About to commit sacrilege, maybe?

[Kalindras]

Hey, all!

I've had a Remington Sportsman 48 that I inherited from my dad, sitting in my gun cabinet for several years. It's been gathering dust, since I don't hunt with it, or shoot skeet.

Anyway, I'm considering having the barrel cut down (it's something like 24" or so, with a Cutts Compensator and a Modified Choke stuck on the end--VERY end-heavy and points like a sledgehammer) to use it as a HD gun, and was wondering about several points:

1) Am I about to commit some heinous act against an as-yet-unknown-to-me treasure? I've come to grips with the sentimentality of it (I have other, more cherished guns from him, so this isn't an issue). Is this some rare piece, though, that should be in some collector's safe? I haven't seen anything that would indicate this, but I thought, "If anyone'd know, the TFL crew would!"

2) Does anybody know the legal barrel/legal OVERALL lengths for Texas? I'm thinking it's 18"/24", but I don't want to go to jail over inches.

3) Finally, is there a minimum operable length for this gun's barrel? I mean, is there a point at which the reliability of the gun will be hurt if I take the barrel too short? I can't imagine that that it'd need to be longer than the minimum legal length, but again...see question 1.

That's about it. The only other thing I wonder is: would this be an okay project for the new, at-home gunsmith? Or is it such an intricate operation (i.e., is there more to this than sawing the barrel down, cleaning up the edge, and maybe putting a touch of a crown on it?) that it should only be undertaken by a pro?

TIA for any input, guys.

Kal

 

[Dave McC]

48s aren't found on every corner, but there's a bit of a collector groundswell on these, 11-48s and the older 11s. I expect this to continue, ESPECIALLY if Remington's QC continues to head south.

If money was better right now,I'd be accumulating classic Wingmasters like mad, even with 5 870s here already.

I suggest you leave it alone, buy a modern, USA made pump like a police turnin 870, 500 or 1300, and keep your 48 just like it is.

NOTE, adding a few oz of weight under the butt pad will fix that nose heavy feel.

IIRC, Fed minimum is 18/27" or so.

And, if I had to cut down a bbl, it'd be done by a pro. I've seen too many bbls ruined by fools with hacksaws....

 

[C.R.Sam]

The way I am readin my copy of Title 18, U.S. C........without special licensing and fees.....

Minimum barrel length 18"
Minimum overall length 26"

Sam

 

[wingnutx]

Trade it in on a new defense model. You get a nice new gun on the cheap.

 

[C.R.Sam]

Rather than trade it in, get more for it by being patient and selling it outright.

Buy a used defensive gun for little more than the cost of modifying your Sportsman. Again, be patient.

Ol fart's opinion.

Sam

 

[CWL]

Can you afford to buy a separate HD shotgun? It'll probably cost under $200 and is a better way to go.

My thinking is whether you may regret cutting-up/trading/selling something passed to you by your father. You may wish to pass this on to your own son/daughter as a keepsake some day.

 

[foghornl]

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK! ! ! ! ! ! !

please do not cut down that barrel ! ! ! ! !

I HAD a 20Ga Sportsman that I foolishly let get away from me. If you do cut down the barrel, please bring the cut peice over, and we can alternately whomp each other upside the head with it.
Me for letting go of MY 20 Ga Sportsman, and you for chopping up a fine example of Remington gun making history

 

[Hal]

Please consider very carefully that once you've done this there's no going back.
It's a bit of living history from your Dad.
HD shotguns are a dime a dozen.

(Old Dad's opinion)

 

[twix]

I have a Sportsman 48, 20 ga., it was my Granpa's. Thought about cutting it up to fit my wife (clays, birds,HD) but I'm thinking I'll try to find a Youth model 870 instead. For you, the 870 Youth may be a fine enough HD gun. For me, after my wife learns to shoot a little we'll get her something else and use the 870 to train the kiddies. For both of us, we get to keep our pass- down semi-classic Rems in original (and, in my case, very used) condition AND get another SG. Just thinking out loud...

 

[Al Thompson]

Kalindras, having disposed of a large number of my father's guns, frankly I'm on the other end of the spectrum here. My dad had a bunch of guns he "collected". The three that he used frequently will never leave my possession. The rest paid the rent.

I don't know what the value of the Remington is - but - I strongly suspect the Cutts was an add on. That usually detracts from the value.

I think you could justify either getting another dedicated HD shotgun or finding another barrel for the SG and cutting the one you have on it now. Price may very well be the same.

Just to throw fuel on the fire though, I'm now of the opinion that you should never sell guns unless you have to. They are getting more expensive and it's hard to get the value back. Most of the ones I sold of my Dad's were not guns I cared for. It was a good decision at the time, but there are a couple I wished I'd of kept.

In any event, think about it - that Sportsman 48 will do quite nicely as a dedicated HD gun, even with the length.