No Barreled Shotgun Test Fire

This is probably a stupid question, but is a usable shotgun without a barrel an NFA item?

Maybe they just chopped the barrel off (at the receiver) for the video? I’ve taken apart my Remington 870 before, and the barrel locks back into the receiver.  If it wasn’t just chopped, I don’t know how the shell wouldn’t fly out of place without being locked properly into something when it was fired.  I could be wrong though.

Thoughts?

Hat tip: Bryan


Comments

20 responses to “No Barreled Shotgun Test Fire”

  1. I’m guessing that’s gun powder behind the plastic thing.

    1. ENDO-Mike Avatar

      Yea good call. I wonder why the primer didn’t detonate it?

      1. Without the chamber to hold it all together the power gets blown away before it get’s a chance to get hot enough to ignite.

        1. The barrel also contains the powder long enough for it to ignite the whole charge

      2. I did not realize the powder did not burn. I still think my explanation below satisfies questions about why a bullet only works as intended if its explosive force is directed and contained by a barrel.

      3. I did not realize the powder did not burn. I still think my explanation below satisfies questions about why a bullet only works as intended if its explosive force is directed and contained by a barrel.

    2. Its kinda like taping a BB to the primer then throwing it in the air so it lands on a hard surface. The shell would have to be counter weighted so it would land primer first. Finally, ground hits BB, BB hits primer, ect…in theory you have a shot ‘grenade’. However, I’d bet that the shell only slightly ruptures and the shot is not expelled; nothing to direct the force. In the video, even without the a barrel, the shell is still held slightly which is directing the explosion and trying to work as it was designed to do. If the shell wasn’t held at all, and it magically went off, the result would be just as moot as our BB on shotshell primer. (Hopefully, we all know inanimate object cannot just go off! Just as we all know an ‘assault weapon’ as the media defines it, sure as hell cannot preform a conscious human act such as assault by itself. But, that’s another rant for another day.) I RELLLY would not try it with a high case pressure round. Especially, if said round has a more similar brass & projectile weight ratio such as a 30-06. Disclaimer: I am not trained professionally in the field of stupidity. Therefore, I have not attempted this and no one in their right mind should.

  2. that is freaking incredible. im with you on the cut off barrel. unless they used some sort of adhesive on the bolt face.

  3. most pump shotguns have extractors on both sides of the bolt face. that would be just enough grip to hold the shell in place for the video. but id bet you they didnt load it conventionally. they would have had to pop it into the bolt face and then shot it

    1. ENDO-Mike Avatar

      The 870 only has the one extractor though.

      1. i havent checked my 870 in a while. but i just remembered that moss 500s have 2 because ive had to fix quite a few of them. ive had more than one that had the extractor pin walk out and grind itself in the aluminum reciever until its gone. real pain in the ass to fix and will screw your gun up something good. My 870 never misss a beat

    2. really? i didn’t know that. i just took a look at my 870 and its only got one on there, then i googled the mosberg 500 and there were 2 on that… ya learn something new everyday.

  4. all my 870’s have two extractors. i bet because there’s no chamber to hold the shell together the shell burst and the powder didn’t have time to ignite.

  5. With the gun locked in the vise with the vise jaws holding the action forward and somewhat in place, you might be able to fire the gun off without the barrel on there.

    Based on the movement of the forearm and bolt, it does not appear that the bolt is locked up with the barrel.

  6. The Comedian Avatar
    The Comedian

    A 12 gauge bang (fizzle?) stick?

  7. Did anybody grab a copy? It appears the vid has been pulled.

    1. ENDO-Mike Avatar

      Still works for me. Here’s a link to the LiveLeak page directly if you can’t see the embed on here for some reason – http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=59f_1322440770

      1. It’s working today; thanks

  8. It patterns well….

  9. I havent scientifically checked it yet, but judging by the slo-mo video, the sound it made was “bluurp”