Reducing Shotgun Barrel Length

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Mine increased. I had mine shortened to 18.5" and gas ports opened. I can only shoot magnum loads now.
My shotgun is a Remington 1100.
 
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I only shoot 18.5" barrels and have no problem with recoil. Porting the barrel would probably help more. Must be a reason you wanted the longer barrel in the first place.
 
Shotgun Barrel

ATF said:
I only shoot 18.5" barrels and have no problem with recoil. Porting the barrel would probably help more. Must be a reason you wanted the longer barrel in the first place.
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Purchased the weapon for a H.D. Shotgun for my Spouse and it came with a 28 inch barrel. I was planning on having the barrel cut and hoping it would reduce recoil as well.
 
JeepRacer said:
Mine increased. I had mine shortened to 18.5" and gas ports opened. I can only shoot magnum loads now.
My shotgun is a Remington 1100.
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PARDON MY IGNORANCE, BUT COULD SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN THE PHYSICS OF WHAT IS OPERANT HERE ? ? ?
 
While I have no experience with shotguns, it is logical that cutting the barrel reduces the weight. A lighter firearm will have more recoil than a heavier one.

Hope this helps.

Steve
 
jimmyj said:
Purchased the weapon for a H.D. Shotgun for my Spouse and it came with a 28 inch barrel. I was planning on having the barrel cut and hoping it would reduce recoil as well.
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Because it's gas operated it will require sufficient back pressure to cycle. That's why JeepRacer said he can only shoot magnum loads now. If it's possible I would try a 20" or 18.5" barrel in it first to make sure it cycles ok before cutting the barrel. TBH a 20 gauge pump would have been more appropriate for your wife. Semi-autos can be finicky and need a lot more practice to get comfortable with.
 
I have a 12 ga 1100 Special Field auto with it's factory length 21"
barrel. Function is fine with low brass 1 oz game loads. Reducing the
weight will increase recoil but the 1100 is well known for being a soft
shooting auto because of it's gas operated action.
 
The barrels themselves are pretty light. The difference in weight is negligible IMO.

Mine at 18.5" is still a soft shooting gun and cycles all loads from cheap low brass target on up.
 
The weight of your shot and the speed at witch they travel is what makes your felt recoil. To reduce recoil you will have to reduce one or both of those. Lower recoil ammunition is available for defense loads. But it still may be more recoil than she would like. My wife bruises up on one round of Sporting Clays, 50 shots of 20 gauge light target loads in a semi-auto. Ivan
 
Rick_A said:
The barrels themselves are pretty light. The difference in weight is negligible IMO.

Mine at 18.5" is still a soft shooting gun and cycles all loads from cheap low brass target on up.
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THAT WAS MY THINKING, Rick A. MY ONLY EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN WITH MOSSBERG SHOTGUNS, BOTH BOLT ACTION, AND PUMP. I HAVE BOTH A SHORT SLUG BARREL AND A STANDARD LENGTH BARREL FOR THE MOSSBERG 500. THE WEIGHT AND RECOIL DIFFERENCE IS NEGLIGIBLE. IT IS A BIT LOUDER WITH THE SHORTER BARREL. I KNEW NOTHING OF THE BACKPRESSURE ISSUE, ETC---NEVER HAVING OWNED A SEMI-AUTO……

THANK YOU ALL, FOR YOUR EXPLANATIONS………….
 
One thing semi-auto shotguns are very susceptible to is grit in the mag chamber. This will interfere with cycling. I used some shells once that had silica crystals mixed with the shot. Messed up the cycling big time. Never had this problem with a pump action.
 
ATF said:
One thing semi-auto shotguns are very susceptible to is grit in the mag chamber. This will interfere with cycling. I used some shells once that had silica crystals mixed with the shot. Messed up the cycling big time. Never had this problem with a pump action.
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I HANDLED SOME ITHACA MODEL 37 PUMP SHOTGUNS IN VIETNAM. (PROBABLY AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE THE 1100 WOULD NOT FUNCTION WELL--BASED ON WHAT YOU SAID, ATF) THE 37 HAD CLOSED SIDES AND BOTH LOADED AND EJECTED FROM THE BOTTOM--A UNIQUE DESIGN. THE AMMO WASN'T ALWAYS SPOTLESS, BUT THE WEAPON WAS RELIABLE. IT WAS OFTEN CARRIED WHILE WALKING POINT, OR GUARDING PRISONERS……….
 
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Yes Joe the Ithaca 37 is very well known along with the Remington 870 and Mossbergs. I have an 870 pump which I am totally confident with and it's much lighter than my Benelli M4 semi-auto which is military issue in the US and many other countries. It can fire 8 shells in a few seconds which is devastating. However clearing a hang up on a semi auto is much more time consuming than on a pump. If my life depended on it I'd choose a pump action every time.
 
My experience is a bit different, I had a poly choked Auto 5 cut to 20 inch. They're long recoil but it still worked perfectly with all loads, although the rings had to be adjusted where before it always worked on heavy. It kicked harder and threw a hellacious fireball with buckshot i ended up selling the barrel to someone who wanted it more, deciding that since I wasn't having to dive out if a patrol car I would rather have the accuracy of a 28" barrel.
 
I can shoot my cyl bore 18" 1100 better than the FIL's Benelli M4. It also shoots softer as well, though if he offered it to me I would not turn it down.

A for having no choke, the ammunition makes all the difference. The short barrel "flite control" stuff will still pattern quite well. Heavy loads can make up some of the difference in shot density. There is no effect on actual accuracy. Some sight radius is lost but I can still shoot slugs accurately to 100 yards plus. I'm used to shooting rifles so it just feels right.
IMG_2437.jpg

Downing birds at 25 yards is not gonna happen but at half that distance it'll still get it done.
 
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