doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com dime choke

Got a barrel listed on ebay (Franchi 48 12 but the gun was marked Revelation; an uncle has one of those he got new at a Western Auto probably 45 years ago at least). It's marked full. Somebody emailed wanting a picture showing how far down the barrel a dime will go. I measured the bore and muzzle, told him the dimensions and that the dime test only proves you got a barrel and you got a dime. Apparently he's got a much different opinion of the value of the dime test than I do.

I got curious and measured the 6 dimes I had handy. they ranged from .702 to .709. My recollection is older Brownings and I think Winchesters, an improved cylinder was only .006 constriction. Depending on what dime one had handy, that test could be off one entire degree of choke. And this doesn't even begin to take into account the actual bore diameter that's being constricted, which one has to know before he knows anything.

And 2 I measured weren't even round. One was out of round by .002".

So, there are still people out there who think that dime test holds water? I'd have thought we were a couple decades past that.

Roger

If the customers who approach the gun counter in my pawnshop are not putting dimes in the end of barrels they're checking stock length with their forearm.

Roger, your recollection is accurate on Winchesters. Per Jack O'Connor's "Shotgun Book", the Winchester standard constriction for 12ga IC was .007. But the old Belgian Brownings were at the other end of the scale: .013, again per the chart in O'Connor's book. And that agrees with what I've found measuring Belgian Brownings: they're typically choked a lot tighter than you would expect, based on the choke markings on the gun.

I've always figured that the only thing the dime test was good for was to determine whether a 12ga was full choke or not. If it won't go in the muzzle, the choke is full...Geo

Hate to say it, but on Parkers and on Foxes, I've used the dime test on 12 gauges more then one time. Don't carry my Skeets unless I'm at a gunshow or going to a gunshop to specifically look at a double. However more then once I've walked into a Pawn shop and seen a Fox or a Parker and grabbed a dime to check out whether the chokes are full or not. Not perfect, but better then nothing.

If you don't know the diameter of the bore, the dime test will only tell you that the end of the barrel is too big or small to let it enter. You can infer from that it is full choked but it could also be I/C in a very tight bore or Mod in a less tight bore. The flip side goes as well. A extra large bore could swallow a dime and still be a true full choke gun. I have a Lefever with a .750 bore. Want to guess how far one of those small dimes will go? As a buyer if you are dumb enough to rely on that old dime test, when true measurements are available then so be it. Get a big dime and show him it does not go in. You can't fix stupid, even with duct tape.

Jon;
My experience with Lefevers is that the early ones in particular often have oversize bores. My belief is that many of these were built for all brass shells as many were made for waterfowl use & this eliminated the problem of the paper cases swelling. With smokeless powder coming on the scene in the 1890's guns were bored more to true gauge size & the brass cases became less commonly used. Just my thoughts on the subject. May hold true for other brands as well, but I have not checked bore sizes on other brands to the extent I have the Lefever.

I think you are exactly right Miller. My Lefever is an early gun. In fact I have several Lefevers, all early guns, with oversized barrels. Also I have two Bakers, made with the name Montgomery Wards on them, with oversized bores. Both 32" with .055 choke in them. Massive, heavy barrels that had to be intended for the blind. If I live long enough I want to use them for a matched pair of heavy duck guns. So many projects, so little time and money sometime.

What is wrong with checking stock length. If I put a shotgun butt in the crook of my arm I know exactly where 14.5 in. is on my trigger. finger.

I hope you refused to sell it to him.