Going pawn shopping again for an SA this time for another defensive shotgun.  Which birdguns can be cut down to 18.5 or SBR (in full compliance with NFA) without having to jack with gas rings/ports?

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Benelli M2.  Also a pawn shop find for 800 used.

Eats everything but some funky seller and Beloit buckshot.  That stuff is out of spec though.

Really I can load cheap Walmart birdshot and defense ammo and it eats it all.

The pawn shops practically give away Rem 11-48's if older vintage doesn't bother you.

The Remington 11 and it's Savage clone also that are both Browning auto-5 clones. A few years ago they were $100 all day long, but now serviceable ones are $300, where I live anyways.

Not clones..

Base gun cost me $100
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Now that's what I'm talking about

Mine is reliable like a rock.

Such projects aren't legal here, but if they were I'd be looking at using an Auto 5/Rem.11/Savage 720 or one of the modern Auto 5 clones from Japan (Daiwa/KFC, etc.) or elsewhere (Breda/Franchi, etc.)

Just picked up a Remington Model 11 for $260 and now I’m looking for a spare barrel to cut down.

If you pick up an older model 11 or auto 5, be damn sure you have it cleaned out, resprung, and have had parts replaced that need replacing. Every auto 5 and model 11 I have seen looks like they have never been cleaned since they were bought, has a barrel recoil spring is a good 3 inches shorter than it needs, and in some cases has been missing either the bronze brake or the steel ring completely. I have had both my model 11 and auto 5 looked over by a local gunsmith that the majority of his business is fixing and repairing auto 5s. Full cleaning, all new springs, new bronze brakes, new guide rods, and replacing any worn out components were done to get them refurbished and up to spec. Model 11s have a fiber buffer in the rear of the receiver that absolutely needs to be replaced above all else.

You can find them if you look hard enough, and if you are willing to spend the cash to get them fixed up they are worth it. Replacement barrels will cost you more than what you will have in the gun if you aren't going to chop down the originally barrel. Older models with the sliding safety and the one piece carrier can be upgraded to the push button and two piece components, but it will cost a pretty penny. There isn't much in the wya of polymer stocks and fore ends, and some guns will need new stock sets. They are a project gun, but if you get them squared away right they are still amazingly reliable guns.

And fast. They are very fast.