What Bell also pointed out in his "Finding Out For Myself" series is that simply lengthening the forcing cones will result in some pressure reduction. The only problem with that is--at least the last time I recall checking--the two British proofhouses don't agree on whether that renders the gun out of proof. (Lengthening the chambers definitely does.)
But as Argo points out, if you reload it's just not that difficult to make up loads--and not just target stuff but hunting loads as well--that are low enough pressure that there's no need to make any modifications to the barrels. That's especially true of 12s. Back when I was shooting 2 1/2" Brit 12's at pheasants quite frequently, I had a 1 1/8 oz load that was both very effective and with a significant safety cushion when it came to approaching any worries about danger due to pressure.
Last edited by L. Brown; 09/20/22 06:29 AM.
