Im looking for a shot gun barrel for home defense so i need a 18-18/2 barrel...Its a 12 gauge winchester 1400 MK II..Where would be the best place to get this ?? There is a gun show in west palm beach next week end i will look there ...& how much should i expect to spend ?? Thanks Lew

 

Try www.gunbroker.com

A quick search revealed:
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" bgColor=#008000 border=0><TBODY><TR bgColor=#f0f0f0><TD height=25></TD><TD></TD><TD align=middle>126425970</TD><TD></TD><TD align=left width="100%">Winchester 1400 12ga 26" vr IC barrel 140 1500 </TD><TD></TD><TD class=IN_Layout align=middle>2</TD><TD></TD><TD class=IN_Layout align=middle>$64.50</TD><TD></TD><TD class=IN_Layout noWrap align=right>1d 3h + </TD></TR><TR bgColor=#cccccc><TD colSpan=11 height=1></TD></TR><TR bg***************><TD height=25> </TD><TD></TD><TD align=middle>126019460</TD><TD></TD><TD align=left width="100%">WINCHESTER 1400 12 GA. BARREL VR 26 IN. 30 </TD><TD></TD><TD class=IN_Layout align=middle>0</TD><TD></TD><TD class=IN_Layout align=middle>$200.00</TD><TD></TD><TD class=IN_Layout noWrap align=right>1d 22h + </TD></TR><TR bgColor=#cccccc><TD colSpan=11 height=1></TD></TR><TR bgColor=#f0f0f0><TD height=25> </TD><TD></TD><TD align=middle>126778130</TD><TD></TD><TD align=left width="100%">Winchester 1400 16 Guage 24" Barrel </TD><TD></TD><TD class=IN_Layout align=middle>0</TD><TD></TD><TD class=IN_Layout align=middle>$100.00</TD><TD></TD><TD class=IN_Layout noWrap align=right>2d 1h + </TD></TR><TR bgColor=#cccccc><TD colSpan=11 height=1></TD></TR><TR bg***************><TD height=25> </TD><TD></TD><TD align=middle>126496674</TD><TD></TD><TD align=left width="100%">Winchester 1400 20ga VR 28" barrel 1500 140 </TD><TD></TD><TD class=IN_Layout align=middle>0</TD><TD></TD><TD class=IN_Layout align=middle>$100.00</TD><TD></TD><TD class=IN_Layout noWrap align=right>2d 2h + </TD></TR><TR bgColor=#cccccc><TD colSpan=11 height=1></TD></TR><TR bgColor=#f0f0f0><TD height=25> </TD><TD></TD><TD align=middle>126607024</TD><TD></TD><TD align=left width="100%">Winchester 1400 barrel 26"-16 ga-2-3/4" full choke </TD><TD></TD><TD class=IN_Layout align=middle>0</TD><TD></TD><TD class=IN_Layout align=middle>$24.95</TD><TD></TD><TD class=IN_Layout noWrap align=right>3d 20h + </TD></TR><TR bgColor=#cccccc><TD colSpan=11 height=1></TD></TR><TR bg***************><TD height=25> </TD><TD></TD><TD align=middle>126185895</TD><TD></TD><TD align=left width="100%"># B-49 WINCHESTER MODEL 1400 20 GA BARREL </TD><TD></TD><TD class=IN_Layout align=middle>0</TD><TD></TD><TD class=IN_Layout align=middle>$80.00</TD><TD></TD><TD class=IN_Layout noWrap align=right>4d 17h + </TD></TR><TR bgColor=#cccccc><TD colSpan=11 height=1></TD></TR><TR bgColor=#f0f0f0><TD height=25> </TD><TD></TD><TD align=middle>126780728</TD><TD></TD><TD align=left width="100%">WINCHESTER 140 WINCHOKE BARREL 1400/1500 ALSO 12 G </TD><TD></TD><TD class=IN_Layout align=middle>0</TD><TD></TD><TD class=IN_Layout align=middle>$150.00</TD><TD></TD><TD class=IN_Layout noWrap align=right>6d 2h + </TD></TR><TR bgColor=#cccccc><TD colSpan=11 height=1></TD></TR><TR bg***************><TD height=25> </TD><TD></TD><TD align=middle>126812091</TD><TD></TD><TD align=left width="100%">Winchester M-1400 Ranger 20Ga 28" Vent Rib </TD><TD></TD><TD class=IN_Layout align=middle>0</TD><TD></TD><TD class=IN_Layout align=middle>$189.00</TD><TD></TD><TD class=IN_Layout noWrap align=right>6d 18h + </TD></TR><TR bgColor=#cccccc><TD colSpan=11 height=1></TD></TR><TR bgColor=#f0f0f0><TD height=25> </TD><TD></TD><TD align=middle>126826022</TD><TD></TD><TD align=left width="100%">WINCHESTER 1400 20 GA. IMP. CYL. BARREL 44 </TD><TD></TD><TD class=IN_Layout align=middle>0</TD><TD></TD><TD class=IN_Layout align=middle>$150.00</TD><TD></TD><TD class=IN_Layout noWrap align=right>13d 21h + </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


Tip: consider buying the cheapest barrel you can find, and a hacksaw blade. For what you want, no choke needed. Just be careful not to go too short.

 

Thats for certain!, DO NOT go shorter than the BATF 18 in. min.! BAD things will happen if you are found with it!.

 

If you know someone with a lathe you can darn near do a professional looking job on it. It doesnt take that long either. If you went that route I could explain it pretty clearly if needed. This is what I did on my Mossberg...

 

Thanks guys !! That was some good info.Sounds like the best thing is to get the cheapest barrel & cut it. I will make sure its over 18in like 18 1/2..I guess i can use the wooden dowl method down the barrel with the bolt closed to get my measuremeant ?? Thanks...Lew

 

For a house gun thats already that long, an extra half-inch wont hurt; stay legal and make it 18-1/2. If your barrel has a vent rib on it you could pick a support post at just over the legal mark, and cut right ahead of it. Makes for a sorta clean look. If you go the hacksaw route, get a file to to clean the marks up.

 

While on the topic, I don't think a semi-auto makes a very good house gun. If you leave it with an empty chamber, which is what you should do, loading a round from the magazine to the chamber is too clumsy when in a stressful situation. A pump action is the standard for home defense, and for good reason.

So, use what you got if you must, but if you have a choice, buy an inexpensive Mossberg or the like in a pump action.

 

X2 and if you leave the chamber empty leave the gun in a dry fired mode, this will eliminate having to find the slide release button to ready the gun when the time comes. Just start with the EMPTY gun, dry fire, and then load the magazine tube.

 

While I am of the opinion that the best firearm to use, is the one in your hands, I agree with having/using a pump action shotgun vs. a semi-auto shotgun for home defense use.
(Even though I have both for the intended purpose!)

Whichever route you go. . . practice, practice, practice!
Know your firearm intimately.

 

Yeah is was thinking the same thing about a pump over a auto but i have had the gun for about 25 years...I feel comfortable leaving one in the chamber..if need be ...While were on the subject of guns i bought a kimber TLE 1911 45 auto & its a nice gun like the way it shots but i never had a 1911 so it loads deferant..They say put empty clip in then pull back slide to the stop then remove & install loaded clip then then flip the slide lock to chamber a round. It works fine that way but can a just put in a loaded clip & pull the slide back then just let go of it to chamber a round or is this no good..Lew

 

Who's this 'they'???

'They' don't really know how to operate a 1911, in my not-so-humble opinion.

For just about a century, 1911 'operators/users' have inserted full magazines into an otherwise empty pistol, and then pulled the slide back ('slingshot') and let is 'fly home' under the recoil spring's tension.
If you want, you can then swap out the magazine for another 'full one', then, either top off your original magazine, or just leave it in the pistol.

If you shoot the 1911 until it's empty and the slide locks back, drop the magazine while reaching for a full one, then, after shoving a full magazine 'home', either grab the back of the slide with your 'off hand' and do the 'slingshot' with the slide, or, press the slide stop with your offhand thumb or your shooting thumb (if your hands are big enough) and continue to let the 'lead fly'!

Here are four ways to do magazine changes, as shown by Todd Jarrett.

YouTube - Blackhawk Tips with Todd Jarrett: Tactical Reloads

I had the pleasure of shooting side-by-side with Todd, several years ago, when my local sportsman's club held their first USPSA/IPSC match.
Todd was invited to our club to participate.
If memory serves me, Todd is originally from Maryland's Eastern Shore.

 

Try not to let the slide run shut too much unless your actually chambering a round, without that little extra resistance of the cartridge leaving the magazine the slide can gain enough momentum to cause harm if it slams shut on an empty chamber too much. Have fun though, 1911s are an absolute blast!

 

Kind of like dry firing a .22lr, not a good thing to practice over time.

 

....Ok then thats what i wanted to here...So i can slingshot it..Thats good i just wanted to make sure it was OK ..Otherwise i would have to keep one in the chamber to be ready to shoot..When i read the way kimber or any 1911 says the way to do it was new to me having never had a 1911...that just didnt sound right...Slingshot & the lead will fly !!! Thanks for the info ... Lew

 

A small but important note on "short" shotguns. There is a perfectly legal way to have a shotgun with a barrel less then 18". The important thing to know is the legal definition of a "shotgun" as far as the law is concerned a shotgun is a smooth bore firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder. So as far as the law is concerned a "shotgun" with a pistol grip is NOT a shotgun and can be as short as you please.

Look it up it's all true.
Pulling the slide back to release it off the slide lock is a bad practice on a 1911(even more so a Kimber). 1911's don't have much of a mechanism to pull the slide lock down out of the slide once the pressure is off. In practice you will find that many times when you pull the slide back with a loaded magazine the slide will stop again at the slide lock and not chamber a round.

In practice you should always practice using the slide release so it becomes second nature. If god forbid you end up in a fire fight, you don't want to have a problem because the slide failed to load a round because you didn't use the release. If you have a hard time with the release buy an extended one.

I carry a Kimber TLE daily and know it well.