doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com SXS Barrel Conversion?

I have found a 2 1/2 12 gauge with 2 sets of barrels. one is cy/cyl, the second set is ic/mod.

Is it feasible and practical to convert the cyl/cyl set to 16 or 20 gauge? The shotgun now weighs 6lbs 3 oz with either set of barrels. Would the conversion/sleeving add much weight? Any thoughts on cost?

If it isn't a bad idea, who would you have do the work?

What about Brieley full length tubes? It would be cheaper than sleeving and weigh 13 oz if I recall correctly

http://www.briley.com/c-416-companion-drop-in-tube-sets.aspx

and

http://www.briley.com/p-52190-companion-drop-in-20-gauge-tube-set-standard-weight.aspx

Or use Sidekicks

http://www.briley.com/p-52225-side-kick-20-chamber-inserts-complete-set-20ga-28ga-and-410-bore.aspx

Best to call Briley

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-BRILEY-SIDE-KICK-2-0-CHAMBER-INSERTS-20-GAUGE-ONLY-SKEET-SPORTING-CLAYS/263333746355?hash=item3d4fea16b3:g:XfwAAOSwYxBaHraj

Interesting.

Thank you.

rtw, Toby Barclay makes a series called Aceptor that are light 12 bore guns sleeved to 16 bore. They usually handle more like a standard game gun rather than a light game gun. So, yess, it is both possible and, in cases, practical. It is not an inexpensive idea, though. Usually, only higher grade guns or special interest guns warrant sleeving. There is still a considerable supply of shootable guns at prices that make sleeving seem expensive.

I recently had Toby do a gun for me and the results are super satisfactory.

DDA

Not sure if you are interested in only chamber sleeving the cyl/cyl barrels? If so, Briley charges $375 per barrel to sleeve from 12 to 16 gauge.

http://www.brileygunsmithing.com/c-879-full-list-of-shotgun-gunsmithing-pricing.aspx

They make chamber adapter for 12/20 gauge conversion. They work fairly well and add almost no extra weight to the gun that may change how it handles. Any change like this is best if reversible and not too expensive to try. The Briley tubes are great because you can just remove them and the gun is back in its original condition but they do add about 13 ounces to the guns weight. That may make the gun handle very differently.

I had a 16 with ruined chambers which I made a set of 20 gauge reducers and installed them permanently. Had to replace the extractor and re-cut the rims lightly. Ended up with a over bored 20 which is great on clay targets and pass shooting doves late in the season.

Gun Handling 101!

There are four factors to gun dynamics: weight, teeter-totter balance (at center of gravity), unmounted swing effort (moment of inertia at CG) and mounted swing effort (MOI at butt). There is no such thing as overall balance that sums up the gun's handling. Contrary to popular belief, gunmakers did build to certain weights and to certain teeter-totter balance. Unfortunately, they never picked up on swing effort. A gunmaker may or may not have built a given gun to a client's specification for weight and balance. Swing efforts went their very own way. Gunmakers built to only two of the four factors, if any at all. Do not lose sleep over what the maker "intended to build." He didn't know.

Every shooter interested in shooting better/well should know his preferred stock dimensions and his preferred weight and balance. Advanced shooters should learn their preferred swing efforts. In the case of both stock dimensions and handling factors, the farther from you preferred dimensions and factors the more you will have to compensate.

Handling factors can be changed without undue effort. Adding weight experimentally is as simple as taping on things of known weight, like wheel weights or medicine bottles filled with shot to a known weight. Reducing weight is more difficult except for pulling a butt pad. The amount of weight you add or remove will be exactly additive or subtractive to the gun's prior weight.

Balance is changed by the amount of weight added or removed times the length from the weight's location to the CG of the gun. Usually, experimenting with weight, balance and handling are best conducted starting with a lighter gun and adding weights.

If anyone is interested, I'll discuss further.

DDA

A 6 lb 3 oz 12ga is a delight to hunt with. Sounds like you have a perfect early season woodcock and grouse rig and a great late season grouse and pheasant over dogs all in the same gun.

If the 2 1/2" chambers are the problem a MEC 600 with a 2 1/2 conversion is a much cheaper solution. I load lead 11/16 9's for skeet 7/8 oz 8's for SC and trap 1 oz for upland hunting and 7/8 oz of ITX 6's and 1 oz of bismuth 5's for waterfowl. I even shoot 2 1/2's in all my 2 3/4" shotguns just so I don't have to deal with two different length shells.

Thank you all. I'm still sorting through options and learning, hopefully, as I do.

Rocketman-I, for one, am interested in your continuing. Michael Mc(notch wrote about this some in his book, "Shotgunning and Shooting".