cutting shotgun barrell

Question
My father-in-law left me a Remmington 12ga.Express with a LONG barrell. How can I cut the barrell to something shorter and still be useful. I am thinking about maybe 24/26 in. Thanks, Tom

Answer
I have a Marlin Goose Gun with a 36" barrel. I still have it because it is unusual.

But if you want to cut yours down, the barrel must remain longer than 18", in order to be legal. 24 or 26" would be good for bird hunting, but the choke will no longer function, so you wouldn't end up with a good gun. It would have to be threaded in order to take a screw-in choke. But with that cost, you'd be better off keeping it and buying a new gun.

If you did decide to cut it, the end would have to be carefully cut so that it is square and the edge is slightly broken so it is not a sharp edge. This means that it has to be cut in a lathe (not with a hacksaw).

After cutting, then the cut edge has to be re-blued to prevent rust, but it is difficult to match the color unless you strip it and blue the whole assembly. Again, it would be easier and probably cheaper to buy a new gun.

Hope this helps!

Dave