doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Lengthening 2 1/2 chamber on Nitro Special

Doesnt the name "Nitro Special" mean you can shoot road flare length shells in it?

Nope, but it could digest any 3/4oz load the standard 20ga shot payload at that time.

Yes, there is plenty of meat there. I wouldn't worry about it in the least. I lengthened a 20 gauge Flues built in 1926 from 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 inch. I was reloading at that time also. But a Nitro, they're built solid. I throw modern shells through my Nitro all the time, even Kent's shells that are closer to a stick of dynamite then a shotgun shell that they call their Tungsten Matrix, no worries.

Yes, there is plenty of meat there. I wouldn't worry about it in the least. I lengthened a 20 gauge Flues built in 1926 from 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 inch. I was reloading at that time also. But a Nitro, they're built solid. I throw modern shells through my Nitro all the time, even Kent's shells that are closer to a stick of dynamite then a shotgun shell that they call their Tungsten Matrix, no worries.



Why does he need to lengthen the chamber for 65mm to 70mm? Kent now offers nice Bismuth loads for 12, 16, 20, 28 and .410. Cabela's has them in 20ga for $15.99 per box of 10. That is only $2 more than I paid for Winchester branded ones 15 years ago. It's nice to see reasonably priced non-tox loads out there again. The $4 per round was kind of loco.

The Kent Tungsten Matrix were/are wildfowl loads the pic of ducks landing on waves of Lake Erie should provide a hint.

If the OP is going to shoot the gun very much and does not reload, that's good reason to use 2 3/4" factory ammo. RST's are great, but they're at least twice as expensive as the 20ga target loads you can buy at the big box stores. Most likely 3x by the time you figure shipping.

I'm not normally a fan of lengthening chambers, but in the case of a Nitro, as long as you're not going to shoot short magnums or other very hot loads, it would probably make sense for someone with a 20ga who does not reload.

well, hit sounds like if the stock aint cracked behind the top tang yet, it soon will be....

Having never owned a Nitro Special I cannot really say for sure, but I would almost bet the 20 gauge uses essentially the same stock as the 12. The NS was the economy line for Ithaca, I highly suspect the frame was the same for all gauges other than the standing breech which would have been sized for the gauge. If the stock stood up to 12ga why would a 2 3/4" 20 "Cracki It".
I also had a late model Flues 230ga which had the chambers lengthened to 2 3/4", 1924 as I recall. I never shot any "Express/SuperX" loads through it but it digested a bunch of 2DE-1oz loads in both factory & reloads without a hitch. It had been shortened to 26" (likely from 28") when I acquired it. Had also been previously reblued, probably hot salts, & finally the ribs came loose so I retired it. This I do not believe had anything to do with the loads fired through it though. T^he NS is no doubt a "Tougher" fgun than na Flues, though not quite as Sophisticated.

piper: interestingly, all ithaca double guns had different sized frames, depending on gauge...sadly, have seen too many of them with stock cracks behind the top tang, often caused by shooting post ww2 high pressure, heavy recoiling ammo...nitro specials are well designed and reliable shooters, so long as one keeps loads light and screws tight...and another thing, dry firing a nitro without snap caps often results in a broken firing pin, which is impossible to replace without a special jig...

Yes, the 12 gauge on one frame size the 16 and 20 on one and a separate frame for the 410. That I would bet on.

Ed, sometimes your posts just rattle my back teeth. Except you, who ever heard of babying a Nitro Special.

The root cause of Cracking on Nitro Special stocks is usually always the draw bolt loosening. Not strictly recoil.