buiding a short 12 slug gun , have a lot of quesitons

[matthew_h]

hey guys i am going to be building a 12 .ga smooth bore slugger . i have a barrel on the way and about $40 to spend once the barrels get here . i have a friend that will help me cut it down and install the sights . i have a set of dura sights that need drilled and taped one hole each . i figure the front one won't be a big deal but not sure about the rear . the way the sights are(hollow base aluminum alloy) won't allow them to be epoxied . can the rear be safely drilled and taped if not to close to the chamber ?

I am also trying to figure out the best length for the barrel . this gun will double as a bed side gun so i don't want it to long . i was thinking 20 inches . for the forearm so the sling stud don't bite me im gonna get a store arm . i would like to find a used synthetic butt stock with recoil pad as well , i would trade my pallet wood stock . any thing i am missing ?

it would be neat to see a few pics of how you guys did this i know there are some shorty fans here .

[FLNT4EVR]

Here's my 12ga shortie. 19 inch barrel ,bead front sight.

[matthew_h]

i like that shorty , nice camo . how well dose it group slugs with a bead only ? i was thinking of going only with a bead .

[STUMPJMPR]

No need to drill and tap.  Use some loctite black max and glue them on. 

[matthew_h]

I can't , the base is hollow not anything to stick to . don't trust glued on sights anyway .

[nova71]

here's my shorty, I just finished it today . it's not a 12 gauge though, it's a 20 gauge, cut at 18 1/4". I still have to put on the slip on shell holder and recoil pad then go see how it shoots 

[Lon371]

Nova71
 
 What sites are you using and how are you attaching them? Looks good.

Lonny

[nova71]

Lonnie,  it's a HiViz magnetic shotgun sight

[FLNT4EVR]

Mathew , I can keep about a 4in group at 50 yds with Remington sluggers.I honestly haven't tried to shoot farther with that gun.

[Hodr]

I took a H&R 20 guage down to a 20" barrell and cut the stock for 34" overall.  No front sight needed.  An Uncle taught me to fold my cheek over a short stock and look right along the far side of the barrell.  Like flnt4ever said, under 4" at 50 yds with buckhammers.  It may seem silly/stupid but it works for me.

blindhari

[matthew_h]

4 inch at 50 is a dead deer .thats about the rage i would be shooting too . i may just take it in and have em cut it at local gun shop and reinstall the bead . then get some practice with it . thanks guys . i will get pics .

although at the lgs they have a 158 topper buck hunter smooth bore slug gun for $85 .12 gauge with iron sights . It has a crappy camo job but i can fix that . depends on how much they want to cut it it may make more sense to buy that .
edit I gues I can't affored the topper slug gun . What dose your lgs charge to cut and install a bead ? How long dose it take ?gander wants $50 and has way to long of a turn around time .other shop won't give me a price .

[Jimbo47]

4 inch at 50 is a dead deer .thats about the rage i would be shooting too . i may just take it in and have em cut it at local gun shop and reinstall the bead . then get some practice with it . thanks guys . i will get pics .

although at the lgs they have a 158 topper buck hunter smooth bore slug gun for $85 .12 gauge with iron sights . It has a crappy camo job but i can fix that . depends on how much they want to cut it it may make more sense to buy that .
edit I gues I can't affored the topper slug gun . What dose your lgs charge to cut and install a bead ? How long dose it take ?gander wants $50 and has way to long of a turn around time .other shop won't give me a price .

I cut a couple of barrels using a standard tubing cutter like the plumbers use.  One was a 12 gauge and the other was my 20 gauge pardner.

You have to take it slow and be patient and use some cutting oil to help it along.

[Hodr]

A power hacksaw, a 6" belt sander, a power drill with a drill larger than the gun barrell were  all I needed to cut and crown.  Once the stock was shortened, pulling the H&R back into my shoulder was enough to have my dominant eye sight along the side instead of the top of the barrell.  5 buckhammers in 4" circle at 50 yds.  This is a shotgun I keep in the back of the Jeep for offroad along with about 40 various shells.  If I want to go after varmint I have a 223, elk a308.  If I am not sure a 20 guage covers a lot of needs for under 5lbs weight.

blindhari

[mcwoodduck]

I have a friend that for a while was hacking down any and all 12 ga shot guns he could.
I have a couple of them now.
The things I observed are.
the longer the barrel starts out and the shorter you cut it the higher the point of aim.
Most plain barrels are tapered.
If you cut down a barrel with a rib on it it does not matter as much.
I have a Stevens 520 Shot gun that my buddy gave me.  When I played with it in the shop it had a 30" mod choked barrel.
When He sent me in to do paper work it had an 18.0000001" barrel with a short bead.  Shooting slugs and buck through it it shoots about a foot high.  Same with a Remington Model 11 I got from him.  I do have a Remington Model 11 Riot gun and the bead on it is mounted on a 1/4" platform.
One of these days I will get around to them on the list and mount or have mounted on them rifle sights or at least have three dot pistol sights mounted on them and get the front end down.
At one point he bought a SXS goose gun  with a 30" barrel from me and had it chopped down to just legal.  It was shooting 6" high and he mounted rifle sights on it off of a Remington Nylon 66 rifle and it worked well.  The really tall front sight brought the front end down and was able to shoot sluggs out to 100 yards with it.

[trotterlg]

I think you can probalby drill and tap the chamber end, at the front just drill through into the barrel and tap it full thickness, then shorten the screw so it doesn't stick into the barrel.  The chamber end is a little more difficult.  Take care drilling the hole, I would try to leave about.040 or so at the bottom, then you will need to find a bottom tap to finish it off.  I once had a 12 gauge that someone had drilled through into the chamber at the rear, not to recomment it, but it still shot just fine with no problems.  Probably OK if the hole goes through close to the rear of the chamber?  Good luck.  Larry