countryboy223 Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 i have a browning gold hunter that i am considering cutting down myself to either 21 or 28 inches. is this a good idea? and will this be ok for three gun without any choke? i currently use a friends gun with improved cylinder and have had no problems knocking down steel. will i be unable to do so without the choke? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Tischauser Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 Its not a problem with no choke until it is a big problem. I have seen poorly setup matches that have the steel too far away and all the cylinder or IC chokes had to take multiple FTN penalties. I would recommend sending the barrel to Steve Rose at Rose Action Sports and have it cut down and rechoked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CraigS. Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 I would take jesse's advise , you will find that the gun will take steel down at about 10 yards max without a choke. The smith will most likely install thinwall chokes as there is not enough wall thickness left when it is cut back on the gold hunter barrels and I would recommend getting your mag extension first so the barrel can be cut flush with the mag tube just for a better looking package. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Tischauser Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 ...for a better looking package. Sorry I couldn't help laughing at the end there. Had to quote it, lol! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caz41 Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 Start with some man-scaping, should do the trick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlamoShooter Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 your not going to give up near as much running with a 28" over having a short barrel in cly. The Browning moves fast & shoots fast Run it as is for a while , Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caspian guy Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 (edited) If you have to modify the Browning I'd suggest that you call Briley. They did mine back when they were still doing a conversion package on the Brownings. Their work is top notch and the chokes they provided patterened beautifuly. Edited September 2, 2011 by caspian guy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpspeed Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 I think it would be worth it to have it cut & threaded for chokes. I suppose you could DIY it and see how it patterns first but the cost to do this is usually less than $ 100 so it seems crazy not to let the pros do it but then again, some of us are tinkerers and just cant help it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chills1994 Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 What are the chances that you could find a good used barrel of the correct length and choke (or threaded) say out at the gunshow which actually might be cheaper than having it cut down and threaded professionally? Slight thread drift.... What is the max distance for falling steel and birdshot? What would be the min distance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpspeed Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 What are the chances that you could find a good used barrel of the correct length and choke (or threaded) say out at the gunshow which actually might be cheaper than having it cut down and threaded professionally? Slight thread drift.... What is the max distance for falling steel and birdshot? What would be the min distance? The Browning barrels are crazy expensive compared to Remington. I think list is like $ 500 or so and I don't think there are too many places to get them outside of Browning direct. If you do a search on GB, not a lot have been offered let alone sold. No max distance I'm aware of. Min distance ? 16 ft according to USPSA MG 2.1.3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkCO Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 What is the max distance for falling steel and birdshot? What would be the min distance? So far this year I have shot steel from 6 feet to right at 35 yards over 6 matches. Could have gotten closer to the 35 yards by at least 7 yards if I wanted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EkuJustice Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 +1 on sending it to Rose action Sports and letting him cut it down. It will be done correctly, isnt that expensive and well worth it to have chokes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
countryboy223 Posted September 2, 2011 Author Share Posted September 2, 2011 i looked at briley's and i think the price for a cut down and re choke was around 200. what i will most likely end up doing is running as is with an extension tube then have it professionally cut before next season. from what im hearing it sounds like self cutting is not the way to go....even though it is still kinda tempting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpspeed Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 IIRC, Briley's pricing includes 3 choke tubes. $ 200 does not seem all that bad considering what you get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chills1994 Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 My backup 1100 was either $200 or $225 from a gunshow. I am trying to fit an EZ loader gate to it. But I might just have a certified Remington repair center smith work on it instead. Anywhooo.... Just throwing that out there as a suggestion... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunCat Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Before you cut that Browning barrel. That barrel uses Invector Plus choke tubes doesn't it? The options of having choke tubes re-installed may be limited due to the barrel wall thickness. The Invector Plus barrels have a larger bore than standard 12 ga guns so using regular Rem-Choke or standard Invector (not the PLUS) choke tubes is not an option. It will need either Invector Plus tubes or one of Briley's proprietary choke tubes. The only place that I know of that has the installation tooling for Invector Plus tubes is Seminole Gun Works in Florida and (maybe) Briley. Now whether the barrel can even be re-threaded for Invector Plus tubes after you cut it off will depend a lot on how thick the barrel walls are. Is the barrel bigger, thicker, up front where the choke tube is now and getting smaller, tapered through its mid section? Measure the outside diameter of the barrel in the area you want to cut it off. IIRC the minimum OD for Seminole to install Invector Plus tube was .865”. A call to Briley or Seminole to discuss your plans and option sounds like a good idea before you get out the hacksaw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
countryboy223 Posted September 2, 2011 Author Share Posted September 2, 2011 thanks for the heads up GunCat i will definitely have to look into that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.E. Kelley Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Unless you are really wedded to the Browning I would trade it off for a Benelli or FN SLP. Why?? Because only a few guys successfully run the Browning. While it can be overcome they are rather sensitive to magazine tube spring "pressure" (rate) and this is because of the "speed load" feature. The bolt recoil spring and the magazine tube spring work "against" each other to accomplish this "speed load" feature. I (just me) would not throw 200 bucks at this project in hopes of a good outcome, when that 200 plus the sale or trade of your Browning will get you very close to a much better shotgun. Good luck either way. Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
countryboy223 Posted September 2, 2011 Author Share Posted September 2, 2011 i wouldnt say im wedded to the browning but it is also the gun i use for deer hunting and i already have a rifled slug barrel for it. any idea on how much a benneli with a slug barrel would run? because that really isnt a bad idea at all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.E. Kelley Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 i wouldnt say im wedded to the browning but it is also the gun i use for deer hunting and i already have a rifled slug barrel for it. any idea on how much a benneli with a slug barrel would run? because that really isnt a bad idea at all Pick up a 21 or 24 or even a 26 inch barreled M2 Benelli and you wouldn't need a slug barrel. We three gunners shoot slugs "deer dead" accurate to 70+ yards with Benelli's so equipped. I add a rear sight to all of mine as I would rather have them when needed and overlook them when I don't. If you can find one figure 1100 bucks. Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StealthyBlagga Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 (edited) If you still want to chop your barrel, I say go for it. The value of choke is greatly overstated IMHO. I run a sawn off barrel. Most steel targets drop just fine with regular low-brass trap loads. I know the types of targets that need a bit more horsepower (Texas Stars, Polish Plate Racks) and for those I use high brass heavy game loads. This approach lets me shoot open patterns for close-in flipper clays, yet adapt on the fly to longer range/heavy steel... best of both worlds. Cutting a shotgun barrel is not rocket science. I use a tube cutter to scribe a straight cut line around the outside of the barrel, then I use a hacksaw to make the cut. The trick is to work your way around the scribed line by turning the barrel, deepening the cut slightly on each pass. Once the excess barrel is gone, clean up the muzzle with a hand file, and touch up with cold blue if you wish. If done carefully, the job will be indistinguishable from a non-choked factory barrel. Of course, with some gas guns you may encounter functioning issues that require opening up the gas ports. This is why I like the pressure compensating gas system on my Remington 11-87. Edited September 2, 2011 by StealthyBlagga Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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