doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com lengthening chambers

Never trust anyones interpretation of proof marks, who can't discern between a "Bar-Action" & a "Back Action".

I thought it was a screw grip...

Let me say this about that.

Even if the chambers ARE original length, you still have no way of knowing how many standard SAAMI loads it has fired. Lots of guys were too cheap to have the chambers lengthened and too cheap to buy the right length shells. I've met quite a few old guys that have guns still with the original 2-1/2" chambers and they've been feeding them 2-3/4" and even 3" loads for years.

The only thing original chambers will tell is that they haven't been lengthened. By themselves they will tell you nothing of the guns condition. And vice versa, just because a gun has chambers that have been lengthened doesn't mean it's in bad condition.

If they send me some more, you can have those too, Larry.


Did they sell any of their Darnes? There's a sucker born every minute, you know....
Best,
Ted

Always glad to take them off your hands, Ted. Darnes . . . I looked at a nice one at their La Vista store some time back. That pair look to be a good buy if you compare to new prices, but I expect they'll be a hard sell.

RR, the difference between shooting long factory shells in short factory chambers and doing it in lengthened chambers is that at least in the first case, metal hasn't been removed--which process cannot possibly make the gun stronger.

Actually, it is.

Perhaps I don't completely under the issue here....

I REGULARLY have the 12 gauge 2-9/16" chambers lengthened on older American classic doubles as part of the refurbishing process. My gunsmith also lengthens the forcing cone at the same time. Seems foolish not to do so, if the gun is to be used much.

Is this what is being discussed?

JERRY

Jerry,
When a chamber is deepened, it is essentially moving the forward corner of the chamber/forcing cone forward. Since the outside barrel contour has a taper, what ever distance the chamber is deepened will result in a reduction in the wallthickness in that area. Dividing in half the difference in diameter between where the original chamber end is and where it will be after deepening will give you the reduction in wallthickness. I suspect the difference in wallthickness is in the .010-.015 range most times that a chamber is deepened less than a 1/4". A few measurements should tell you.

I have to agree with RR. The punch marks on the table only tell what was at one time, not what the gun has been subjected to since. A reproof of each and every piece would be the optimum fix, but that's a different road to follow. What I've always wondered about is some of the same gun buyers that recoil in fear of a shotgun that has had it's chambers and/or forceing cones lenghtened that put it out of the security blanket of proof in their minds, but seem to in no way be bothered by other repairs. Re-pinning of the hook or welding on the same to fix off face actions, striking and rebluing barrels, annealing and then recase coloring actions, tightening lockup to put the lever to the right, etc. Some would instantly require reproof, others depending on the degree of work. Look at the alterations & restorations done to bolt rifles with the welding and other gunsmithing operations and no one bats an eye or even mentions(re)proof. Judge each piece alone, including any alterations or work done to it, as to wether it was performed properly and safely.

Whether it's a screw grip, rotary bolt, Treble Wedge Fast or what-ever type of bolting has nothing at all to do with the lock works. He called it a bar action, & that ones a pure unadulterated "Back-Action" lockwork. But then I think the vast majority of screw grip guns did have back action locks.