doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com 1905-06 A.H.Fox.

What was the Original Loading for the 3 inch.Cartrige that this Gun was built for?.I want to "Test" the new Stock & Forend that I have built. Offered the "Opportunity" to 'Step back in Time" and feel like Frank J. Barthmaier did the day Ansley H" gave him the gun, to my "Old Friend the Author of The Book". Am awaiting his RSVP. Barrels are all Orig. Spec's. cc/dt

CC, I don't have the answer but have the same question as you do on early 3" shells, prior to Super X's in the 20's. I have three early Foxes with factory 3" chambers measured at 2-7/8". The Callahan letter on one says "chamber for 3 inch". I did try to fire some early 3" shells through my chrono to get the velocity but two were poofers and the others didn't fire. I found my notes and they were marked 1-1/4 ounce. I didn't have the drams noted. Silvers

Researcher will provide a definitive answer David, but the c. 1900 3" loads I've seen had 3 1/4 Dram Eq. 1 1/4 oz shot (1220 fps)

Several 'e'mails pointing out my Misuse' of my Native Language'...Pardon me!!We of birth within the sound of Certain Bells" have free licence to "Bend the Rules" when talking to, Dare I say it.......Colonials'.....I'm sorry for my"Error",...'Cartridge'...I belive I was corrected once before, when I called the "Thingys that you 'Stuff in the Breech-End of the Barrels "Shells".....Thank you George for the 3""Super X" I will use it in Photos...."Red Sock", Yes I will make a Cerrosafe casting of the chamber and show the length of the Forcing cone...Do we know who Ansley had cutting the Chambers on these early guns??? So much to learn, So little time......cc/dt

Not to worry, cc. As a child, I used to tell my uncle from Boston that he mispronounced horse as hoss. "Well, I don't know about that," he said. "A hoss is a hoss to me."

Found this c. early 1900s Peters Target 2 3/4" load with 3 1/2 Dram 1 1/4 oz shot

I've seen a fair number of fairly early 3" guns proofed at 1 1/2 oz. So, we might conclude that 1 1/2 oz was a reasonable maximum service load for such guns. I'd guess that the 1 1/4 oz may have been more of a pigeon ring load, similar to the 2 3/4" loadings.

XC, for shame that you would try to confuzz usun pour kolonilz with big wordz like kattridge. Shelz is so much easier to spell.

The heaviest smokeless powder loads listed for 12-gauge I've found in the early catalogues I have is the 3 1/2 Dram Equiv. 1 1/4 ounce. However, from much of the reading I've done, it appears that 3 1/4 Dram equiv. 1 1/4 ounce was considered a much better "balanced" load. You could get these loads in 2 3/4, 2 7/8, 3 or 3 1/4 inch cases. The longer cases just got more and better wadding.

Gentlemen All, Many Thanks for your Super Info' Re. the 3"Shelz". I alway look forward to shooting these'Pieces of History' that have had the "Living Crap' torn from their Bodies over the Years. That 1st Shot after all the "Many Hours' that have been spent on the"Rebuilding, Refurbishing,Restoring,Reconditioning,these "Old Lumps of Iron-Steel & Wood that "Long-Dead' Craftsmen,and dare I say'Craftswomen'(The term'Those Bints Upstairs derived from a certain London Gunmakers Esablishment that had several Ladies'On the Bench"!!A story in itself..)..That 1st shot after you have squeezed the trigger, after seeing all the many Bits strewn over the workbench, the mental picture I have of the 'Scear-Nose'rising from the 'Bent in the Hammer'...Hold on Old Chap'...Beginning to sound a bit like"One of them Edificated Writers from the Glossy Gun-Mags.......That 1st shot...Maybe Ansley H.' Himself fired it before he gave it to Frank Barthmaier back in '06'?cc/dt

Courtesy of cc/dt