doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Safe to use 2 3/4" lite loads in 2 1/2" chambers ?

Is it safe to use 2 3/4" lite loads in 2 1/2" chambers ?

Barrels are in fine shape, no pitting with min wall diameters of R.023 and L.027 9" from the muzzle.

With the availability of great 2 1/2 inch shot shells online, why would you use anything other than what the gun was designed for........?..........

I think it is wrong to use anything larger than the ammunition the gun was designed for no matter what Sherman Bell says.......other opinions around here will vary........

Here's two ammo companies that supply new "off the shelf" 2.5" low pressure loads for vintage shotguns to folks that don't reload........and one of them is almost in your back yard......

http://polywad.com/

http://www.rstshells.com/store/

I reload all my own and always stay below 7,000 PSI for my older 2.5" guns and use the same 2.5" ammo in my newer 2.75" guns as well......2.5" in 12,16 and 20 gauge guns......birds don't seem to know what they've been shot with, they just drop dead.....

You're going to follow the advice of some guy on the internet? Dude read the box. Does it state the loads are okay in chambers that are 1/4" shorter?

Teeny, you need better info about your gun than the bore diameter 9" from the muzzle.
Length of the cartridge is not as important as the charge within
The proof of the gun is more important than the diameter of the bore 9" from the muzzle

Do you really think he meant he meant bore diameters, with numbers like .023 and .027? Really?

Since he never used the word "bore", I'm gonna take a stab in the dark and say he meant wall thickness, not diameter. And wall thickness is VERY important when pressures are concerned.

SRH

In my opinion yes and no - I own some 2 1/2 12 gauges that I believe this practice is safe in, and some that I do not believe it is safe to do so. It depends greatly on the Chamber Dimensions of the gun, and other factors.

It involves some level of risk, so I can't recommend the practice, you must make an informed opinion and decide for yourself.

Hi all, my 2c worth. I think Teeny ment wall thickness, I also agree with the other posters. The fact is I use 2 1/2" in most of my guns that are chambered for 2 3/4" either modern or vintage and I don't see any difference when shooting wild birds, they fall just as dead with 2 1/2" as they do with 2 3/4".

It's better to be safe than sorry, so I would recommend in sticking to low pressure 2 1/2" shells.

Good Luck!!!!

Greg

Thank you all for proper
direction !

Great forum !

I do not believe using 2 3/4 shells in a 2 1/2 chamber is wise. It may not blow up the gun so could perhaps be called safe, but it has to raise pressure as the shot and wad column are restricted for a very short span of time. Without a means of taking pressure readings one can't know how much it is raising pressure. I use what the gun is chambered for.

I instrumented a 2 1/2 chamber and shot my chosen 2 3/4 load in it. Pressures we're below the load data in the manual. Ymmv.