Can I shorten an 835 barrel and use it on a 590?

[No1Buck]

I have an 18" 590 (non-A1) and found a used 28" 835 barrel in a pawn shop for a good price. I want a vent rib barrel on my 590 so I would like to buy the 835 barrel and have it cut down to 18". Will this work? I know I'm limited to 3" shells due to 590 receiver size and I've read the 835 barrel will not work well with slugs since it's overbored, and that's fine (I only shoot 2 3/4" buckshot through this shotgun).

Any idea how much a gunsmith would charge to shorten the barrel? I know some people just use a hacksaw but I don't want to mess it up. I'd rather pay a professional to make sure it's done right.

 

[RichardL]

It'll fit onto the 6 shot 590, yes. That's the 5+1 18.5" special purpose or whatever it's called. It won't fit the nine shot 590. The only prob you'll have is the rib spacing. It won't be at the exact spot you want to cut it to so you'll have to settle for a bit longer than the tube. What about cutting it at an appropriate rib pillar and adding a mag tube extender? Have you considered it? Might end up with a seven shot or so but it'll look good and work perfectly.

 

[MikeD]

Yes.

You may need to swap magazine tubes if the barrel lugs are in different positions. This is easy and will cost approx $20-$30 for a new tube.

Cutting a barrel is not a problem. Its easy and cheap to do it yourself with a backsaw, light file and some fine sandpaper. Just make sure you cut the VR close to a lug else it will look weird. Its ok if the barrel extends past the rib slightly and does not look odd.

Don not use a die grinder or cut off wheel, it will overbeat the metal.

I'm not sure what a gunsmith charges for this service.

You could also use a barrel from a 500 if you use the appropriate magazine tube. I use 500 barrels on my 835 in this way.

If you want to have choke tubes installed it might be easier to use a 500 barrel. The overbored diameter of the 835 barrel may cause problems, when I was looking for the tools to do this I only found them for std 12/20 bore disameters.

Good luck!