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<  16ga. Guns  ~  2 3/4 in 2 9/16 guns?
hayseed
PostPosted: Sun Sep 16, 2018 5:17 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 14 Feb 2017
Posts: 401

Seems a lot of shooters are shooting the longer shells in short chamber guns. I’ve never done this but did run some empty 2 3/4 shells thru my old Model 12. Surprisingly they ejected solidly and without fail every time. Actually only did it to see if the ejection port was large enough to allow it.

Still not sure I’d want to shoot them in mine but just wondering if others are doing it?
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Dave in Maine
PostPosted: Sun Sep 16, 2018 6:00 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 12 Sep 2010
Posts: 1972
Location: Maine

This is one of the evergreen topics here. Right up there with the right size of shot to use for pheasants.

Short version: you can do it, but that doesn't mean you should.

You are guaranteed to have much stronger recoil. Given that most 2 9/16 inch chambered guns (if not all) are pre-WWII, that means you're beating up on 80 y/o wood for not much of a good reason. The heads of the stocks on those old guns are, almost without exception, fragile (or deserve to be treated that way).

If you want to do a simple economic analysis, go around and price a replacement buttstock for your gun. If it's an old double, there might not be any out there, which would mean either getting it repaired by a competent wood man (hundreds of dollars) (assuming you saved all the splinters) or getting a new one made from scratch (thousands of dollars). Then compare that to the price of low-recoil, low-pressure RSTs or your own reloads (courtesy of the low-pressure group). (Heck, you'll save money on 16 ga shells by reloading simply because they're relatively pricey to begin with.) Then consider how much you'll be "saving" by using cheaper factory loads versus "expensive" RSTs or "low-recoil reloads which are possibly cheaper than factory". And don't forget to factor in the time (possibly a year, depending on the wood guy) you won't have the gun to use while you're waiting for it to be repaired.

Run your numbers and decide what you want to do.

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John Singer
PostPosted: Sun Sep 16, 2018 9:33 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 03 Sep 2014
Posts: 398
Location: Rochester, MN

I had the pleasure of soldering the bottom rib and lug back onto a 16 gauge NID after the owner had fired it several times with 2 3/4" target loads.

In an effort to determine why the gun had failed, I measured the chambers and determined that they were 2 9/16".

A friend of mine has in his possession a 2 3/4" chambered Ithaca 37 barrel that failed and burst at the chamber after being fired with a 3" shell.

I would not do it.

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hayseed
PostPosted: Sun Sep 16, 2018 3:45 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 14 Feb 2017
Posts: 401

Really had no intention of shooting longer shells in it or any other short chambered gun. Just wondering after seeing that it would eject the empties, which surprised me. Doubt I would hunt with it much anyhow. A couple of boxes of spreaders would last me a long while. I just like to take old guns for a walk once in a while.

Was surprised it was plugged tho.
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WyoChukar
PostPosted: Sun Sep 16, 2018 9:06 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 16 Jul 2015
Posts: 2124
Location: Hudson,Wy

John Singer wrote:
I had the pleasure of soldering the bottom rib and lug back onto a 16 gauge NID after the owner had fired it several times with 2 3/4" target loads.

In an effort to determine why the gun had failed, I measured the chambers and determined that they were 2 9/16".

A friend of mine has in his possession a 2 3/4" chambered Ithaca 37 barrel that failed and burst at the chamber after being fired with a 3" shell.

I would not do it.



I own a Fox Sterlingworth 12 ga. that was used this way for decades by various family members and yep, eventually the bottom rib came loose. When it came to me after some gunsmith in MO. had resoldered the rib, I measured the chambers. They were short. Dad was shocked to hear that. The rotary bolt was worn as well. I lengthened the chambers and replaced the bolt with N.O.S. She locks up tight now and has been tested thoroughly. The stock set needs replaced too: cracks! So there you have it folks, most of what Mr. Singer said, verified in one example.

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Brewster11
PostPosted: Wed Sep 26, 2018 11:24 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 08 Feb 2009
Posts: 1301
Location: Western WA

Quote:
Still not sure I’d want to shoot them in mine but just wondering if others are doing it?

I have done it, yes, but inadvertently. The old rule of thumb would seem to apply here: When in doubt, don't.

B.
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