Cutting the barrel?

[ZVP]

I do not have acess to a pipe cutter so what is the next best way to cut and crown a shotgun barrel for the home hobbiest?
I considered a dremel but am afraid that the metal will get too hot.
A hacksaw file to square and crown with a bolt head and lapping compound could work...
Seriously what is the best way to do it?
ZVP

[Virginian]

Hack saw, a little care, and emery cloth at the end seems to work fine.

[BigD_in_FL]

Do NOT use a pipe cutter

The BEST way? Have a gunsmith with a proper jig do it

If you must DIY, use a hacksaw and then a file to true - realizing that many barrels have an ever so slight taper from breech to muzzle

[PetahW]

If it has a VR, I'd advise you to cut it at a post.





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[chewie146]

Ive used a pipe cutter and hack saws. Just cut it square with the hack saw and file true. Measure twice.

[ZVP]

The more I thought it over, the more I went over to the hacksaw/file route.
I will measure for taper, Thanks!
I plan to go a little longer than 19" to be sure to have room to recut if necessary to adjust patterns.
Ammo will be heavy field loads and mainly Buckshot (4- 00).
The gun is a Westernfield/Mossberg with a long barrel which is why I wanna cut it...
ZVP

[madmag]

I have done with hack saw and it works just fine. I used a miter box for the initial cut. Then square off with files.

But, make sure to measure barrel length from the bolt fact with action closed.....triple check the length.

[mpd61]

Buy an HD or other short barrel used, and sell the long one off

[jmr40]

I've done several with a hacksaw. Cut at the post on a vent rib gun, use a file and square to even things up, add a bit of touch up blue, and a sight that clamps on the rib. It is a 5 minute job from start to finish and works great.

[cajun47]

yep, hacksaw and file works for my 20" sawed off truck shotgun. i can hit a poster board at 100 yards with slugs and put all pellets in a poster board at 50 yards with federal low recoil flite control 00 buck.

[PetahW]

Originally Posted by ZVP

I plan to go a little longer than 19" to be sure to have room to recut if necessary to adjust patterns.

Good luck with that - Once the forward 3-4" of bbl are gone, all that's left is a straight cylindre bore, all the way back to the chamber mouth/leade.





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[ZVP]

You guys have really been a help on this nervewracking topic!
First one I am trying and I want to get it right!
I get the gun from the shop April 1st till then all I can do is worry, get excited and cusx the waiting Period!
You guys are great!
ZVP

[Bill DeShivs]

Using a pipe cutter will crimp the barrel, causing a pressure spike.
Hacksaw and file. Use a sharp pocket knife to chamfer the inside of the tube.

[Dfariswheel]

Here's my minimal tools shotgun barrel cut-down procedure:

Measure the existing barrel by closing the action (make sure it's empty) and putting a dowel rod or cleaning rod down the barrel.
Mark the rod even with the muzzle, remove it and measure from the end of the rod to the mark.
This is the actual barrel length.

Measure the rod to the length you want the barrel to be and mark it.
The barrel MUST be at least 18" long, and if you're smart, you won't go under 18 1/2".

After marking the rod at 18 1/2" or how ever long you want it, lay it along side the barrel with the FIRST mark even with the muzzle, then mark the barrel at the second mark.
This will be where the barrel will be cut.

STOP...... Start all over and measure everything AGAIN to be SURE.
Make sure the action is closed when you put the rod down the bore, and make SURE you measure everything RIGHT so the cut line isn't less than 18 1/2".
A smart man measures everything several times. Cut too short and you just committed a FELONY.

Once you're sure about where you want to cut, carefully wrap a piece of tape around the barrel, keeping it as square with the barrel as possible.
Buy a good fine-tooth hacksaw blade and use it in a good high-tension saw frame.

When you're ready to make the cut...STOP... check everything out again one last time.

When you're sure, make a one or two stroke gentle cut on the tape cut line. Then rotate the barrel and make another one or two stroke light cut.
Continue this until you have a shallow line cut all the way around the barrel.

Continue making one or two stoke cuts and rotating the barrel until the barrel is cut through.
Doing it this way insures you make a square cut that doesn't drift off and make the muzzle uneven.
This prevents having to do a lot of filing to try to square the muzzle up again.

Once the barrel is cut, use a fine-cut file to carefully remove the saw marks from the end of the muzzle, then use the file to break the sharp outer edge.
Wrap fine metal-type wet or dry sand cloth around the ball of your thumb, and use that to break the sharp inner edge of the muzzle.

Use cold blue to touch up the cut edge.

For a new front sight, either have a gunsmith install a new bead, or buy a Remington type bead and base unit from Brownell's, and soft solder it on by "sweating" it in place.
Brownell's sell this as a "Colonial Arms" front sight base, item number 198-104-101.

To solder the base on, use a fine-cut file to remove a spot of bluing from the barrel that is JUST as large as the new base. (solder won't stick to bluing).
Clean the base of any grease, heat it up, flux it and apply a thin coat of soft solder. I recommend the 3% silver content soft solder sold by most hardware and Walmart's. This melts at under 450 degrees and makes a good bond.
Apply a thin coat of flux on the bottom of the base, then clamp it on the barrel.
Heat the barrel until the solder melts then allow to cool.
Clean everything up and you're in business.

Another option is to use the new "Black Max" bonder made by Loctite and sold by Brownell's.
This is a "super-glue" mixed with a black rubbery binder that's specifically made to bond on shotgun sights. From all reports it really holds if you do the job right.

[ZVP]

I like the cut around the tape idea!
I have a nice debarring tool but will also use the emory paper.
See my Westernfield/Mossberg is one with a long magazine and I think the little longer 20" length might look better I
t's not etched in stone yet but I won't commit a felony! This project is for fun and I don't want to mess-up!
Yea I knew the barrel was mainly cyl bore and I hope I can get prints loke that one guy gets! Patterns like that are a dream!
I hope the ammo situation loosens up soon so I can try different loads thru it.
Thanks a bunch guys!
The next trick is how do you aneak a new gun into the house when the wife didn't know ya bought one??? LOL!
ZVP

[BigD_in_FL]

IF the gun has a vent rib, use the current site and a string to locate where it will go once you cut the barrel and to replace it. Helps keep it centered. Again, IF it has a vent rib, make sure you have a post at the end of your cut barrel

[ZVP]

The gun is a Westernfield 550AG (basically a bare bones Mossberg 550/500 with no frills. Not even a buttpad!
I only paid 100 Bucks for it so if I have to buy some acessories like a buttpad, so be it.
I'll end up with a 19" barrel giving a 40" overall length in the end. I dunno if I'll even reblue it and paint the alloy reciever?
The gun has been used and the little dings in the wood add character to it and since it's to be a working/fun gun why get it too pretty? My first project gun is a very nice Stoger Uplander 20 ga SxS. I was going to build this H/D/ fun gun out of it but just couldn;t saw and all to such a nice little English Double? I decided it was better to just look for another gun and use the Uplanded as-is.
When I literally stumbled over this 30inch barreled Westernfield I grabbed it as it's basically a Mossberg 500! Ward's didn't spe'c any frills.
I have habit of making a sows ear into a jeweled handbag and I am not going to spend that sort of restoration money on this one when there are many pristinr pumpguns at the Hockshop for $250... Besides it'll be kinda nice to have a "Beater" that you don't care if you scratch while using it for what it's for!
ZVP

[Corrections Cop]

I cut the barrel on my western field 16 gauge and turned it into a HD gun. Its nice because all Mossberg 500 parts bolt right on. I cut mine to 18.5".

[ZVP]

I went to a 20" length, I liked the balance and can go shorter later if I want,
The steel was way softer than I expected and my saw blade cut a bit off so It'll all square up easily and barely loose a 1/32".
The main
The selection is sparse the thing is finding shells these days!!!
I keep finding these high dram powder loads with small shot but large weight loads ie: 3 1/4 dram #7 shot Target loads(?). Some really and hard clays out there! Luckilly I found some reduced recoil slugs and some #4 Pheasant loads for in the house bad guys. The #4 will tear stuff up!
I have a Blackhawk 5 shot shell caddy to slip over the stock. Seems the best way to fit one is to slide it on from the front, removing the stock. Putting it on the back is just too hard!
So far I am really happy the way this gun is coming out! Best hundred bucks I ever spent. and I hope I never need it! I gotta take it out and play with it, shoot some paper patterns and then work on rolling some coffee cans and such... Just need to use the thing to become familiar
with it.
ZVP