Thank you, sirs. Excellent information.
I will go as lightly as possible on modifications, though if the factory sights prove too difficult for me to see I may still have to figure out some way to put an aperture sight on it. Perhaps a period tang sight installed by a competent professional would not detract too much, if there's room.
I don't do any high volume reloading, but I do have a couple of single stage presses for working up accuracy loads, and a 12ga MEC press that I hardly ever use (somewhere; I've been planning to convert it to .410 but I never seem to get around to it). If all else fails and the chamber is < 2.75", maybe I can get that thing to load shells cut down to 2 5/8". It fares rather poorly at starting new crimps, though, and does much better on pre-fired hulls....
I guess back in this gun's day, the standard .30-30 load was still 160gn JSP... Over, what would be the closest powder still made, IMR3031? It will be interesting to work up a load that will work well with this gun's regulation.
So, it sounds like the jury is hung on whether it would be safe to occasionally put a 1oz slug in a shotgun barrel (something that I occasionally like to do with my 2-barrel combinations; we have weird laws about not hunting small game on the opening 3 days of deer season and other silliness). It sounds to me like the Krupp fluid steel was the strongest barrel that they offered, and that vintage shells were higher pressure than modern, so if everything is tight and the breech is on-face, it sounds like it would be safe (even if not very accurate in a full choke). On the other hand, 100+ year old gun, with 100+ year old wood.... But on the other-other hand, if everything is in good condition, then what could go wrong? ...... ... . Probably best to err of the side of caution, regardless, I suppose........
Thanks again, folks!
Edit: Thanks Keith. You posted before I'd finished writing this, heh. I'll be sure to stick to the lighter loads.
One of the guns I looked at a few years ago had a recoil lug installed. Must have been an attempt to prevent the furniture problems that you mention.
Last edited by Mr. Polecat; 04/07/18 07:08 PM.
