I've got an old jc Higgins 12 ga pump that I'm planning to bird hunt with this year. It's the only shotgun I have. I bought it for $70 last year and it has zero sentimental value to me. My only issue is it has a fixed full choke, and I shot some clays with it a couple months ago, and didn't hit as many as I am used to hitting. Now, some of that is lack of practice the last few years, but I'm thinking the full choke make have something to do with it. Would cutting 3-4" off the barrel to get rid of the choke leave me with patterns too wide for dove hunting? Or would I be ok?

Adding a choke system is out of the question. The gun was too cheap to spend the money on adding chokes.

It will at that point be open cylinder. De burr it after you cut and see what happens. Worst case you have a $70 shotgun that is 4" shorter

That's kinda my thought. But since it's my only shotgun, I dont want the pattern to be unusable. Although I guess I could always borrow one my dads extras.

Sell that gun and buy something you can use.

If thTs your budget buy a H&r mod or improved and learn to shoot it.

I would keep the full. Buddy of my shoots an old 870 wingmaster fixed full choke and knocks doves with it all day long. He sits further down from us and usually cleans up the birds we miss, which is a lot...

Just keep practicing and you should be ok, get the fastest load you can too so they open up quick.

Either practice with it until you are good with it or sell it and scrounge up a little more cash and get a Remington 870 or Mossberg for a couple hundred bucks from a pawn shop or pre-dove season big box store sale.

Send the barrel to Mike Orlen ane he can open up the choke. He does good work and is inexpensive. He is a mod on www.shotgunworld.com

12 gauge number 8 & 9 shot patterns well out to 30 yards through cylinder bore choke tubes. If you limit your shots to this distance you should be fine cutting the barrel.