doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Can a late Trojan be used with modern trap shells?

If so, what serial number signifies "modern" steel barrels?

I am toying with the idea of getting a Trojan that I would take to the trap range for several rounds a year.



Thank you in advance.

The 12-gauge Parker Bros. Trojans were built plenty heavy on a 2-frame. Personally I would not worry one bit shooting 3 dram equiv. 1 1/8 ounce lead trap loads out of a 12-gauge Trojan. Them Federal papers smell mighty good!! I shot many thousands of them thru my Father's 1901 vintage 12-gauge 2-frame VH-Grade when I was in college in the 1960s. On the other hand, my 7/8 ounce 1200 fps, 6300 psi, reloads are easy on me and seem to break the targets just as well.

Only the very latest Trojans in the high 239xxx and higher serial numbers range would have the Remington chrome-moly barrels.

A SN of approximately 210,000 would mean the gun was made in the modern era of somewhat higher pressure loads. However, well beyond that SN, Parker made Trojans with short chambers--although almost certainly a higher % of 16's and 20's than 12's. And once past the mid-20's, it's really 2 3/4" vs the shorter factory chambers that signifies "modern". One source I have, quoting from an old American Rifleman article, indicates that service pressure on the old 2 5/8" 12's was 9500 psi vs 10,500 psi for the 2 3/4" 12's. (I think we can add 1,000 to both of those figures, because psi back in those days was measured with a lead crusher, meaning it was in reality an LUP figure.)

That being said, I think a lot of Parker owners would tell you to shoot pretty much anything in a Trojan. They're very solid guns, overbuilt in comparison to European doubles. I have an early 16ga with short chambers through which I shoot modern factory 1 oz loads all the time. I don't worry in the least about the gun.

trojans are strong guns...however, i would be worried more about the wood than the metal. a lot of pounding with even light trap loads is not a good idea, if you wish to preserve the original wood. eventually, it will crack and begin to pulverize. better to spend some money on new wood and put the old wood away for safe keeping? also, most old sxs's have too much drop for trap shooting anyway. this is a another good reason to restock it with wood dimensioned for the trap range.

To answer your question, Yes it can. About 99.99% of all Trojans built were built with "modern" fluid steel. The rib stamping should include "Trojan Steel".

From a monetary standpoint it would be ridiculous to restock a Trojan, what would you be saving, very few Trojans are collector quality of any significant value. A restock is a $1500 - $2500 proposition.

If you want one, find a solid gun, perhaps have the stock bent for a better fit, remove the butt plate and add a rubber pad if you need a longer LOP, total spent a couple hundred to maybe three hundred spent. Learn how to keep the stock tight to the receiver, know which screws to keep an eye on and tighten when needed. Buy a good set of gun screwdrivers. Loose stocks are the greatest cause of stock cracking.

I have a 12ga Trojan from 1913 that remains as solid as when I bought it in 1984. It has been shot with thousands of trap loads and a lot of 1 1/4 lead and 1 1/4 and 1 3/8 ounce bismuth loads without problem.

Chamber length is probably 2 5/8". Measure the length of most fired 2 3/4 inch shells, you'll find they are shorter than 2 3/4". Testing has shown about a 300 psi increase if chambers are short which = no problem. However if it bothers you have the chambers and forcing cone leghtened, patterns could be improved and although it is a controversial among collectors lengthened chambers on a Trojan will not impact value very much.

They are very well built and strong guns, shoot it and have fun.

Ed ,perhaps your mate could Chrisp harden the wood with a flame to toughen it up a bit?
Re stock a Trojan....great investment
franc

franc: your previous posts have impressed me. you seem to be someone who is mature and knowledgeable. your recent posts, however, suggest that you may be just another childish and ignorant follower...too bad.

as for restocking a trojan...you should be able to get the job done with field grade wood and finish for under $600. if not, let me know.

All the old Trojans I've owned worked like a Swiss watch; but at this point, even on the "newest" examples stock wood is now very old. If I were you the only precautions I'd take on a shooter grade Trojan would be lengthening the chambers to 2 3/4" (plenty of wall thickness on a Trojan 12-bore), and have the stock head reinforced and glassed. With those two things done, I'd shoot all the targets I wished and not worry about the stock, or gun any further.

Personnally I could not imagine being satisfied with anyone who would restock a Trojan for that price. Perhaps you can educate me with some pictures of some $600 restocks, and restocking a Trojan to preserve the original stock is still a waste of money IMO.