doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com SHORT CHAMBER

I have a model 12 Win. and a Fox Sterlingworth both with 2 9/16 chambers 30" full choke barrels. would it be to determental to these guns which are in their original condition to rechamber them to 2 3/4 so i can shoot them. I would be happy with a reliable source of 2 1/2 shels bird shot and 00buck. I bought a Mosberg Maverick 18" open cyl.$235 will shoot anything for home security. im open to sugestions. I would like to enjoy these guns. I do not want to reload.
thanks
Tom

Altering the chambers will be detrimental to collector value of the Fox, not so sure about the M12, if it's an old one in good condition probably will, but they're your guns.

Buy RST 2-1/2" shells and use the Mossberg for the 00 buckshot.

Both http://www.RSTshells.com and http://www.Polywad.com sell good quality shells for short chambered guns. You could shoot 2 1/2" shells OK.

RST is the company to buy from, they're the best by a long shot.

If you extended the chambers on the Fox who would really know? If you were ever going to sell the gun would the first thing a potential buyer asks be "Have the chambers been extended"? No....

I'm a great believer in making a gun do the job it was intended for.


DLH

Another view on this subject is that the short chamber length in the Fox is not enough to make any meaningful pressure difference and the 2 3/4 shells will fit and shoot out of the the short chambers just fine. Before I discovered that there was such a thing as RST or POLYWAD 2.5 inch low pressure loads I shot 'off- the-rack' promotional loads from Wal-Mart in my short-chambered Sterlingworth all the time with no noticeable problems except they kicked too much. The Fox actions were plenty strong, but they're also pretty old now. Shoot 2.5 inch low pressure RST's or POLYWADS if you want, but the 2 3/4 inch RST's will serve you better in the Fox, and they are still reduced pressure as compared to the Wal-Mart loads.

As for the pump-gun, the short chambers usually mean a short ejection port, especially in 16ga. guns. That usually has to be altered to effectively shoot 2 3/4" shells, though it will load and eject 2.5" loads just fine. Make sure your plug doesn't allow more than the legal number of the shorther shells in the magazine.

There is no reason not to shoot and enjoy the short chambered guns you have, so long as they are sound...Geo

Just a differing opinion, I guess, but I prefer PolyWad over RST. They both are quality products. I most certainly would not say that RST is the "best by a long shot." If you want yet another opinion, take a look at the article in the current issue (May-June 2009) of Shooting Sportsman magazine, pages 34-38, by Tom Roster, entitled Performance by Polywad. Tom takes a back seat to no one when it comes to shotshell performance. Bottom line: either brand will likely make you happy.

I guess I consider the RST stuff so much superior not only for the quality ammo but because of the quality folks that produce it. Alex and Morris have done a lot for the double gunning community, they're just top shelf guys all around. You'll never find better customer service than they provide.

Destry

Having the chambers lengthened to 2 3/4" could be a selling point. The guns sound like "shooters" and a person looking to shoot them might see 2 3/4" chambers as an addtional expense/issue they don't have to address. The Sterlingworth is a nice gun, I just picked one up myself however when it comes to 2 3/4" chambers being detrimental to collector value......we are not talking about a rare high grade gun which if that were the case I'd probably leave the chambers alone.

I see no point in shooting the short shells which over the years will be far more expenive than having chambers lengthened.

Reloading provides me with all the high quality, low pressure, lighter shot charge low recoil shells I'll ever need.

Tom, a lot of research has gone into the question of shooting 2 3/4" shells in shorter chambers. Most of the studied results found that there is no appreciable increase in pressure when the longer hull is used. In fact, your Sterlingworth and Model 12 were both probably made after the 2 3/4" hull had become standard. Many gun manufacturers wanted the lip of the hull to open slightly in the forcing cone. The idea was that it would form a better gas seal. Do yourself a favor before letting a gunsmith do something irreversible: from the Double Gun Journal order Volume 12, issue 4. It has a well researched article by Sherman Bell titled "Long Shells in Short Chambers". I think after reading it you will conclude that the length of hull is not nearly as important as the pressure the load produces. You can call the DGJ to order at 1-800-447-1658. Good shooting!

Win Mod 12s in 16 ga w/ short chambers are notoriously finicky about which 2-3/4" shells they will cycle, but the guns are plenty strong enough to handle the shells. As noted the problem is the ejection port, rather than the chamber length. Try a few brands of shells in the M12 and see if any of them will cycle successfully. If you find one that works, just use that and leave the gun alone.