16ga.com ~ View topic

Joined: 18 Feb 2015 Posts: 17 Location: SW WA state

So, I've been looking around for a lightweight 16 ga pump for the better part of a year. I was really looking for an Ithaca 37 in IC, but just not really finding much, and I had kind of put the whole thing on the back burner for the time being.

Was in my favorite gun shop today, looking over a few 16s, and found a Model 1912 that seemed to fit just perfectly, was nice and light and fast handling, action slick and smooth, and the finish nearly gone. 26" barrel, full choke, $250. Since it seemed to be calling out to me, I bought it, figuring it was worn enough, with different barrel and receiver SNs, that I wouldn't mind dragging it through the woods, or boring out the choke, or even reblueing it someday.

Anyway, got home a little while ago, receiver dates to 1917, barrel to 1919, so as near as I can tell, that would have originally been 2 9/16" chambering, unless it had been opened up at some point in the past.

Is there an easy way for me to tell if it has been opened up, or is still the shorter older chamber? I have some modern 16 ga shells, but I don't want to try them unless I can figure out for sure that it has been modified to take them.

Thanks!

Joined: 26 Apr 2010 Posts: 3177 Location: NCWa

SW WA- If you aren't too far from Washougal you could take the gun into Mark Fuller at Washougal River Mercantile, gun section, and he could check it with a caliper to see how deep the chamber goes. If it hasn't been modified and it's 2 9/16" I'd leave it alone and shoot short shells in it, there are plenty of them around. Nice gun!!

Joined: 18 Feb 2015 Posts: 17 Location: SW WA state

Thanks!

That's not super far from me, couple of hours, and I get to Portland every now and then for shopping and errands anyway. Yeah, if it is not already opened up, I would leave it the way it is. Just wondering if there's a quick way that I could check and see if I could shoot the modern 2 3/4 shells I have already.

I'll call around tomorrow and see if anyone nearby has a box of short shells, anyway. Just itching to try it out, and see how it patterns.

generally , if it's NOT marked 23/4 then it isn't . Usually , if a smith or someone opened it , they would have branded the barrel such . Like AM said , shorter shells are pretty easy . The flat of RGL's I just finished had maybe 10 full length shells , the rest in the 25/8 neighborhood . The only problem you will encounter is modern chedd 70mm cases or feds . They won't always work even in long chambered guns . Just stick with slightly shorter and don't look back !! ENJOY !

Joined: 18 Feb 2015 Posts: 17 Location: SW WA state

OK, after doing a little poking around and measuring, I think this gun has had the chamber lengthened.

First off, I noticed this stamp where the barrel meets the receiver, and again near the tang of the receiver, that was not original.

Could mean nothing, or be someone's initials, but it made me wonder about the chamber, especially since the barrel SN does not match the receiver SN.

So, I looked into the chamber with a light, and saw this lip at the end of the chamber, plus another line about where a shorter chamber would have ended.

So then I decided to see how far in that lip was, compared to a cartridge, so I used a piece of electrical wire to feel for the lip, then marked where the end of the barrel was, then compared it to an unfired 2 3/4" 16 ga shell, and a fired 2 3/4" 12 gauge shell from the bucket of empties.

This looks to me like there is plenty of room for a 2 3/4" shell to open up without getting the edge of the hull in the barrel.

I would have been perfectly happy to find a source of short shells, too, but as near as I can tell, this one has room for the 2 3/4" shells.

Is the lip, and the absence of more of a gradual forcing cone a problem that should be addressed?

Thanks again!

Joined: 18 Feb 2015 Posts: 17 Location: SW WA state

Oh, and it also looks like the front end of the ejection port has been worked on, and lengthened a little bit.

http://www.16ga.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10018&highlight=majic

don't forget there's another almost 1/4'' of chamber in the receiver/chamber ring .

Joined: 18 Feb 2015 Posts: 17 Location: SW WA state

Yeah, I included that in my measurements. Thanks!