Stevens shotgun modification

Question
QUESTION: Hello, I have a 20 gauge Stevens shotgun model 67 Series E that I have owned for 25 years. I'd like to shorten the barrel as I only use it here on my property for home security and to protect our animals. Can I just buy a different barrel, or should I just saw off the one on the gun now?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Dave
Grants Pass,Oregon

ANSWER: Dave,

If you can find one your best bet would be at www.e-gunparts.com.

If you cut it down, I would recommend you have a gunsmith do it, as not getting the muzzle exactly flush will do unpredictable things to your shot pattern.  If you opt to do it yourself, I would go to www.brownells.com and get a tool to face the barrel(hand driven and not that expensive).

You will then need to silver solder, epoxy, or clamp on a bead or some other front sight, being sure that it is top-dead-center.

Lastly, the federal legal limit for a shotgun barrel is 18" - don't take it right to that - make it 18.25"  Shortening the gun to less than 18" will put you in violation of federal law.  It's not that you can't get one shorter, but it's a class III weapon, and you have to pay a tax (about $200) for the privilege of possessing it.

Good luck.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for the info. Any idea on how much the pattern would be affected? The barrel now is 27". Say I cut it down to 19". How would the pattern change at say 25 feet?
Thanks again.
Dave

Answer
That depends on a great many things, including the choke the barrel now has (it will be a cylinder bore when you cut it down), and the peculiar voodoo of your gun.

Really, there is no predicting. I have seen identical guns throw radically different patterns in size, and all the measures and gauges couldn't explain why.

The pattern will be what it is, though my guess would be that @ 25 ft, the shot column will hit like a single projectile.

When I teach shotgun classes, we always start by patterning the guns for three zones A, B, C.  These zones are different for virtually every gun.

"A" is the distance out to which the shot will tear one ragged hole.  For my personal shotgun, that is at 45 ft.  I have seen others that will only do that out to 15 ft.

"B" is the distance from which the pattern starts to noticeably open up to the distance at which you start to loose shot off of a standard IDPA (torso) target.  On my personal shotgun, that is 70 feet.  I've seen some out to 90, and some as little as 50.

"C" is the zone at which it is necessary to switch to slugs to avert collateral damage.

So on my gun, A= 0-45, B= 45-70, C= beyond 70

All that to say, you need to pattern your gun, but at 25 feet, my guess is that buck shot will tear one ragged fist sized hole.