Advice on Cutting Down a Shot Gun

[gunnails]

Part 1
So, my sister tells me she wants a rifle or a hand gun for SHTF. She has never to my knowledge shown an interest before in fire arms. Some folks at her church got her to thinking it mite be a good idea to think prepper.

Cool, I can support that, she has asked me for advice, and I'm more then happy to try and help.

I have given her a link to several web sites that deal in fire arms and prep (NWFA.com included). Explained that owning and operating fire arms is very safe, recommended a training course. And offered to take her out shooting to try a couple of my pistols to which she is excited to do.

AS far as recommending weapons, I will suggest a shot gun and a 9mm pistol.

If any one has any thoughts on how I should try and set her up, that would be appreciated.



Part 2
It occurs to me that I have this Springfield 67F 20 gauge with a 28" barrel gathering dust in my safe.



I cut down the stock on it about 2" eight years ago so my wife could shoot it, and she did quite well with it after I cut on it. So I know it is a good shooter and reliable due to past experience. Still the 67F has a bad rep from what I could Google.

Google turned up some cool info when I was searching for a 18 1/2" barrel for it, one there is no 18 1/2" barrels available, and also that some or working there 67Fs to resemble a 77E which apparently is a Viet Nam era military shot gun.


Stole this image from some guy named Street Sweeper.

So I am thinking I will turn my $100 shot gun in to a $225 gun and gift it to my sister.

Do I need a gun smith or could a competent machinist cut down the barrel and put a new bead site on it?

Is it possible to get a butt pad to fit my cut down stock, or should I get a new one?

Is this a dumb idea?

Read More

 

[Mark W.]

The barrel can be cut down very easily with a large sharp tubing cutter. Since I see it has no rib to get in the way. Once the barrel is cut you would want to use either a deburring tool or a countersink to champher the inside edge a little. A flat file could be used to champher the outside edge. Sweating a new bead on the barrel without messing up the finish is a little harder. And you would be well served to go to a gun smith for that.

A recoil pad can be bought and trimmed down to fit with a belt grinder.

If you were closer I could help you out on the barrel cutting and the recoil pad. Any gunsmith can also do the pad.

 

[madcratebuilder]

If the shotgun is reliable then this is a good DIY project. Cutting the barrel is not difficult and takes just basic tools. Some cold blue touch up. A grind to fit recoil pad, clamp on ghost sight. You may end up keeping it.

A little google fu well find lots of info in this project.

 

[branson4020]

Why cut the barrel at all? With the long barrel its not as good for indoor home defense but certainly a better all around gun for who-knows-what-may-come.

 

[gunnails]

The barrel can be cut down very easily with a large sharp tubing cutter. Since I see it has no rib to get in the way. Once the barrel is cut you would want to use either a deburring tool or a countersink to champher the inside edge a little. A flat file could be used to champher the outside edge. Sweating a new bead on the barrel without messing up the finish is a little harder. And you would be well served to go to a gun smith for that.

A recoil pad can be bought and trimmed down to fit with a belt grinder.

If you were closer I could help you out on the barrel cutting and the recoil pad. Any gunsmith can also do the pad.

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Thanks for the reply and info.

As it happens I do have a large pipe cutter and a belt sander, counter sinks and some deburing tools.

That just leaves the site to be dealt with, and to refinish the stock.

 

[gunnails]

If the shotgun is reliable then this is a good DIY project. Cutting the barrel is not difficult and takes just basic tools. Some cold blue touch up. A grind to fit recoil pad, clamp on ghost sight. You may end up keeping it.

A little google fu well find lots of info in this project.

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A clamp on site eh, that sounds easy enough.

Thanks for the input.

 

[mudflatmike]

Getting the bead "centered" is the hard part. I finally bought a special tool from Brownells and haven't had any problems since, but before that, it was a nightmare!

 

[gunnails]

Why cut the barrel at all? With the long barrel its not as good for indoor home defense but certainly a better all around gun for who-knows-what-may-come.

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That's my dilemma, I don't want to further bubba up a good gun, then again in a sense that ship has already sailed due to me cutting the stock down.

I'm not sure that this would not be a better all around shotty if I cut the barrel down to 20" (historically correct barrel length for a 77E).

I like the look of the gun in the second photo I posted. My thought is what I have now is worth $100 to $125, so not a valuable gun to begin with. For very little time and money I could convert it into a home defense shot gun, which are being sold for a premium as of late, so in my mind I am thinking I would actually increase the value and usefulness.

Plus my 55 year old sister does not hunt and if she was ever in a need to fire it, it would most likely be at close range.

 

[gunnails]

Getting the bead "centered" is the hard part. I finally bought a special tool from Brownells and haven't had any problems since, but before that, it was a nightmare!

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Nice tip,so I take it the bead needs to be welded on? I lack a welder or welding tools.

 

[oldgrappler]

gunnails, I have shortened a few shotguns over the years. I use the following method: Clamp the gun in a gun vise, mark the barrel at 20" using a silver colored sharpie. (go 18.5 if you like but the VN era Stevens guns were 20). Lay a straight edge from the top center of the receiver to the front bead. Mark a spot about 1/2" back from the barrel cut mark. You now have a nice center mark for the new bead. Drill and tap the new hole (6-48 I think - Brownells sells kits with drill bit and tap for 10 or 15 bucks IIRC). Cut the barrel and smooth/even the crown/etc. touch up with cold blue. Screw in new sight bead. Done.

 

[swoop]

gunnails, I have shortened a few shotguns over the years. I use the following method: Clamp the gun in a gun vise, mark the barrel at 20" using a silver colored sharpie. (go 18.5 if you like but the VN era Stevens guns were 20). Lay a straight edge from the top center of the receiver to the front bead. Mark a spot about 1/2" back from the barrel cut mark. You now have a nice center mark for the new bead. Drill and tap the new hole (6-48 I think - Brownells sells kits with drill bit and tap for 10 or 15 bucks IIRC). Cut the barrel and smooth/even the crown/etc. touch up with cold blue. Screw in new sight bead. Done.

Great how to tip. Used it myself...

 

[EMP9596]

Brownell's has a very good tutorial video on it's website that you can watch.

Go to the Web Bench button.

 

[samuelm16]

i chopped my m500 last night this is the sight im going to use, simple easy cheap good reviews

MPB Tactical Snap On Front Sight Shotgunsout Vent Rib 12 Ga 16 Ga 20 Ga Fiber Optic 4 Interchangeable Lite Pipes

 

[gunnails]

gunnails, I have shortened a few shotguns over the years. I use the following method: Clamp the gun in a gun vise, mark the barrel at 20" using a silver colored sharpie. (go 18.5 if you like but the VN era Stevens guns were 20). Lay a straight edge from the top center of the receiver to the front bead. Mark a spot about 1/2" back from the barrel cut mark. You now have a nice center mark for the new bead. Drill and tap the new hole (6-48 I think - Brownells sells kits with drill bit and tap for 10 or 15 bucks IIRC). Cut the barrel and smooth/even the crown/etc. touch up with cold blue. Screw in new sight bead. Done.

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Thank you for the great advice on how to make sure I get the bead properly placed.

Brownell's has a very good tutorial video on it's website that you can watch.

Go to the Web Bench button.

=========================================

Thanks, I will check that out.

I have a new son in law that is a machinist, I plan to ask him to cut the barrel and drill and tap for the bead, not sure his shop will allow work on guns.

 

[gunnails]

i chopped my m500 last night this is the sight im going to use, simple easy cheap good reviews

MPB Tactical Snap On Front Sight Shotgunsout Vent Rib 12 Ga 16 Ga 20 Ga Fiber Optic 4 Interchangeable Lite Pipes

============================================================

What keeps that site locked in place? I am thinking I want this gun to look like a retro Viet Nam clone 77E, so I will probably do another bead sight.

I wonder if I can use my existing bead site, is it removable? New ones are less then $10 and I have a lead on Viet Nam era as new 77E butt stock with the red "T Vent" recoil pad for $14, so I might just get a new bead at the same time I order the stock. I am also going to buy some swivels for a sling.

 

[Mark W.]

you could just take in the barrel. Looks like a pretty pipe then. And besure when you cut the barrel you close the bolt then put a wood dowel down the bore untill it touches the bolt face. Make a pencil mark on the dowel. Remove, Measure from the mark to the end that touched the bolt face. Then take that measurement and subtract the lenght you want the barrel to end up (I vote 20" to be safe within the law) the difference is how much you want to remove from the barrel measured from the muzzle.

 

[gunnails]

you could just take in the barrel. Looks like a pretty pipe then. And besure when you cut the barrel you close the bolt then put a wood dowel down the bore untill it touches the bolt face. Make a pencil mark on the dowel. Remove, Measure from the mark to the end that touched the bolt face. Then take that measurement and subtract the lenght you want the barrel to end up (I vote 20" to be safe within the law) the difference is how much you want to remove from the barrel measured from the muzzle.

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Gotcha on the 20" measuring check advice. The barrel appears to be pressed on, not the best design I have seen, at any rate I do not want to attempt to remove the barrel, I read it was not a novice task, at least with out the proper tools.

 

[mountainman53]

This is all GREAT info! I'll file it all in my gray matter file. Also, oldgrappler's sight placement method is plenty good enough for government work(self defense).

 

[oldgrappler]

Here are a couple old Stevens shotguns that I have shortened. 620 on the top that I did using the method I described above. The bead is somewhat hard to see in this photo. The 520-30 shown below was made to look like a WWII trench gun so I did not replace the bead on the barrel (the heatshield has the bead mounted on it).

 

[gunnails]

Here are a couple old Stevens shotguns that I have shortened. 620 on the top that I did using the method I described above. The bead is somewhat hard to see in this photo. The 520-30 shown below was made to look like a WWII trench gun so I did not replace the bead on the barrel (the heatshield has the bead mounted on it).

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Those look great, did you use a press to drill for the bead sight?

I love the heat shield, out of my budget though.