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Joined: Sep 2013
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Sidelock
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Sidelock

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Are there any reasons not to lengthen chambers of a parker 16 guage other than keeping it original/value?

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Yes, the gun wasn't made to handle high pressure 2 3/4" American loads such as Remington or even worse, Reminton Express plus gobs of other American and Continental shells. Proof is a whole other subject, but if it was a gun that had undergone proof, it would no longer be in proof. It might be even dangerous to lengthen chambers if wall thickness there isn't adequate. Just don't do it and shoot the RST's like you talked about in your other thread.


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It might have been custom built with very light barrels, and already overbored, or any number of other things, but I doubt it. How old is it? I don't remember the older 16 gauge pressure limits, or if they were any different than the modern ones, but I think they were/are the same. All current American manufactured shotgun shells are limited to the SAAMI specifications, and with modern progressive powders velocities are obtained even easier with lower pressures than the max. If it was designed for smokeless powder you are likely okay, but I would do my homework and do some checking first. Parkers were never built light like English game guns to start with. I am not a huge fan, but they are/were good guns. As far as fluid steel barrels designed for smokeless powders, the number of them being shot with lengthened chambers probably outnumbers the ones that haven't been.

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The other option is to reload 2 3/4" 16ga hulls to appropriately low pressures. Go to www.16ga.com and you can find a lot of information about low pressure 2 3/4" loads. 16ga wads (for example) that work better with light loads are now more available than they used to be.

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The guys who own RST are big time Parker shotgun fans. Rumor has it that one of the reasons they started RST shotshell company was because they had a hard time finding shells suitable to shoot in their vintage guns. That should at least tell you something. But, it's your gun and you can do whatever you want. In fact, there was a time, when I was a bit more ignorant that I considered doing that very thing. I know better now and maybe you will too. Also, and like Larry said you can shoot low pressure 2 3/4 " shells in the gun as is. This is somewhat controversial, but many experts believe this to be true. The problem is there aren't any commercially available 2 3/4" (at least none I'm aware of) low pressure loads, so you must reload them.

Last edited by buzz; 08/27/14 08:09 AM.

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There is no need to lengthen chambers any longer. Boutique ammunition Manufactures such as RST and Polywad are filling the needs of 16 gauge shooters. I don't understand why folks would want to remove metal (and reduce strength) at the most critical point of a barrel when viable alternatives are readily available.

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Assuming you are using standard loads, consider that the old guns were chambered to work with thick-walled (approx. 0.025") paper hulls. Today's premium plastic hulls like the AA and STS have only a 0.005" thickness at the mouth. That buys a lot of breathing room, and you can use the longer plastic hull without impinging on the throat like a paper hull would. Use a bore gauge to check it out.

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I agree with the other posters.
However, American maker's 16g barrels are usually stout and because the angle of the forcing cone exceeds the angle of the exterior of the barrel, all the domestic 16g and 12g guns I have measured have more wall thickness for the length of the forcing cone than at the end of the chamber. I have not had the pleasure of measuring a O frame Parker 16g or lightweight Lefever.
Probably more relevant to the removal of pits commonly found within and just past the forcing cone. Amazing what one can find with a good wall thickness gauge smile

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You would want to consider frame size, some very light guns were made.
bill

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What are the first two serial numbers of your Parker 16?

Does it have steel or damascus barels?

What is the wall thickness at the end of chambers now?

If I had a steel barreled, 2-1/2" chambered Parker 16 with measured minimum wall thicknesses at the end of the chamber of at least 100/1000ths and it had been made after WWI I wouldn't hesitate to shoot modern factory off-the-shelf 2-1/2 DE (Drams Equivalent) 1oz loads through it. Of course if I blow up the gun and lose some fingers it would be my fault.

I wouldn't shoot the 1400 fps 1-1/4oz "Hunting Loads" hawked by the big box gun stores in it.

Finding Remington, Winchester, or Federal in 2-1/2DE 1oz loads is going to be just as much trouble as ordering in from RST though.

Unless you are going to shoot thousands of rounds through the gun at clays there is no need to go into reloading. I would order in a flat of #9s for skeet to learn how to shoot that particular gun and then a flat each of 6s and 8s for hunting.

But back in the seventies I thought light beer was the stupidest idea I had ever heard of and that men would never drink low calorie beer.




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