theoretical sawed off shotgun for self-defense

[1985GT]

If I were to theoretically want to saw off the theoretical barrel of my theoretical mossburg, what would be the best theoretical way to saw it off, theoretically?

[David]

With a swa.

But make sure you dont go below the legal lengths. And if you want to apply for the proper paper work.

Dont be a dumbass and ruin everything else for us.

[1985GT]

I would certainly not cut it to less than a barrel length of 18 in. or 46 cm and an overall length less than 26 inches

[1985GT]

Dont be a dumbass and ruin everything else for us.


What else have I ruined? ;)

[David]

What else have I ruined? ;)
Dont know

But be a responsible gun owner and dont go making illegal shit and ruin the legal opportunities and benefits all of us gun owners have.

[mustang87]

With a swa.

But make sure you dont go below the legal lengths. And if you want to apply for the proper paper work.

Dont be a dumbass and ruin everything else for us.
saw

[white87306]

I have theoreticaly seen it done with a hacksaw in about 10 minutes. At least in theory.

Remember-
The only use for an illeagal firearm is crime. You definitely don't want to use one to lawfuly defend yourself. You will go to prison.

If you're dead set on having a sub 18" barrel aply for a SBR stamp.

[David]

saw
Thanks webster

[1985GT]

ok, when I saw it to a shade bigger than an 18" barrel, I really dont want to use a hacksaw and make it all look shitty as hell and rough edged. no better advice than "saw"?

I would be doing this on a mossberg 500 with the 8 round capactiy so even if I cut it even with the magazine I think it is still well within legal limits. I just dont want to spend $100 on a barrel for a gun I spent $120 bucks on, but I dont want it to look like total shit either.


you guys are fucking killing me with the legal BS. I have said several times that I would not cut it less than the legal size.

[Jester]

Well, I have no clue if mine is legal or not, so I guess I should measure it. I took a cutoff wheel on a grinder and cut mine off up to the slide cap. You can then tak a sanding disc and really clean it up. Deburr the inside with a rattail file, also. I just put a folding stock with a pistol grip on mine.

Now, seeing as mine is for home defense, I might want to look into getting the shorter barrel.

[David]

ok, when I saw it to a shade bigger than an 18" barrel, I really dont want to use a hacksaw and make it all look shitty as hell and rough edged. no better advice than "saw"?

I would be doing this on a mossberg 500 with the 8 round capactiy so even if I cut it even with the magazine I think it is still well within legal limits. I just dont want to spend $100 on a barrel for a gun I spent $120 bucks on, but I dont want it to look like total shit either.


you guys are fucking killing me with the legal BS. I have said several times that I would not cut it less than the legal size.
A gun shop would probably use a dremel tool or band saw etc. Unless they have a water cutter or lazer cutter etc.

And no where in this thread did you previously mention model of shotgun and you wouldnt cut to the less than legal size. All we got was you had a shotgun and you wanted to theoretically cut the barrel down.

[Jester]

A gun shop would probably use a dremel tool or band saw etc. Unless they have a water cutter or lazer cutter etc.

And no where in this thread did you previously mention model of shotgun and you wouldnt cut to the less than legal size. All we got was you had a shotgun and you wanted to theoretically cut the barrel down.
Yeah he did. He said it was a Mossberg 500..........stop being a fucking dickhead for half a second David and read. :D

[David]

Yeah he did. He said it was a Mossberg 500..........stop being a fucking dickhead for half a second David and read. :D
He didnt say what model in the first post. All he said was a Mossberg. It could have been a 590 or some other gun. And I see I skipped the part where he said he wouldnt cut past the 18"/26 mark.

[Jester]

He didnt say what model in the first post. All he said was a Mossberg. It could have been a 590 or some other gun. And I see I skipped the part where he said he wouldnt cut past the 18"/26 mark.
Okay, so what is the minimum length my barrel should be on it? Do I measure it from where it comes out of the reciever? What should the minimum overall length be? Does it matter if it is a folding stock?

This is on my moss 500.

[David]

Okay, so what is the minimum length my barrel should be on it? Do I measure it from where it comes out of the reciever? What should the minimum overall length be? Does it matter if it is a folding stock?

This is on my moss 500.
Barrel cant be less than 18" (measured from breech face to muzzle when action is closed) or an overall gun legnth of 26". If it has a folding stock, overall length is measured when extended.

[Jester]

Barrel cant be less than 18" (measured from breech face to muzzle when action is closed) or an overall gun legnth of 26". If it has a folding stock, overall length is measured when extended.
Thank you for the info. I will measure it tonite and hopefully be good to go.

[AEA]

Why not just do it the right way and buy an 18" barrel for your shotgun?
Then you have the option of self defense and return to hunting length when you want.

You should be able to find a used 18" barrel for that gun for under 100.00

[1985GT]

Why not just do it the right way and buy an 18" barrel for your shotgun?
Then you have the option of self defense and return to hunting length when you want.

You should be able to find a used 18" barrel for that gun for under 100.00


they are on ebay for 72-75 dollars and on mossbergs site for 74 dollars. add shipping and I am at 85 or so. I paid 120 something for the gun. I am not looking to double my expense to have a shorter barrel when i can cut it (LEGALLY) for free. I wont ever use the mossberg for anything else as I have 15 freaking shotguns... one for every use in this world but nothing that is really self-defense friendly.

[Seafarer12]

I would just use a hacksaw and deburr the inside and outside along with cleaning up the saw marks with a file. Then just get some cold blue to help blend in where the cut is.

[Dacotua]

Or you can go buy a PISTOL that shoots 45 Long or 410 shells..

410's out of a 2" barrel is pretty mean.

[Casper]

Barrel cant be less than 18" (measured from breech face to muzzle when action is closed) or an overall gun legnth of 26". If it has a folding stock, overall length is measured when extended.

I'm pretty sure that isn't true. They have a calibrated rod and slug that they use; it is 18" of total bore, which is basically the end of the shell.

make it 22" from breachface and you should be fine, except that you will have ruined a perfectly good barrel, because there is no no choke. Not only does it spread like crazy, but it doesn't center for shit. It is now good for snakes at 5 feet and that's about it.

A hacksaw and a vice does fine. trim with a stone. Touch up with gun blue touchup. There is no sense trying to be fancy with it if you are going to fuck it up anyhow. It would be akin to putting a lawnmower engine in a mustang and having Foose do a custom paint job. Why?

[krazyh0rse]

if you look around you can find a 500 used for 100.00 bucks

[1985GT]

if you look around you can find a 500 used for 100.00 bucks


mine was brand new for $120. I think academy screwed up because I think it was supposed to be the mavericks on sale for that price, but mine is a mossberg 500. I bought it several years ago.

[Casper]

Well shit, sell it and make a profit. Then use that for another barrel for something else. Maybe a rifled barrel too.

[Stevo]

I'm pretty sure that isn't true. They have a calibrated rod and slug that they use; it is 18" of total bore, which is basically the end of the shell.

make it 22" from breachface and you should be fine, except that you will have ruined a perfectly good barrel, because there is no no choke. Not only does it spread like crazy, but it doesn't center for shit. It is now good for snakes at 5 feet and that's about it.

A hacksaw and a vice does fine. trim with a stone. Touch up with gun blue touchup. There is no sense trying to be fancy with it if you are going to fuck it up anyhow. It would be akin to putting a lawnmower engine in a mustang and having Foose do a custom paint job. Why?

I'll have to disagree with the part in bold, removing the choke (basically making the barrel a cylinder bore) does not drastically affect the shot pattern spread of buckshot, and actually benefits the spread, as a tighter choke will deform the buckshot as it passes through, making it more prone to erratic patterns. Chokes really only benefit small shot (upland bird, turkey,duck loads). Removal of the choke will not worsen the shot placement.

Stevo

[1985GT]

Well shit, sell it and make a profit. Then use that for another barrel for something else. Maybe a rifled barrel too.


well, part of the problem is that the choke threads in the barrel are all screwed up. I was switching them out quite a bit and one of the chokes I used had bad threads and chewed all of the threads in my barrel up. So now, I have a turkey choke in it and can barely turn it. I dont want to take it out because I know I wont be able to get another choke back in without rethreading the barrel. I figured I would just cut it down and use it for home security.

[David]

I'm pretty sure that isn't true. They have a calibrated rod and slug that they use; it is 18" of total bore, which is basically the end of the shell.

Every builder and dealer Ive discussed it with is overall length. Not length of bore with a cartridge inserted.

By that theory, these would all be SBS; but they are not because their barrel length is greater than 18".

http://www.mossberg.com/products/default.asp?id=5&display=specs

[Casper]

Every builder and dealer Ive discussed it with is overall length. Not length of bore with a cartridge inserted.

By that theory, these would all be SBS; but they are not because their barrel length is greater than 18".

http://www.mossberg.com/products/default.asp?id=5&display=specs

I stand corrected then. My bad. I still think it is ruining a fine machine, and I have done it myself just for grins. I wish I had that old 16 gage. It went from $5k shotgun to illegal crap with one hacksaw blade :o

I should have at least kept the receiver.

[Jester]

I stand corrected then. My bad. I still think it is ruining a fine machine, and I have done it myself just for grins. I wish I had that old 16 gage. It went from $5k shotgun to illegal crap with one hacksaw blade :o

I should have at least kept the receiver.
I would not classify a Mossberg 500 as a fine machine. It is a shitty shotgun when compared to others.............well, the plastic version is.

I have the all black 500 and love it, but it is a piece of shit hunting shotgun. The feel of it is crap compared to a 12 guage with a wood stock. Now, seeing as I only have experience on this model with the black plastic, I cannot say if it would improve the gun or not if it had wood. Seeing as I hated it for hunting dove, I sawed off the barrel and made it where it will cut you in half if I catch you in my hallway.

DO NOT BUY THE ALL BLACK MOSSBERG 500 TO DOVE HUNT!!!! It looks cool, but feels wrong.

[Casper]

ok, when I saw it to a shade bigger than an 18" barrel, I really dont want to use a hacksaw and make it all look shitty as hell and rough edged. no better advice than "saw"?

I would be doing this on a mossberg 500 with the 8 round capactiy so even if I cut it even with the magazine I think it is still well within legal limits. I just dont want to spend $100 on a barrel for a gun I spent $120 bucks on, but I dont want it to look like total shit either.


you guys are fucking killing me with the legal BS. I have said several times that I would not cut it less than the legal size.

We just don't want you doing something stupid, bro, that is all. :cool:

A cutoff saw with a metal blade would do a fantastic job. It would be worth buying someone a chopsaw blade just to use their chopsaw. I doubt you would need anything more than a piece of emory cloth and an exacto knife to deburr it.

[Casper]

I would not classify a Mossberg 500 as a fine machine. It is a shitty shotgun when compared to others.............well, the plastic version is.

I have the all black 500 and love it, but it is a piece of shit hunting shotgun. The feel of it is crap compared to a 12 guage with a wood stock. Now, seeing as I only have experience on this model with the black plastic, I cannot say if it would improve the gun or not if it had wood. Seeing as I hated it for hunting dove, I sawed off the barrel and made it where it will cut you in half if I catch you in my hallway.

DO NOT BUY THE ALL BLACK MOSSBERG 500 TO DOVE HUNT!!!! It looks cool, but feels wrong.

It can still be fucked up. In this case, the fine machine might be an old but still running VW and the end result a redneck lawn ornament. Just for proper anecdotal context :D

[1985GT]

DO NOT BUY THE ALL BLACK MOSSBERG 500 TO DOVE HUNT!!!! It looks cool, but feels wrong.


With my black 500, I shot a quail out of mid-air with a turkey choke and 3 inch turkey load at 30 yards. Call it a lucky shot, but it worked.

[fjm57]

I used to have a sawed off 410 (used a hacksaw in shop class) when I was a kid (long time ago) One of the local LEO's in my hometown confiscated it after pulling me over for speeding. Lucky I didn't spend jail time over it. He pulled it out of my dingo boot, so yeah it was way short. It wasn't loaded and I didn't have any shells in the car. I was driving out to my cousins house to show it to him.

One of my home defense options, Since we are talking shotguns, here is mine
Short, legal length, not sawed off. Tatical stock, Mossberg internals. I don't think you see one of these every day.

Jim

[Jester]

With my black 500, I shot a quail out of mid-air with a turkey choke and 3 inch turkey load at 30 yards. Call it a lucky shot, but it worked.
Yeah, and I hit 2 out of 20 of the doves I should have hit, when I normally hit any and every single dove I see when I use a wood stock shotgun. I am not saying you cannot be a good shot with one, but I fully think they fucking suck for dove hunting.

[1985GT]

Yeah, and I hit 2 out of 20 of the doves I should have hit, when I normally hit any and every single dove I see when I use a wood stock shotgun. I am not saying you cannot be a good shot with one, but I fully think they fucking suck for dove hunting.


haha, I hear ya... If I'm off to dove hunt, thats not the shotgun I am taking out of the safe.

The bad thing is that I'm sure a lot of beginners start with the mossberg 500 or the remington 870 just because they are cheap and easy to come by. It's just like anything else in this world... you get what you pay for and getting quality stuff (guns, cars, guitars, tools, hookers) will make it a much more enjoyable experience.

[Kart21]

I don't know if you can remove the barrell from the receiver on the Mossberg but if you can get it off, mark it and cut it off in a lathe. Done other makes before and just deburred it, cold blue and put a bead on the end. A little work but they looked nicer than a saw or cut off blade. :cool:

[Seafarer12]

haha, I hear ya... If I'm off to dove hunt, thats not the shotgun I am taking out of the safe.

The bad thing is that I'm sure a lot of beginners start with the mossberg 500 or the remington 870 just because they are cheap and easy to come by. It's just like anything else in this world... you get what you pay for and getting quality stuff (guns, cars, guitars, tools, hookers) will make it a much more enjoyable experience.
So a fancy shotgun will make you shoot better? When I miss stuff with my 870 it is usually my fault.

[1985GT]

So a fancy shotgun will make you shoot better? When I miss stuff with my 870 it is usually my fault.

fancy is not the word I would use... a better quality shotgun (or any gun for that matter) absolutely does make a difference. There is a certain price point that quality of functionality is maxed out and fancy starts.

And I'm not bagging on the 870. It's a fine gun for some people, but you wont see to many pro's using is in sporting clay competitions.

[GT98SVO]

SAIGA 12 or 20.

[Jester]

So a fancy shotgun will make you shoot better?
Absolutely. A better feeling shotgun or rifle will always help you to shoot better.
Here is a good example:
When I was in the Marines, I shot expert marksman adn know how to put a bullet where it goes. Now, I could only do this with the M-16A2 after two weeks every day all day on the range dialing it in...........I do not expect to get the same results with a cheaper quality rifle.

I grew up shooting shotguns and do not miss when hunting dove..........until I got my Mossberg 500 with the black plastic...............missed a LOT! So, I asked my dad who I was hunting with if we could trade for a little bit, and I used his 50 year old shotgun( remington or winchester........can't remember) and did not miss a dove for the hour I borrowed it. So, basically I shot at about 20 doves and hit two in 4 hours..........and then shot at 6 and hit 6 with his shotgun in an hour.
So yes, a fancy shotgun will help to make you shoot better.

[Seafarer12]

Cool, When I need to shoot better I will give it a try.

[krazyh0rse]

i always figured it what you were used to ive never shot doves with a mossberg but i shot alot of skeet with one it was decent but my 1100 and my over under are definatly better more accurate guns

[reo]

I used to have a sawed off 410 (used a hacksaw in shop class) when I was a kid (long time ago) One of the local LEO's in my hometown confiscated it after pulling me over for speeding. Lucky I didn't spend jail time over it. He pulled it out of my dingo boot, so yeah it was way short. It wasn't loaded and I didn't have any shells in the car. I was driving out to my cousins house to show it to him.

One of my home defense options, Since we are talking shotguns, here is mine
Short, legal length, not sawed off. Tatical stock, Mossberg internals. I don't think you see one of these every day.

Jim


That's a badass shotgun!!! Is it a kit or what? The butt of it is kinda odd looking, but the rest of it is pretty sweet.

-Eric

[Wild Stallion]

I stand corrected then. My bad. I still think it is ruining a fine machine, and I have done it myself just for grins. I wish I had that old 16 gage. It went from $5k shotgun to illegal crap with one hacksaw blade :o

I should have at least kept the receiver.
Since when is a Mossberg 500 a fine machine? they are made as inexpensively as possible, the fit and finish sucks.... they are not much more than the shotgun saturday night special.... Cut that mofo off, if you're dumb enough to cut it off too short, and ya get caught, oh well, the ATF will shoot your son and wife for shits and grins.....

[cooper93]

I picked up a used roit barrell on ebay for 40$.