I have got an 870 I have been wanting to make for a close up in house Gun. Capacity isn’t a huge factor so not intending to put a big extension on. Do I give up much by reducing the length to 14” in terms of 12G ballistics ? I handled a 14” benelli some time back and loved how it handled.
Better stop at 18" or it'll be Ruby Ridge all over again.Originally Posted by flux
Found the answers in this thread. Going ahead with a 14" setup. https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....uot-for-patrol
Just be sure to get your stamp.
Doing a very brief info search I didn't find anything specifically addressing 14" shotgun (12 gauge) info.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0N4tgmZ1aLQ
https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....or-LE-duty-use
https://www.tactical-life.com/firear...ac-14-shotgun/
In ~2014, my old department went from a 20" Mossberg 590A1 to a 14" 590A1.
The pleasure in use/handling/deployment was greatly appreciated by many, including myself.
Over the years, I'd gone from a 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe patrol vehicle to a (don't remember the model year) relatively small Chevrolet Impala patrol car.
Even with the full-size old Ford Crown Victoria/Police Interceptor cars, the 20" really didn't fit inside the car without the installers taking out the interior's dome light. We used a vertically installed long-gun "Santa Cruz" solenoid lock/rack.
With the 14" shotguns, we had less ammo capacity vs. the 20", but not many folks would deploy the shotgun and few-to-zero ever fired the shotgun during an incident. The "shooters", or more firearms-savvy would opt to become issued and deploy a 16" AR15.
I personally owned an 18.5" 590A1 but couldn't use it for work (not allowed by my department) and, while in California, couldn't buy a 14" shotgun.
No longer living in California, I converted a Remington TAC-14 to an SBS and once again have a 14" shotgun to use and own
I'd still like to have a 14" 590A1 but I'm fairly comfortable with the shotgun inventory I've got for now and my local FFLs don't seem to keep 14" 590A1 SBSs in stock. The next time I'm shopping and have an extra $1K, I'll ask if they can get a 14" 590A1 if a distributor or Mossberg has one ready-to-ship. I'm a bit lazy and don't like doing ATF paperwork/photos/fingerprints and waiting for (here's the whining) a Constitutional right (imo).
I typically have loaded Federal Flite Control 00 buck, whether full power or low-recoil, with 1 oz. slugs in a side-saddle as alternate ammo. I'll plan to limit my 00 buck distance to ~15 yards, if possible, with the slugs for longer distances or barrier/vehicle penetration needs.
The 18.5" shotguns generally allow me to drive/travel between any state, while the 14" generally stays in Nevada (I suppose there are neighboring states which would be ok with 14" SBS, but I haven't researched the states of OR/UT/ID/AZ and technically would need to submit some type of BATF notification document if I were to travel out of state with the SBS).
"Flux", don't know your situation, but I'm looking forward in hearing how your 14" barrel project works out.
Assuming you are in the U.S. a shotgun barrel shorter than 18" requires a tax stamp / registration as "short barreled shotgun" and you need to get the stamp before trimming or swapping barrels.
With that out of the way, with modern ammunition the difference in terminal ballistics between a 14" barrel and a longer barrel is inconsequential.
I used 14" barrel 870s at work for about 20 years, they handle well and going shorter barrel to retain a useable stock is worth the hassle.
Thanks for the input so far. Not in the state's , so it's literally a matter of booking it into the gunsmith and getting it done. No stamps etc.
Some people have everything.
[emoji13]
A few years ago, I went through the NFA hassle of acquiring a factory 870P SBS. In terms of handling, well worth it IMHO. At the ranges at which a shotgun excels, I can see no drawback to the shorter barrel aside from capacity, which you have already identified as not being an issue.
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