One thing which definitely needs to be understood here is the difference between "Standard" & "Availability". I don't have any exact dates as to when "First Available" but 2 3/4", even 3" for that matter shells were available in both 16 & 20 gauges well before the turn of the century (1900) on order.
I have a ca 1909/10 Lefever Arms Co H grade 16ga with 3" chambers. Are they Factory?? Who knows, but one thing is for certain, 3" 16ga hulls would have been easier to obtain then than very much later. A lot of the availability of non-standard hull lengths disappeared around the WWI time frame with emphasis placed on standardization, which also applied to shot sizes, loads, etc.
PS; The Stevens "Short Frame" pump gun which preceded the infamous Win 12 was in 3" 20ga. I seem to recall its date being 1910, but operating from memory here. That was certainly not a "Standard" chambering for the day, but was "Available".
Last edited by 2-piper; 09/23/09 08:40 AM.
