Bigtim,

You need to check with your local laws and regulations first. But most places have an 18" minimum legal length for shotgun barrels. As far as I know, there's no law that says a gunsmith has to be the one to shorten a barrel as opposed to your average joe.

I did the same thing with my winchester 1300 pump a couple of years ago. I actually didn't have use for the smoothbore slug barrel, so I cut the barrel with a hacksaw to 18.5". You have to be very careful to cut it evenly. I then used some sandpaper to polish off the rough edges and even it out. Then, I used a re-blueing kit to re-blue the end of the barrel that got cut and sanded.

The main things to remember- first check and see if it's legal where you live! Next, be very careful to not cut it shorter than 18" or whatever is legal- if anything, give it an extra inch to be sure. Make sure to make an even, straight cut and sand the edges well.

It's worked fine for me- I shoot #4 buckshot through it, and it does the job. Remember that by doing this, you're removing the choke, so the shot spreads out VERY quickly. I'd estimate the maximum effective range of mine to be about 10 - 15 yards- after that, it spreads out just too much. But at close range it really blows stuff up!