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madtrapper143
PostPosted: Fri Jan 13, 2023 3:22 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 28 Jan 2007
Posts: 82
Location: Steep Rock Lake, North Western Ontario

Gentlemen, I have a rough Model 37 in 16 bore. It runs well and it has a 28" super full choked factory barrel. I am going to shorten it for a grouse/ close in steel shot duck gun. Does anyone have any opinions on the length it should be trimmed to? Actual experience would be great to. I am leaning toward 25" or 26".

Darryl

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" 2 1/2 drams of powder, 1 ounce of shot, should be good for all upland use, that's the 16"
Gene HILL
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Ohio Wirehair
PostPosted: Fri Jan 13, 2023 10:46 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 24 Jul 2016
Posts: 546
Location: Ohio

Take off a inch and pattern it. You might be happy.
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hoashooter
PostPosted: Fri Jan 13, 2023 11:40 pm  Reply with quote
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Take a pair of scissors to the petals---then cut the bbl!!!!!
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putz463
PostPosted: Sat Jan 14, 2023 5:23 am  Reply with quote
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Location: West MI

Both sound advice for sure. Spreaders do help open patterns.

If taking all the way to Cyl you may want/need to add tubes for Duck, make a sweet rice rocket wrangler. My Citori Upland is 24" & 1148 (Frank Woolner inspired) Brushog cut to 23" Cyl.

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Sorry, I'm a Duck Hunter so shouldn't be held strictly responsible for my actions between Oct 1st and ice up.
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madtrapper143
PostPosted: Sat Jan 14, 2023 6:50 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 28 Jan 2007
Posts: 82
Location: Steep Rock Lake, North Western Ontario

All very sage advice. I don't reload for the 16 so barrel length is my only option for change. There are no spreader loads available at retail in Canada for the 16. I was considering cutting it to 26" which was what Ithaca offered the 37 in, albeit IMP CYL. Hunting season is a long ways off so I have time on my side to make the decision. To add to the issue of supply no gunsmiths in Canada offer choke installation services for the 16 bore. My options are very limited.
Thanks guys.
Darryl

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" 2 1/2 drams of powder, 1 ounce of shot, should be good for all upland use, that's the 16"
Gene HILL
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Byron Whitlock
PostPosted: Sat Jan 14, 2023 7:11 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 27 Jan 2016
Posts: 488
Location: Oswego, Kansas

I agree with the recommendation to only cut one inch off the barrel and then pattern the gun to see how it shoots. If you are shooting factory loads an inch removed from the choke will probably get close to what you want for a pattern. You can always cut more but you can't put any back unless you have tubes put in.

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16'er
PostPosted: Sat Jan 14, 2023 7:56 am  Reply with quote
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Joined: 08 Oct 2006
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Location: Tappahannock, Virginia

A Skeets type bore gauge should give you a fairly good indication of where your choke starts and the progression of the taper. Maybe a trip to a local gunsmith is in order?
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MSM2019
PostPosted: Sat Jan 14, 2023 9:03 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 04 Mar 2019
Posts: 1819
Location: Central ND

Don't trim it. Put in a set of Briley Thin Wall chokes.

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Mark...You are entitled to your own opinion. You aren't entitled to your own facts.
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madtrapper143
PostPosted: Sat Jan 14, 2023 9:46 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 28 Jan 2007
Posts: 82
Location: Steep Rock Lake, North Western Ontario

Nearest smith is 700 miles away from me. The few that were local have retired or died. Like I said earlier there is no one who does 16 Gauge choke installs in Canada. I would like the gun to pattern about IMP CYL and I feel that cylinder bore and modern shells should do that. The purpose of the gun will be grouse shooting over a dog and ducks over decoys in back bay, beaver pond settings. The question is how much do I shorten the barrel to make it handier but still point and handle well.

Darryl

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" 2 1/2 drams of powder, 1 ounce of shot, should be good for all upland use, that's the 16"
Gene HILL
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kgb
PostPosted: Sat Jan 14, 2023 10:25 am  Reply with quote
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I have no practical experience doing this, but doubt the balance will change significantly when you have it cut to 25" or 26". Ideally you'd have someone at a machine shop who could trim it down incrementally so you could handle it as you go. I am in the process of buying back a M37 16ga I sold a while back, since it's not in hand I cannot use my gauge to see how far back the choke taper extends.

Just guessing but 1" cut should remove much of the choke and 2" should take care of nearly all or all of it. Your focus seems to be more on the balance than choke remaining, only one way to find out for each with actual shooting for the former and patterning for the latter.

I don't know the laws where you are, a barrel should be something you could leave with a machinist or send to a gunsmith without trouble. Hopefully the gunsmith you know of is set up to work with shotgun barrels and can get you where you want to be. I don't think you'd be far off if you just had it cut to 26" and had the bead reset.

I've had a 1951 20ga M37 with a measured Full choke barrel that has worked out very well for me whether quail up close or prairie grouse not so close. It's nice and light and the 28" barrel length is fine, I keep thinking I should have the choke opened because sooner or later it is going to disappear a quail at close range, but hate to mess with what has been working so well. You're coming at it from another angle, making the gun do what you want it to, I hope it winds up being exactly what you need.

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Bore, n. Shotgun enthusiast's synonym for "gauge" ; everybody else's synonym for "shotgun enthusiast." - Ed Zern
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madtrapper143
PostPosted: Sat Jan 14, 2023 10:37 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 28 Jan 2007
Posts: 82
Location: Steep Rock Lake, North Western Ontario

26" sounds like it will work. I have the tooling and skills to do the work myself. If Ithaca made them in 26" plain barrels then that should work for me. Thanks for all the learned input it is appreciated.
Darryl

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" 2 1/2 drams of powder, 1 ounce of shot, should be good for all upland use, that's the 16"
Gene HILL
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MSM2019
PostPosted: Sat Jan 14, 2023 11:08 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 04 Mar 2019
Posts: 1819
Location: Central ND

Yup, my Model 37 with a mod choke and 28" barrel, starts the taper 1 7/8" from the muzzle as close as I can measure with my dial bore gauge.

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Mark...You are entitled to your own opinion. You aren't entitled to your own facts.
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bigblue
PostPosted: Sat Jan 14, 2023 12:29 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 30 Sep 2020
Posts: 181
Location: ont canada

madtrapper143 wrote:
Nearest smith is 700 miles away from me. The few that were local have retired or died. Like I said earlier there is no one who does 16 Gauge choke installs in Canada. I would like the gun to pattern about IMP CYL and I feel that cylinder bore and modern shells should do that. The purpose of the gun will be grouse shooting over a dog and ducks over decoys in back bay, beaver pond settings. The question is how much do I shorten the barrel to make it handier but still point and handle well.

Darryl
Trapper I just cut a 1100 damaged 16 bore to 23 inches and swaged .010 (ic) by using a 20 gauge Mec collect die . Turned out great and patterns well. The Ithica barrel should work out well as they a thin wall like my Remington plain barrel was. I had a factory 25" IC gun that handled well I went shorter on my 1100 because of the damage on the barrel.To do Briley thin walls will cost 10 times what the gun is worth .
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madtrapper143
PostPosted: Sat Jan 14, 2023 12:52 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 28 Jan 2007
Posts: 82
Location: Steep Rock Lake, North Western Ontario

Looks like 2" off of the barrel will eliminate all choke. I thought of swaging but did not know any tools or methods. I will consider the swage after I see how the gun patterns with factory steel and lead loads. Thanks for the tips.

Darryl

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" 2 1/2 drams of powder, 1 ounce of shot, should be good for all upland use, that's the 16"
Gene HILL
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silverbowff
PostPosted: Sat Jan 14, 2023 2:05 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 26 Jun 2020
Posts: 140
Location: Spokane, WA

Is it a problem sending or receiving gun parts between Canada and the USA if not I recommend you send the barrel to Mike Orlen in Amhearst, MASS he did a choke tube job on my Rem 58 16. Very reasonable price and fast turn around. Call him at 413 256 1630.

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