Looking for advice on shortening my barrel

[tasum]

Hi I'm from the UK and I've just got an old wingmaster in 12g. It has the 30 inch factory barrel choked at a half. I was thinking of chopping the barrel down to make it more handy for practical shotgun, but I'm not sure how much I can chop off and what the shot pattern will be like without a choke.

I will decide on either the 12 or 14 inch hogue stock to determine the overall length as we're restricted to 40 inches minimum and so the stock length will dictate how short the barrel can be. Anyone any views on the 12 v 14 hogue debate? I'm short at 5'6" so can anyone guide me as to how to measure myself to work out which would be better?

Is there anyone in the UK that's already done the chop and can advise and also give me some tips on possibly changing the finish. Mine came with some rust, most if which oil and wooled off, but I was thinking about a krylon or similar finish. What would you recommend? Don't fancy messing with chemicals, prefer the rattle can approach.

I'm not able to pm anyone yet so I can't pm AustenW over here to ask him directly.

Hope someone can show me some pics and give me some guidance.

I already have a supernova for psg, but fancied seeing how short one of the older pumps can go for a bit of fun and maybe a veteran class comp when my local club starts running the psg.

Thanks for looking.

[Synchronizor]

I was thinking of chopping the barrel down to make it more handy for practical shotgun, but I'm not sure how much I can chop off and what the shot pattern will be like without a choke.

A cylinder bore will open up patterns, but not to the point of complete uselessness. It'll depend on the load and what kind of shooting you're doing, of course, but a cylinder bore will work just fine for a lot of things. If you want this to be a recreational gun now and possibly a competition gun in the future, a cylinder bore should be fine. As I understand it, you'll want to have interchangeable chokes on a competition gun anyway. You can always have a gunsmith thread your barrel for choke tubes in the future, even if it's been cut down.

I will decide on either the 12 or 14 inch hogue stock to determine the overall length as we're restricted to 40 inches minimum and so the stock length will dictate how short the barrel can be.

Are you sure the overall length is the only restriction? Here in the US, we have two minimums: an overall length of 26 inches, and a barrel length of 18 inches (we can legally go below these values, but it requires some additional paperwork, taxes, and other red tape). Before you do anything, make sure you understand your local laws; they should be available online somewhere, perhaps some other UK members can point you to them.

One thing I suggest to those who are shortening their barrels themselves, both for the UK and the US, is to give yourself an extra half-inch or so of padding. For example, I recommend that US shotgun owners cut their barrels to 18.5 inches instead of the legal minimum of 18 inches. If you buy a gun that comes from the factory with a minimum-length barrel, you can at least point to that in the event of a measurement dispute. If you cut your barrel down yourself to the absolute minimum, and there's a dispute about its legality, you really don't have a leg to stand on.

Anyone any views on the 12 v 14 hogue debate? I'm short at 5'6" so can anyone guide me as to how to measure myself to work out which would be better?

Your best bet would be to try them yourself. Fit is a very personal thing that depends on technique and preference as well as anthropometry.

[tasum]

very helpful info S.

I'm aware that there is an overall minimum of 40" for our shotties here in the UK.

Seems there just aren't many old 870 barrels about over here. I will add an inch to the size I'm looking at (24") to ensure I don't fall foul of the law.

I checked out my supernova last night which I chopped to about 13" lop. I think I will be ok with the standard 14" lop which is on offer over here from a local shop, but I would prefer s/h as I'm cheap. At least I prefer to recycle whenever I can.

Thanks for the advice, but I feel compelled to keep the original barrel as it is rather than chopping it down as it is a little bit of history and should work well on clays. An extra barrel gives me a chance to fiddle and faff with length and finish.

I'll keep you updated, but if anyone has an old barrel, ribbed or plain (ooh err) that they want and can move on (I'm in the UK) then please let me know.