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<  16ga. Guns  ~  Fox 16 gauge chamber length
Robert K
PostPosted: Wed Mar 09, 2005 4:23 pm  Reply with quote
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Location: Austin, TX

Hi,
I have a new baby in the family. A Fox Sterlingworth in 16 gauge. Someone spent a lot of money at one time with engraving and really nice wood. Lever is still to the right. Very tight. I've shot it some but then realized that most of the early Foxes were 2.5" chambers. This one was built in 1926. Anybody know if this could be 2.75" chambers?
Thanks, Robert
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Little Creek
PostPosted: Wed Mar 09, 2005 10:23 pm  Reply with quote
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If it is a 1926 Sterlingworth, it came with 2-3/8 to 2-7/16" chambers. They were sold as 2-1/2" but typically are quite a bit shorter. Your gun may have 2-3/4 after market or Savage retrofit chambers (If so it would likely be marked on the barrels or barrel flats.) Measure with the appropriate gauge only. 2-1/2 inch ammo is available, and otherwise it's about $100 to lengthen the chambers...in the hands of most decent 'smiths. Enjoy! Mike
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Robert K
PostPosted: Fri Mar 11, 2005 6:08 am  Reply with quote
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Thanks. I think I may take it down to Briley's then and have it checked and lenghtened if possible. Short shells are rather on the expensive side or else I'll need to take up reloading. Probably ought to do that anyway since my main sporting gun is now a Merkel 1620.

Robert
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Robert K
PostPosted: Fri Mar 11, 2005 6:10 am  Reply with quote
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Thanks. I think I may take it down to Briley's then and have it checked and lenghtened if possible. Short shells are rather on the expensive side or else I'll need to take up reloading. Probably ought to do that anyway since my main sporting gun is now a Merkel 1620.

Robert
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Larry Brown
PostPosted: Tue Apr 26, 2005 4:46 am  Reply with quote
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As long as you keep the pressure to appropriate levels, a little extra length in the shell case won't hurt anything. The ultraconservative Brits have been shooting longer shells in 2 1/2" chambers for some time. That's one of the advantages of reloading, because there is no such thing as a truly "light" 2 3/4" American factory 16ga load.

With older American doubles, even some marked 2 3/4" are chambered shorter than that. The theory was, back in the days of paper shells and fiber wads, that the paper case mouth opening into the forcing cone would reduce shot deformation to a certain degree and improve patterns.
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Robert K
PostPosted: Thu May 19, 2005 3:40 pm  Reply with quote
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Hi,

Forgot to add this but I dropped in some fired 2 3/4" shells in and they drop right in so the chambers must have been opened up. It's been restocked very nicely in the past along with nice engraving so maybe they did this at the same time. I may have to start reloading as I would rather stay with light loads in any case. 7/8 oz at 1200 fps ought to be a nice load.

Robert

_________________
Merkel 1620
Fox Sterlingworth 16
Winchester M-12 in 16
Cruso single shot 16 by Crescent Arms!
Cruso Hammer 16 SXS by Crescent Arms!
Other shotguns in gauges not worth mentioning
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Twice Barrel
PostPosted: Thu May 19, 2005 4:14 pm  Reply with quote
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Robert you are probably correct about the chambers being lengthened but using a fired shell without some preperation does not always work.

Instead insert a 16 gauge wad backwards into the mouth of a fired case so the base of the wad is flush with the case mouth .

This will keep the crimp folds from colapsing as the case mouth enters the forcing cone giving you a more reliable reading of the chamber length.


Last edited by Twice Barrel on Thu May 19, 2005 4:20 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Robert K
PostPosted: Thu May 19, 2005 4:18 pm  Reply with quote
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Joined: 09 Mar 2005
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Thanks. That makes sense. They didn't appear to crimp in but of course they could have. I'll try that tonight and see how it goes. I guess I should just get to a gunsmith and have them measured properly but never seem to have the time.

Robert

_________________
Merkel 1620
Fox Sterlingworth 16
Winchester M-12 in 16
Cruso single shot 16 by Crescent Arms!
Cruso Hammer 16 SXS by Crescent Arms!
Other shotguns in gauges not worth mentioning
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