doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com 2" chamber proofs

The article in question was written by Peter Barrett in the 1979 Gun Digest & is titled "Two inches of Pleasure & Problems" in which the writer discusses buying a 5 1/2 lb. two inch chambered sidelock Holland & Holland (never mentions if it's a Royal or a Badminton & I can't tell from the pictures) & proudly tells how he basically ruins the gun by lengthening the chambers by 1/6" so he can shoot his "special" 1 1/8 oz handloads in it for grouse & woodcock.

The problem is that after he has taken this fine gun out of proof he discovers that his "special" 1 1/8 oz handloads pressure test @ over 15,600 LUP
so he has to settle for his 1 1/16 oz "special" handloads @ 9,900 LUP.

I't difficult for me to understand why someone wouldn't just buy a 2 1/2" chambered gun in the first place if they felt they had to shoot more than 7/8 oz loads for grouse & woodcock but to be fair it wasn't all that uncommon in that era for people to lengthen 2 1/2" chambered guns to 2 3/4" thus taking them out of proof & shooting much heavier loads than the gun was built for .

YES KY Jon
I was very surprised at the recoil energy.
I was shooting them in French 2 1/2 inch light guns, YUK
Now I save them for HEAVY GUNS
Mike

Under current ,stupid ,CIP rules 2" guns now are proofed at the same pressure and load as all 70mm chambered guns.This virtually excludes 2" guns from reproof or being sleeved as the majority of actions are too light to stand .
This is what we pay for being in organisations that are run by scientists and bureaucrats with no input from the gun trade , the proof masters no longer having any influence nor any discretion in theses matters .

My 1930's Hellis, 7/8's proof, I can feel the difference when I go up to 15/16's, can't imagine 1-1/8.

Gunman, I blame Europe for wanting standardisation in everything; not just Proof but bananas too!

That sounds like the article. What a chump!

Just looked at my Tolley 2". Original proof 1936 - 37 with no proof mark as to shot load but one put on by the maker saying 7/8 oz. (as in the above picture by Recoil Rob)then a later 1969 mark saying 2 3/4 Tons per sq. in. No re-proof mark had been added as I guess the barrel flats were getting a bit crowded.

I usually use either Eley 2" cartridges or my homeloads and have no recoil problems. I do still have a few boxes of Lyalvale stuff loaded into green cases and at least 25 years old. Never noticed a problem with them either. I wonder if they have altered the load? If I see some later ones I'll get hold of a box. Curious about that. Lagopus.....

W.W.Greener recommended 96 x the shot load = the minimum gun weight.
96 x 1.125oz = 108 divided by 16 ozs = 6 and three quarter pounds minimum gun weight .

7/8oz is an ample shot load in my opinion.

I have seen it stated that 96:1 ratio was established using black powder. it was said that when using dense smokeless which weighs less than black the ratio could be 90:1. This would still give a weight of 5lb 10oz for an ounce, 6lb 5oz for 1 1/8oz & 7lb for 1�oz. I can fire loads in this range with no problem as long as the velocity stays down around 1200 fps. A 1oz load dropped to around 1100 fps would likely be a reasonable max on that 5.5lb gun & this should be no problem loading while staying within that 2 3/4 ton pressure (approx 8Kpsi).