doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Is Gamebore 12ga 2.5 Pure Gold too hot 1295 fps?

Gamebore 12ga 2.5 Pure Gold too hot for a classic double Ithaca flues at 1295 fps?

Yes- If I had a 2 bore Flues I would only shoot RST 2&1/2" 1150 fps loads in it. Flues series were made during the transition from black powder shells to smokeless powder- 1908-1924 era.

They tend to develop stress cracks in the frame-- be very careful. RWTF

Could I also shoot the Polywad Vintager shotshell?

Yes

Probably ............. because few loads at 1295 are going to be low pressure loads, but if you could provide the chamber pressure we could answer definitively.

SRH

How can that be provided?

Only by requesting the information from Gamebore. Some companies will provide that information, some will not.

Edited to add .............. There is another way. You could send some loads to have them pressure tested. That would be even more definitive, IMO.

SRH

Focusing on the load leaves out the critical part of this question, the Flues. This was not a design that took well to hot loads, quite the contrary. At this point in time, it might be better to run lower than what was in common use when the gun was new.

I have a few boxes of that load on hand, a gift from Lloyd on our last grousemas trip. I found them to be a tingling and stout hunting load. I�d have a hard time believing there was anything �low� about them.

Best,
Ted

Actually pressure is not truly your main concern with the Flues. Shot weight vs velocity is. 1295 FPS is in my opinion too Hot for the flues, even if you can keep the pressure down. If this load has 1 oz of shot then that is a 3� dram equivalent powder charge. Looking quickly at an old Hercules handloading guide I can find a 1oz load @ 1290 fps with a PSI of only 7,400. That pressure is not too high for the Flues, the load itself IS.

I've shot some Polywad Vintager thru the flues. I don't know what the fps is for Polywad. These have all been 7/8 oz loads.