I'd go for the 12. As far as cutting it down and recrowning, any gunsmith would do it -- may find one at a local gun shop, Gander Mountain will do it, SinMan or Fred could do it. you'd have to wait a long time for SSS, not sure what Sinman's wait time is. Either could give you an idea of a price to look at. Obviously it would be cheaper locally as there would be no shipping there or back, but you could at least know if you're getting ripped of or not.