To chop it or not?

[Macchina]

I inherited a non-sentimental 12ga NEF shotgun from my Dad. It's in good shape and I plan on keeping it where I hunt so I don't need to lug my 870 up there. I use it to go out in the swamp when the urge gets me to hunt rabbit or woodcock.

The gun currently has a 27.5" modified choke barrel. I'd like to chop it to 18.5". I use a lathe at work and could reinstall the bead on a Bridgeport so the only question I have is the open choke. I know it would be good for protection of the cabin, but how about hunting in the situation I described? How much louder should I expect it to be?

 

[foghornl]

Your rabbits & birds would need to be fairly close shots, {maybe no more than 25-30 yds} and that open bore should work quite well with standard plain lead slugs if your are hunting Bambi.

 

[Chevelle SS]

You will have a lot of kick if you cut down that barrel.

 

[Macchina]

Why more kick? I'll be removing under a half pound from the total weight of the gun. Are you saying that a short barrel somehow generates more recoil?

 

[TurtlePhish]

Why more kick? I'll be removing under a half pound from the total weight of the gun. Are you saying that a short barrel somehow generates more recoil?

The shorter barrel won't generate any more recoil on its own.

I think the issue is that even removing under a half pound of weight from a gun that's already very light for a 12ga might make it just plain brutal.

 

[Hunterdad]

I used to have an NEF with a 19" barrel. I rarely shot slugs through it, but when I did I used low recoil slugs. It wasn't bad at all.

 

[jogar80]

I have 2 winchester pumps that I cut down to 18". This has made them much handier in the woods. I have not noticed any increase in muzzle blast, nor any appreciable difference in max range. There is definitely NO increase in recoil. And I love the way it looks with the shorter barrel. Go for it.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Take it to a gun Smith and have it cut down and treaded for screw in chokes unless you can do it at your work shop.

 

[clang]

Cutting down the barrel will definitely reduce the guns moment of inertia, or inclination to swing at a steady rate. This is fine in snap shooting circumstances where you do not need to follow a moving target, but it makes moving targets where you need a steady swing more difficult.

Cylinder choke is also usually a little too open for most hunting circumstances, but if the woods are think and you do not take long shots, it might be OK for you.


If you are just itching for a project, how about using a gauge to figure out where to cut the barrel to get an Improved Cylinder Choke (maybe 1-2" into the barrel) and cut the barrel down to make it so. You will probably wind up with about a 26" barrel, the swing should be a little more lively and you will have a decent choke for most hunting.

 

[rcmodel]

I would cut it in a heartbeat.

It should be perfect for swamp rabbits and woodcock.

I grew up quail hunting with a sawed off 20" 12 ga single-shot.

That gun killed more quail in the thick brush then you could shake a stick at.

And my 1 quail per shell ratio went to heck when I got a better gun with a long Mod choke barrel again.

rc

 

[Deer_Freak]

The gun is an heirloom. Once you cut it down it's trashed. You can not put it back. Buy a $200 pump and play I wana be a gunsmith with it.

 

[Bud Tugly]

If it had been my dad's gun I'd keep it exactly as is. Take it out to shoot it a couple of times a year but otherwise keep it in a place of honor to remember him by.

Then go to nearly any gun shop and you can find an old beater single shot for less than $100 to cut down. I cut down an old H&R 12 gauge and used it as a swamp gun for grouse, rabbits, and woodcock. It patterned great out to about 30 yards and that's all you ever need if you're hunting thick cover.

Unless you enjoy a bruised shoulder, I'd stick to lighter loads of 1 1/8 oz or less. Those single shots get brutal with heavier loads, especially in 12 gauge. No need for them for what you're planning anyway.

 

[Sav .250]

I believe Remington makes a load/box for such a set up. Load stays together for a little longer. Could help your non-choke situation.. I believe.

 

[natman]

Cutting the barrel from 28 to 18" will definitely make it louder:


http://www.freehearingtest.com/hia_gunfirenoise.shtml
12 Gauge
28" barrel 151.50dB
26" barrel 156.10dB
18" barrel 161.50dB

A 10 dB increase is a lot.

It will also ruin the swing. I know that it's possible to adapt, but there is a huge difference in how a 18" and a 28" barrel swings. If you plan on doing wingshooting, I'd leave it as is.

I'd keep the family heirloom original and get a $50 beater to cut down.

 

[ZVP]

Don't cut it!

Even though it's not a Parker, it was something more dear, it was youdr Dad's!
Keep it as is, even without restoration. It's an heirloom.
Go to a Hock shop and do as I did, buy a $200 used gun. Cut and play to your hearts content.
Chopping will increase discharge noise and increase recoil.
A Doouble with 20" bbls is ideal. You can flat out buy a Choked 20" Stoger Coach Gun. Maybe $250?
I bought a Stoger Uplander and did some measuring and found thT MY 26" CHOKED barreks and 42" OAL matches the size of a chopped 870 cut to 20". I have full choke tubes and can change at will. The Uplander is a 20 Ga 3" chamber, so I can make power if I want. Besides it's a pretty, english style straight pistolgrip stock with a wide beavertail foreend. Triple"A" wood!
I was gonna cut it in the beginning but tried it first and thought about the power and control of the shot string I would loose, and decided No Way!
Please keep Dad's gun as-is!
ZVP

 

[crazyjennyblack]

Please don't cut your perfectly good barrel!!!!!!!!

I'm also in the don't cut crowd, for four reasons:

1. Sentimental value. It may seem OK now, but in future years you might regret it.
2. You can get a new shotgun for about $100 at a walmart if you're determined to cut it down. I've also bought one of this exact style of gun at a garage sale for $40, in pretty good shape. Wait till summer and you might find a good buy.
3. Cutting it yourself will never get the muzzle as square as a gunsmith or the factory can, and this can produce inconsistency in the pattern. Also be careful of how short you cut it.....
4. For about $100, you can buy a spare barrel to go in your gun. Literally a drop-in fit. I've built a couple of this style of gun from bare receivers, and you can pretty much find barrels to make any combination you want. You can get a 20" or 22" barrel in 12 gauge, with a modified or full choke if you'd like. This way you can keep shooting your dad's shotgun, save the long barrel, and have a short barrel WITH the choke you desire.

One source of parts:

http://www.gunpartscorp.com/Manufacturers/NewEnglandFirearms-33412/Pardner-SingleShot-37581.htm


Anyway, think about it, and good luck. I hope you make a well-thought choice.

 

[Black Knight]

Why not try to find another barrel for it? If you do have to chop it, think about a 20 inch barrel. It is short enough for defensive use and long enough for hunting. Both of my 870 Wingmasters have 20 inch barrels and are great all around guns.

 

[MattShlock]

Cut it and have it threaded for choke tubes -- what the heck.

 

[mcdonl]

OP, did your dad pass away or did he just give you this gun because he no longer uses it?

If it's the later, hack away.

 

[Macchina]

My Dad is alive and well, I don't know where a couple guys got it from that he has passed away. I guess death is the only reason many people get guns from their Dads... I was thinking about picking up a cheap shotgun and asked him if he still had that H&R he never liked (shot it with some heavier loads and bruised up) and he gave it to me. The stock was chipped so I sanded it down (fit the stock to the action while I was at it) and re-stained it. It's definitely not factory original anymore.

I guess the meat of my question is: will it drastically reduce the hunting abilities of the gun to have a short barrel and cylinder stroke? I am hoping to get advice from someone who hunts bunnies and woodcock with a similar gun to see if they wish they had a tighter choke.

 

[MasterSergeantA]

H&R (a.k.a. NEF) has a program where they will fit a new barrel to your shotgun starting at a cost of $55. Since the gun is not "original" (whatever bearing that might have for some folks) and bears no real sentimental value, you could actually 'have your steak and eat it too'. You can even have them change the caliber, if you care to.

http://www.hr1871.com/Support/accessoryProgram.asp

 

[Macchina]

So, I've decided to cut it down. I took the gun out to pattern it (something many people seem to never do) and noticed it shoots low and to the right. At 25 yards there were about 4 pellets (7 1/2 shot, 1.25 oz) in the center 6 inches at POI, with a nice (but off-center) center of pattern being close to a foot off...

I'm going to go for an 18.5" barrel and re-mount the bead....

 

[blaisenguns]

Why more kick? I'll be removing under a half pound from the total weight of the gun. Are you saying that a short barrel somehow generates more recoil?

Yes it does because the projectile expends less kinetic energy on the bore, and more to your shoulder.

 

[76shuvlinoff]

I cut and rebeaded an old Wards Hercules single that my wife's grandfather sold to my Dad when they were kids. It had a bulge at 19.5-20" all the finish was gone. It has a short stock and a cracked butt plate. Makes a good behind the door gun but that's about it, tosses a nice 8-9" 00 buck pattern from the hip at 7 paces. In retrospect I probably should've just hung it on the wall.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

Removing a half pound from a single barrel shotgun will significantly increase the recoil velocity of the gun and impact energy is a square of velocity, so yes the recoil will jump.

Also, with a 12ga single shot break action, a 20 to 22" barrel will be shorter than a pump with a 18.5" barrel, but probably easier on the ears and with slightly longer sight radiius. I have had single barrel shotguns from 30" barrel to 18.25" barrel, and if shortening an old shotgun for brush use again, I would probably chop the barrel at 22" and add lead weight to the forearm and stock for balance and recoil reduction.

Modern smokeless powder shotshell with cupped shot charge is unlike the oldtime black powder and bare shot on steel barrel: an 18.5" cylinder bore barrel should give similar velocity and pattern to a much longer barrel with cylinder bore (no choke) and modern ammo. The choice is what your shoulder and ears will bear.