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Shotening a shotgun barrel

harkbrokeharkbroke Member Posts: 60 ✭✭
edited January 2013 in Ask the Experts
I'm in the process of converting a Remington 1100 12 gauge into a tactical weapon for home defense and I see there are all kinds of accessories for this purpose on line and tons of on line blogs about the subject. Also a lot of great photos of 1100's that have already been converted.
I plan to get a magazine extension for it and cutting the barrel down to 18 1/2".

My question is in regards to shortening the barrel.
I have read many blogs by some of the tactical gun experts that explain good ways to do a professional looking job of shortening the barrel myself. I am quite handy and feel I can do this with no problem.

However, I ran across one article where the author makes it sound like cutting your own barrel without notifying the ATF..the FBI..and you local Sherriffs office would get you a one way ticket to Levenworth.
Funny thing is HIS is the ONLY article I came across that even mentions such a thing. Everyone else says that as long as the barrel is within legal length....as one guy puts it... it doesn't matter if you pet monkey cuts it off. As long as the monkey does a decent job of course. And you don't have to notify anybody.

I appreciate your thoughts.

Any thoughts

Comments

  • perry shooterperry shooter Member Posts: 17,390
    edited November -1
    KEY word is LEGAL length 1/2 inch more then minimum [:)] .0001 inch shorter then minimum [:(][xx(][V][:(!]
  • BGHillbillyBGHillbilly Member Posts: 1,927 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Perry shooter has the legalities right.

    I'm not a fan of shortening the barrel. If I was to shorten my 30" Win 1200 barrel to be even with the mag extension I would stll have a 27" barrel.
  • Hawk CarseHawk Carse Member Posts: 4,365 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Do be careful about shortening the barrel of a gas operated gun too much. You need some "dwell time" after the shot passes the gas ports for the system to pressurize. Look at all the different gas tube lengths for ARs, for example.

    The shortest factory 1100 barrel is the slug barrel at 21 or 22 inches. I would be reluctant to cut one any shorter.

    The legal minimum length for a shotgun is 18", measured with a rod down the barrel to the breechface. No legal notification required... yet.
  • charliemeyer007charliemeyer007 Member Posts: 6,579 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Some of us Bubba's do good work, some not so much.

    There are at least two different extensions lengths. Looks funny if the mag is longer than the bbl.

    You should add some kind of front sight and some kind of choke would be nice (screw in choke tubes would my preference). True cylinder bore is not all that useful.

    Likely cheaper to find an extra factory short bbl.
  • 62fuelie62fuelie Member Posts: 1,069 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I converted my 1100 into a defense gun by replacing the bird barrel with a 21" slug barrel, changing the sight to dayglo rifle sights and adding a 3 shot extension. It is fully reliable with slug and buckshot, BUT it is NOT reliable with low-base rounds. I believe this is due to the needed gas-port dwell time that Hawk is talking about. I used a Speed-Feed pistol grip butt stock and forearm with the extra round recesses in the butt. The extended magazine tube is an ideal place for the light to clamp to with the spiral cord fed between the tube and the barrel and the momentary switch on the forearm.
  • thorhammerthorhammer Member Posts: 955 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I would keep the original barrel. If you ever have regrets and want

    to bring it back to it's original configuration you can do it. New

    barrels sell for way over 2 bills. Buy a used barrel and chop that

    down, and with a rib it's easier to add a front bead sight.

    good luck thor.












    just my .02 cents
  • harkbrokeharkbroke Member Posts: 60 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by Hawk Carse
    Do be careful about shortening the barrel of a gas operated gun too much. You need some "dwell time" after the shot passes the gas ports for the system to pressurize. Look at all the different gas tube lengths for ARs, for example.

    The shortest factory 1100 barrel is the slug barrel at 21 or 22 inches. I would be reluctant to cut one any shorter.

    The legal minimum length for a shotgun is 18", measured with a rod down the barrel to the breechface. No legal notification required... yet.


    One of the on line blogs that I viewed showed a detailed U-Tube instruction session from a guy that does many 1100 tactical conversions.
    The instructor installed a Remington Tac +2 magazine extension and cut the barrel and rib to 18" which falls exactly at the end of one of the rib mounts.
    A follow up U-Tube showed him field testing the gun and it functioned flawlessly.
  • toad67toad67 Member Posts: 13,019 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    buy another barrel to cut down. that way you can still use it for other things.
  • grizzclawgrizzclaw Member Posts: 1,159 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Put the extension on first, then cut the barrel. A full length barrel will probably cost you more to replace.
  • JunkballerJunkballer Member Posts: 9,148 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    My Remington 1100 Tactical is 22" and the extension tube is flush with the end of the barrel, so I say get the extension tube first to make sure you don't cut the barrel too short for fit.[;)] When cutting a barrel send the tape measure inside the barrel until it bottoms out against the bolt face, that is how the ATF /law will measure your short barrel. Do not trust an outside measurement, too easy to mess things up [V]

    "Never do wrong to make a friend----or to keep one".....Robert E. Lee

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