i dont know about cutting a barrel yourself. sure its been done but you can find one short enough. but most home protection units have a cylinder choke. figure the farthest shot your getting in a house is a couple yards. you want your pattern to open pretty quick so you can hit your target fairly quick and easy. no blowin holes all through the house like in the movies. get yourself a class 3 license for a REAL short gun and find one with a 14 inch barrel if you want SHORT. mossberg makes one. it might be LE only though im not sure. i know its barrel is way thicker then any normal shotgun. its not just sawed off. alot of options out there. cheap options. expensive options. all depends on what you want. sure you can find a barrel short enough for the job though. probably better then sawing one off.