is there any difference between a sawn off shotgun and a shotgun?

Question

is there performance difference or is it just the length

Answer 1

I will agree that a shorter shotgun has a better spreading effect at the shorter ranges. I blew a basketball sized hole through plywood with a 2 barrel sawed off-shotgun.

Answer 2

At the risk of walking a different path..... the correct answer, and I will say its the ONLY CORRECT one Ive seen on this..... is.... wait for it..... THE ONE YOU FREAKING PRACTICE WITH REGULARLY. Im not kidding, the biggest mistake a person can make, IMHO, is buy a tool for a job that they never use, then at 4am in the dark, scared and nervous, expect that tool to work perfectly with a MINIMUM of notice? OOPS! Forgot that safety, oh well too late. More technically, the 870 is good enough for the FBI, I keep an 870 Express with a factory slug barrel handy at night, and CCW carry during the day. Id take the shotgun everywhere if I could get away with it. As far as ammo goes #4 and 1B is just fine too, more pellets = more holes = more trauma. We are talking QCB here, maybe even a contact shooting. So you have some leeway. So that begs the question.... Have you practice cleared your house before? When no one is home, just you? Do it a few times a month. Hate to trip over that foot rest and shoot myself in the dark! Walk it though, watch your corners and think about your shots and angles. Think about what is behind those shots. HAVE A PLAN where your never lazing your family through a wall, but not exposing your blind side to a hiding spot. Then start over and pretend you have your different choices one at a time, which one works best but is most pleasant to actually shoot and practice with? Try it near total darkness, unarmed of course. Just to see. Are you going to pattern the gun, so you know the shot spread for your barrel? IMHO? 870 with a factory IC slug barrel and wooden stock, plain jane outta the box. Less room for a scum bags attorney to call you a man hunting psychopath if you don't have flash lights, tac rails, laser sights, and a toaster bolted to your gun. the less scary it looks to a jury.... the happier I imaging you'll be God forbid you ever DO have to burn someone.

Answer 3

Around a decade in prison is a notable difference. And then there's the case of that guy out in Utah a few years back who cut his gun down about a quarter inch too short and being uncooperative with the overzealous authorities managed to get his wife, son and dog shot. The shorter barrel length will decrease velocity a bit, and the cylinder bore will produce a wider pattern than even the most minimal choke, especially since some shotguns are made "overbore," with the bulk of the barrel actually up around 11 guage.

Answer 4

A sawn off shot gun has the barrel cut down and even sometimes the stock to make it a pistol grip.

The advantage is it is a lot smaller (they are usually done for concealment). the shot also spreads fast as the shot is choked less and is allow to spread sooner. They are also easier to use in confined spaces.

They are however illegal in most countries, for the reason that most people do them so they can carry a weapon without being detected. They also have less range.

Answer 5

A sawed off shotgun is just that, the barrel has been cut down in length by the owner, usually to help in concealing the weapon. Shortening the barrel will also cause the buck / bird shot to spread out faster. In my state the legal limit for a barrel is at least 16in. Anything under that is a no go. Hope this helps.

Answer 6

The sawn off version doesn't shoot as far, and the pattern opens up quicker. It won't shoot the "cone of death" that covers half the room, like folks seem to think, but it does cover quite a bit.

Answer 7

For the record, any shotgun with a barrel length of less than 18", in ANY state, is illegal to own unless you possess a class 3 FFL.

Answer 8

Most People use a sawed off Shotgun for Criminal purposes... Hunters and Sportsman, and Target Shooters have no use for them..... Sawed off is for point blank killing up close and personal.... Regular Choked Shotguns are for recreation whether it be for Trap or Skeet or Hunting Purposes........The sawed off discharges a broader shot pattern very quickly, where as a Regular Shotgun holds the pattern closer at longer ranges............

Answer 9

Basically just the length. The sawed off barrel means that it doesn't have any choke and is a cylinder bore.

Answer 10

The shorter the shotgun, the greater the scatter of the shot.