Need to cut down a barrel for a canoe gun

I want to build a short smooth bore or a canoe gun. What do I do for a barrel? get one of those octagon to round barrels and cut it back at the breech? Or does someone offer this configuration already?

Track of the Wolf has this barrel listed in there inventory of smoothbore barrels. You could cut it off to what length you want.

Barrel, 20 gauge, 30" octagon-to-round, smooth bore # BBL-20-30 Barrel, 20 gauge, 30" octagon-to-round, smooth bore . . . $179.00

Yeah, but wich end do I cut off? the octogon side or the round side?

Cut it off the round side.

You actually could take it off the Oct side but I thinks it looks better cut off the round end.

Strange - On my canoe gun I wish i used a longer barrel.

A short bbl canoe gun really handles well -

Sort of like a 20ga Red Ryder BB gun.

For quail hunting over dogs I quit using my Tulle - The canoe gun is SO much quicker !!!!!!!

For what it is worth I put a rear sight on mine, next thing is to have it Jug choked.

I have an old leather quiver that I carry it in - So I can keep my hands free - Fast and handy

Only with ML shotguns do we consider a "30 inch " barrel to be " Short ". You may want to try using a .36 inch barrel and see how that balances for you before settling on the 30 incher.

I have a fowler in 30 inch barrel, and its fine in 20 gauge. MY gunmaker left a bit more barrel on the round forward part, so the gun can be jug choked, if I wanted to do that later. ( NOT!) The gun shoots RB reasonably well out to 50 yds, and is shooting shot loads into good CB patterns.

I don't know how many threads have been posted about canoe guns. Canoe hunting must be more popular in other areas of the country than here.
Personally, I don't see what everyone is so excited about,or why one would need a fast handling gun to hunt them? They move rather sluggishly, and they aren't all that edible, so I don't understant the desire for a dedicated canoe gun. :rotf: :rotf:

Sorry, I couldn't help myself. OK, so I could, but didn't. :v

IMHO, the barrel is easier to cut from the muzzle and trued up with a file, rather than cut at the breech, which will require rebreeching.

I suggest using the 30 inch barrel, or even a 36 inch barrel, as a beginning, as Paul mentioned. You can always cut if off later, if you find that it is too long. You never know, you might like the 36 or 30 inch barrel?

Those barrel lengths do handle pretty well on a gun that is slimmed down like the originals. Most all of the modern made guns have waaaayyy too much wood on them.

God bless,
J.D.

I bought a 27" tapered .62 caliber rifled barrel from Stonewall Creek Outfitters for the snaphaunce that I made. Check with them; they might have a smoothbore. In fact, I'd call some of the barrel manufacturers. They might have a smoothbore barrel that has a flaw in the muzzle end that you might be able to pick up cheap. Heck, stock makers sell seconds so why not barrel makers?

Didn't Patrck McManus write a book titled, "They shoot canoes, don't they?"