Home Depot cart a Mossberg 500 barrel cut job?

Since I have two 28" barrels, one would be skeet, the cut barrel would be closer target shooting at the range.

I have heard porting can screw up the Federal Flite Control wad-so I see losing the ports as a positive for looks and maybe no gain at worst for performance.
 
Porting does nothing worthwhile on a shotgun anyway, no loss there. I'm just not understanding the thinking with a shorter barrel for closer targets thing, as barrel length has nothing to do with target distance. I use a semi with a 30" barrel for all my target needs, weighs 8# even and handles great for ME. Each person will have a different opinion on handling and balance
 
"...will cause the muzzle diameter to decrease..." Nope. A pipe cutter works just fine. Moot since wild cat's barrel has a rib. There is no choke after cutting either.
 
I know it is to help me out not hose myself out of buying a new barrel (thank you by the way), but gosh darn if this isn't the most resistance I ever seen to a project :D
 
wild cat mccane said:
I know it is to help me out not hose myself out of buying a new barrel (thank you by the way), but gosh darn if this isn't the most resistance I ever seen to a project :D
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A lot of gun guys don't like things done half-ass, so you tend to see a lot of cautious suggestions rather than... "do it and let us know how it patterns afterwards." With shot, slight imperfections in the barrel can result in the pattern doing some odd stuff.

I'm far from a capable gunsmith, but when I shortened my Ithaca barrel, I sent it to Rose Action Sports. It was done perfectly, he installed two new beads, and threaded it for Remington chokes (I have sets of them for my hunting shotguns 11-87s).

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I had a rib to deal with, which also was more of the reason to have him do it. When I had the gun refinished in NP3+, it looked like it came from the factory like that.

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I'd recommend RAS without any hesitation. Very good guy, and takes pride in his work. If you want the barrel to be a certain way, email him... he has plenty of knowledge and capabilities.
 
Well, maybe you ought to experiment with the first cut at 22", that way you have a bit extra barrel left to make the "good" cut, or enough left for a gunsmith to do.

Pipe cutter will constrict the end of the barrel, though a pipe reamer should remove the resulting burr. Hacksaw TPI is going to depend on hardness of the barrel. Mask the area where the cut is being made (double wrap the tape) and be careful that the hacksaw doesn't "skate" and mark the good portion of the barrel. Clean up with file and emory paper and then cold blue.

Never have done a barrel, but havedone similar items-not hard, but I am very mechanically inclined with all types of tools. I must add, and not saying it to be a smart azz, but if you have to ask how fine of hacksaw teeth to use, you just may want to let someone with more experience help you out.
 
Never use a pipe cutter. It WILL constrict the bore.
That said, use a fine tooth hacksaw blade. Cut at the attaching point of the rib closest to your desired length.
Straighten cut with a fine cut mill bastard file. You can smooth the cut by placing 400 grit wet/dry automotive sandpaper on a board and standin the muzzle on it. Holt the barrel as straight as you can and twist it to sand the muzzle.
Chamfer the muzzle with a sharp pocket knife.
Touch up bluing as necessary.
 
You have gotten a lot of advice!
If you have the option,and if you are using a hacksaw,its true about any of them will do the job.
If you want top quality,Simonds or Starret make nice blades.A bimetal blade has a high speed steel edge with a spring steel back.
Actually a quality hacksaw frame makes a difference.Just look close for rigidity and quality .Look at the tensioners.
On the pitch (tooth count) :You don't want your workpiece to drop into the tooth gullets.Ideal is at least 3teeth in contact with the work.If you can find a 32 tooth,great.28,probably fine.I wouldn't go much coarser.Use a little WD-40,focus n long,straight strokes.No pressure on the back stroke.
You want your barrel held rigid.But,your typical vise offers problems.Crushing it in a vise,obviously not so good.The barrel is tapered,one end will drop.Blocking it up might work,but, If you have access to a table saw,make a 2x4 ...maybe 10 in long,into a vee block. Then you can secure the barrel and vee block to the bench with a couple of C-clamps
There are other ways,of course.
Not everyone has an adjustable die maker'ssquare....but suppose your square has a 4 inch stock.How much is your barrel taper per side over 3 1/2 inches? That extra 1/2 inch is the width of the feeler gage you can shim your square with.Check from both sides.A uniform chamfer with a fine half rounf jeweler file can be close for a chamfer.Something like a 1 in round mounted grindstone can be turned in your bare hnd for a chamfer.

Another thing you might check.I never owned a Mossberg,I don't kmow for sure,but seems like some of their barrels are "back bored".As I understand it,rather than a forcing cone tapering down to traditional bore dia,it does not taper down.The wads obturate to pretty much chamber dia till you get to the choke.
For cheap,that means drawn over mandrel tubing

You cut the chokes off a back bored barrel it might not work right.
And there might be some kind of pattern science in venting off the gas so it doesn't scatter the pattern.Its OK to not like a vented barrel,but they might be about blowing the head off a turkey or something.

Before you cut,study that rib real close as far as how its attached.Oneway was little dovetails and the rib would just float in those.It was soldered on at the endsThe rib had a sort of lug for the solder joint.You cut that off and you lose your anchor.
Thatswhere talking to your smith might be good,ahead of time. Fitting a"dutchman" and getting the torch out with some Hi-Force 44 might be in order.....And sometimes a shotgun barrel does really weird things when you warm them up!

I do think letting the smith do it is not a bad idea,especially if you have to buy tools.
 
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The above post has been most helpful in making me think it isn't as simple as cutting and straightening the cut.

Is it accurate to say the barrel is design in a way that cutting it will not result in a simple cut but will screw everything up about the barrel and accuracy?
 
wild cat mccane said:
The above post has been most helpful in making me think it isn't as simple as cutting and straightening the cut.

Is it accurate to say the barrel is design in a way that cutting it will not result in a simple cut but will screw everything up about the barrel and accuracy?
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Yes, that is why they are designed that way, to make them hard to cut down. :)

Really, have a smith do it. I think you'll be "hepy hepy hepy" (ducks dynasty guy) when you "git r done" (larry cable guy).
 
I emailed rose action sport and never received a response on the cut job.

I am increasingly thinking this isn't difficult at all given I am not threading for chokes. I think it's 75% going to happen in the next week or so.

I've read on many forums that Brownells sells a cheap drill and tap set for attaching a new front sight bead. I haven't located it though. Anyone know where it is or an alternative cheap set? Other option is the drill and press fit bead.
 
wild cat mccane said:
I emailed rose action sport and never received a response on the cut job.
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If I remember correctly, he got back to me within a day or two... hope all is ok with him. Just looked on GB, since he runs listings on there. They are up, but last feedback was April.

You check your spam folder?
 
Yeah. I mean, I can try contacting again...but the cost will likely be at or over $70. At that point I should sell the 28" and put the 70 towards the stock 20" Vent Rib choke barrel.

It's amazing that Mossberg's replacement barrels go for the new cost of the same brand's Maverick 88 shotguns...which come with the same 18.5 or 28" barrel
 
Tooth count matters.
A 32 teeth per inch blade will cut much smoother than a 24 teeth per inch blade when it comes to hack saw blades.

To keep it square, band clamps.
You can run it around the rib and barrel or slip it under the rib, using it as a guide for your cut.

I agree with having a smith do it as it's not typically a terribly expensive endeavor.
However, the tinkerer in me understands and appreciates, doing it for my own self.

I've cut a couple of rifle barrels down and re-crowned them with very good results, but they were stainless and bluing was not an issue.
I don't see a shotgun barrel being a terribly difficult challenge.
That is unless the rib is not actually attached to the barrel where you intend to cut it.
If that is the case, I believe that I might attempt to install a bead that could bind them prior to cutting.

Take your time and have fun, learning as you go.. but that's just my opinion.
 
Thanks!

I guess if I cut the ribbing and remove some of it towards the muzzle, the band could fit and act has stop for the blade.

On bluing, which I've never done, I will throw away length to practice on. But what can I expect regarding matching the stock black?

Thanks!

It's happening :) Will post pics, unless everyone was right to have it done professionally.
 
You could attach the clamp on the section of barrel that you're removing and cut behind it.

I've tinkered with bluing and matching a factory blue job is typically not an option, but you can get close enough.
For what you're doing with it just being mainly the cut, I would choose a gel or paste over a liquid. One that you could apply exactly and only where you need it easily.

Cut a bit longer than what you're thinking if the rib will allow you to.
That way if you're not happy with the results or you experience a learning curve, you've got length for yourself or a smith to play with.
 
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