Back on p.3 Ted proved himself the sage of DoubleGun wink
"A 2” 12 gauge would make a lot of sense-if the 20 gauge hadn’t been invented."

Reviewing Burrard's 1947 2nd Edition of The Modern Shotgun and there is very little regarding the 2" 12g, but found this:
"The 2-inch 12-bore...was originally introduced as an alternative to the 20-bore (when desiring a lighter gun) and fired the standard 2 1/2-inch 20-bore charge of 3/4 ounce, its purpose being to eliminate the danger caused by the accidental intermingling of 12- and 20-bore cartridges...But experience proved that this shot charge was too light (related to lower pressures and velocity) so the shot charge was increased to the standard 2 1/2-inch 16-bore weight of 7/8 ounce."

The point of Lancaster's pre-1900 "Pygmies" 1 oz. load was to enable the sportsman to carry more shells, not a lighter gun.

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