Bobster
.30-06
I am blessed to have the technology to shorten shotgun barrels so they look "factory" when done. I have all manner of metal-working tools including a horizontal bandsaw, hand deburr and tapping tools, deburr wheels on a bench grinder as well as old-school files. I coat exposed surfaces with cold blue when done.
This thread will summarize the shortening of the ribbed 28" barrel of a $55.55 "giggle bid" like-new HR1871 Pardner Pump 12ga pump shotgun won from a local seller 1/2 hour away on GB. The factory barrel only came with the one installed choke, probably Rem pattern...
Since I already have a ported, ribbed 28" barrel with extra chokes for my 500, and since this gun was so inexpensive (2 years ago), I decided to shorten the barrel to make it more "usable" . The PP is a Chinese Remington 870 clone and most parts from an 870 fit including stocks and barrels with an adapter to lengthen the mag tube. As an OEM Remmy 18" barrel was 3x what I paid for the gun, the executive decision was made to shorten this "hunting" barrel. I put an 870 adjustable, "tactical" pistol-grip stock on it with shell holders but went back to the regular stock as shown--it just felt better...
First pics show the gun as received with 28" barrel, then 19" barrel, then barrel removed. As it is ribbed, I had to shorten it to a more aesthetic length other than 18.5" because it would have left a large amount of unsupported rib hanging out. I settled on a little over 19". This allowed for about 1/8" rib past the rib support.
Almost at the point of no return, barrel squared and supported with pads and blocks in the band saw, cut to be made just outside the mark. No one but me uses this saw and it cuts perfectly square...
Here is the barrel, now in two pieces...
After deburring the barrel with hand deburr tool and deburr wheel, I "shaped" the exposed end of the rib with a couple files and a little metal shim to protect the barrel tube while filing the rib. Barrel is shown clamped in a vise. NOTE: be careful clamping barrels in a vise because you can crush or mar them!
I removed and re-installed the old bead which was metric thread, I forget what size but I had a tap for it. This contrasts to US shotgun beads which can be some kind of "weird" size you are not going to find at ACE or Home DeLowes--ex: 5-40 and 6-48... I also have those taps and also some "extra" 500 beads, if needed.
In the case of the PP, I only drilled into the rib support enough to mount the bead--I didn't have to drill into the barrel. I ground the end of the tap down so it was more of a "bottoming" tap. I think it came out nice...
Here are two HR 1871 (pre-China) Pardner single-shot 12ga shotguns, one with the OEM 28" barrel and the other I shortened to 18.5".
You must be precise when remounting a bead to a barrel and minor hand-fitting, filing-to-length goes a long way. You don't want the threads of the bead to protrude into the barrel but you don't want them too short or loose, either... Care should be taken to assure you are drilling square and perpendicular to the top of the barrel.
This thread will summarize the shortening of the ribbed 28" barrel of a $55.55 "giggle bid" like-new HR1871 Pardner Pump 12ga pump shotgun won from a local seller 1/2 hour away on GB. The factory barrel only came with the one installed choke, probably Rem pattern...
Since I already have a ported, ribbed 28" barrel with extra chokes for my 500, and since this gun was so inexpensive (2 years ago), I decided to shorten the barrel to make it more "usable" . The PP is a Chinese Remington 870 clone and most parts from an 870 fit including stocks and barrels with an adapter to lengthen the mag tube. As an OEM Remmy 18" barrel was 3x what I paid for the gun, the executive decision was made to shorten this "hunting" barrel. I put an 870 adjustable, "tactical" pistol-grip stock on it with shell holders but went back to the regular stock as shown--it just felt better...
First pics show the gun as received with 28" barrel, then 19" barrel, then barrel removed. As it is ribbed, I had to shorten it to a more aesthetic length other than 18.5" because it would have left a large amount of unsupported rib hanging out. I settled on a little over 19". This allowed for about 1/8" rib past the rib support.
Almost at the point of no return, barrel squared and supported with pads and blocks in the band saw, cut to be made just outside the mark. No one but me uses this saw and it cuts perfectly square...
Here is the barrel, now in two pieces...
After deburring the barrel with hand deburr tool and deburr wheel, I "shaped" the exposed end of the rib with a couple files and a little metal shim to protect the barrel tube while filing the rib. Barrel is shown clamped in a vise. NOTE: be careful clamping barrels in a vise because you can crush or mar them!
I removed and re-installed the old bead which was metric thread, I forget what size but I had a tap for it. This contrasts to US shotgun beads which can be some kind of "weird" size you are not going to find at ACE or Home DeLowes--ex: 5-40 and 6-48... I also have those taps and also some "extra" 500 beads, if needed.
In the case of the PP, I only drilled into the rib support enough to mount the bead--I didn't have to drill into the barrel. I ground the end of the tap down so it was more of a "bottoming" tap. I think it came out nice...
Here are two HR 1871 (pre-China) Pardner single-shot 12ga shotguns, one with the OEM 28" barrel and the other I shortened to 18.5".
You must be precise when remounting a bead to a barrel and minor hand-fitting, filing-to-length goes a long way. You don't want the threads of the bead to protrude into the barrel but you don't want them too short or loose, either... Care should be taken to assure you are drilling square and perpendicular to the top of the barrel.
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