this post was submitted on 17 Dec 2025
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No Stupid Questions
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Usually done with shotguns, it makes the pellets spread out more. This reduces the need for accuracy when firing. Another, bigger, part of it is it makes the gun easier to conceal. Normally weapons small enough to conceal are less powerful, this lets you conceal a bigger one.
I believe concealability is by far the main reason and the rest is just a side effect. It is born and a trope of desperate necessity. Someone needs a concealable weapon, likely for nefarious reasons, but all they have is their grandpa's shotgun and no money to buy a handgun, or no willingness to go through the background check process to get one. The traceability of a handgun purchase depending on which state you're in could also be a factor.
Dramatically shortening the barrel of a firearm will reduce its power as the cartridge it uses was generally not optimized for a barrel this short. Also, if removing the choke was the goal then only the first 2-3 inches of the barrel would need to be trimmed off. In terms of usability, you generally end up with a weapon that is worse than a purpose-built handgun if you modify a long gun, but it will still do the job if all you want to do is rob a store or assassinate someone from point blank. You'd be in a severe disadvantage in anything ranged or in an actual gunfight however. Needless to say, it also completely ruins a hunting shotgun and makes it permanently near useless at it.