doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com 2.5" chambers and 2.75" shells

BCole "To make things more interesting the also shot 3" shells with no damage"

Larry: I no longer have �Long Shells in Short Chambers�, Sherman Bell with technical assistance from Tom Armbrust in �Finding Out for Myself� Part V, Double Gun Journal, Winter 2001
Bell tested two 1 1/4 oz. loads but could you please check and see if they were 3"?

Hi all, good discussion, of course this subject has been on this board before. Still, good to resurrect it now and then.

Anyway, I've been using 2 3/4" in my 2 1/2" guns for a few years now. No ill effects, no torn case mouths or any other problems with the wood etc.

I do reload however, I only have 1 load each for hunting in my 12b and 16b guns. I keep the pressures at 6700psi (12b) and 7000psi (16b). That gives me more than 1000psi less than the Service Pressure for my Brit guns. I feel this is a good buffer.

Bell's article is well worth reading, sure does open ones eyes.

Anyway, my 2c worth.

Best,

Greg

I totally agree with Greg....I wouldn't dream of shooting regular 2 3/4" ammo in my short chambered guns. Reloading opens a whole new world though. And several of my short chambered guns are nearly 150 years old!

For the cost of a 600jr and a short kit an entire world of reloading possibilities is opened.

Proper stewardship of vintage guns includes the responsability of using the correct ammo. 2 1/2" is readily available, or reload for them. It just goes with the territory.

Interesting comments from all. Yes All old guns need to be evaluated by a competent gunsmith before firing any shells 2 1/2 or 2 3/4. That being said, when using light load shells, Mr. Bell's findings show that there is little pressure rise in shooting 2 3/4 in shorter chambers.
Yes I shoot Foxes, Parker's, and LC's. All checked out by a smith and all so far with chambers at 2 3/4 inch. So far no cracked stocks and no loose actions. Yes Savage did check all Philly Foxes return for repair. Any not found with enough metalin the barrels to lengthen the the chamber were fitted with new barrel. Foxes with the #4 light weight barrel were suspect.

Joe, Unlike days of old when 2 3/4 shells loaded did in fact measure
2 3/4, todays 2 3/4 shells measure; 2 1/4 inches loaded and 2 5/8 fired! When we consider the difference in shell case thickness Card vs plastic; the modern 2 3/4 shell can enter the forcing cone of a 2 1/2 chamber without any meaning full restriction. This is why you do not see any evidence of case fraying.
My long standing concern is that many users of 2 1/2 inch chambered English guns do not realize that there is a maximum pressure limit designed into such guns. Extending the chambers of a 2 1/2 inch chambered gun to 2 3/4 [removing metal ]dose not make them safe to shoot 2 3/4 shells that develop higher breech pressures.

What wads are you guys using with 2-1/2 hulls?

Anybody care to share any recipes?

Hi all, one of the main reasons why I use reloaded 2 3/4" in my 2 1/2" guns is the payload factor. I hunt only wild birds. No Game farm or planted birds, strictly wild ones. I like to use a payload of 1 1/8oz. That extra 1/8oz can be the difference between a dead bird or a cripple. Those of you who hunt or have hunted wild pheasants know what I'm talking about. When loaded with low pressure and lower velocity (1150 to 1175fps) loads a 2 3/4" reload will do the trick. I have yet to see a factory 2 1/2" with a payload of 1 1/8oz. I've also never seen a reload recipe with that payload either. If any of you have, I'm all ears.

Just a thought on why I use 2 3/4" in my 2 1/2" guns.

Best,

Greg

Drew, Bell did indeed test two 3" loads in his test barrels with 2 1/2" chambers. One of them resulted in a pressure increase of 1442 psi. And of course the fired hulls had blown ends etc.