the job just fine. At this distance it smooth out pretty good, but still gave it a little texture.
I did end up blowing my budget in the end by installing a glow bead I picked up at Wal-Mart on clearance a few months back for $3
What do you think?
Next up, I think I am going to shorten the stock a bit so it is a little more wife friendly.
I went shopping and decided I'd rather spend $300+ on a different gun than something that would live under the bed. I decided on a $100 budget and started hitting pawn shops. I found myself a rather beaten Mossberg 500A with a real crappy spray paint camo job and walked out the door for $100.
I went home and stripped the gun down and decided to rid myself of the hideous paint, and try my hand an shortening the 24" barrel. A can of brake cleaner later I had a spotless, beat up gun. Functionally it was flawless, I shot 50 rounds through it at the range of various ammo. I should have took some pictures before so you could really appriciate the after.
I lopped the barrel with a portoband, and filed it smooth to a nice 18.25", measured with a dowl down the barrel, action closed, trigger pulled.
After I stripped it, I smoothed down most of the imperfections and taped everything off I didn't want painted. I shot some self etching primer on it, followed up by a few light coats of some duplicolor truck bed coating from about 24" away. I figured since I already had it, it would keep me in budget and do the job just fine. At this distance it smooth out pretty good, but still gave it a little texture.
I did end up blowing my budget in the end by installing a glow bead I picked up at Wal-Mart on clearance a few months back for $3
What do you think?
Next up, I think I am going to shorten the stock a bit so it is a little more wife friendly.