doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com 2" chamber proofs

I've been seeing 2" chambered, light, English game guns with 1 1/8 oz. proofs. Is there actually a company that makes 2" shotshells loaded with 1 1/8" ozs. of shot ? It seems like a heavy load for a light gun.
Thanks, terc

My 2" gun was not proofed that high. It was fun to shoot with 7/8 ounce or 15/16 if you needed a few extra pellets. I would not want to shoot 1 1/8 ounce loads in it. Light as a feather, anything over 7/8-15/16 would be like shooting a 3" 20 gun. Possible but not fun at all.

I think some of the Spanish guns were chambered for 2" when the barrels were the same as 2 1/2" except being short chambered. So you ended up with a 2" 6 pound plus 12 gauge. Not a true 2" at all. I don't remember my 2" exact weight but near five pounds. I sold it because it was really just a 20 or 28 gauge gun for all intent and purposes.

Those 2" shells were cute little things. Do be aware a number of people report shooting 2" shells in longer chambers resulted in clumping of the shot with some bad results in guns. Near as I could understand they thought gas got past the shot before it entered the forcing cone and cause it to become almost a oversized slug instead of a column of shot.

It is a heavy load in a light gun. 5 1/2 pound is meant for 7/8 oz comfortably, with 1 oz rarely

Thanks, I would never want to shoot 1 1/8 oz loads out of a 5 1/2 lb. gun. I was just curios.
Thanks again , terc

terc, the reason for that is when the 2 inch chambered guns were first to come onto the market the Proof House wasn't geared up for them and insisted on proofing them for the lightest 12 bore proof equivalent then available which was the same as the 2 1/2" proof test. The gun makers eventually had it sorted out and a special 2" proof test was adopted. If your gun has the 1 1/8th. ounce proof then it is an early 2" model. They were never intended for anything heavier than 7/8th. ounce loads.

Once saw in an old paperback book; it may have been a Guns Digest Annual, where the author went to the trouble of making up 1 1/8th. ounce loads based on 2 1/2" cartridges shortened down for a 2" chambered gun. I can remember thinking 'the fool'! Bet he got a good kicking. No, stick to light loads and enjoy the delights of these wonderful little guns. I doubt if any more will ever be made and if they were you would have to pay an arm and a leg for one. Lagopus.....

Lagopus;
I recall reading an article that sounds just like the one you mention, probably the same one. I believe it was in an old Gun Digest. I thought the same way as you did, WHY would someone get an extra light 2" gun & then want to load it with 1 1/8oz loads. He could most likely found an equal quality 2�" gun for less money & would have had the proper gun for the load he thought he had to have.
That's the reason I don't want a 28ga shooting 1oz loads. If I want to shoot 1oz I can always use a 16 or even a 20. If I'm going to have a 28 I want it too light for comfort with an ounce, otherwise no point in dropping down to the small bore.
Same thing with the 2" 12.

Lagopus,

I found an article in DGJ (Spring 1996--Vol Seven Issue 1) written by Douglas Tate on 2" guns. He says the Birmingham gun trade petitioned the Birmingham proof house in 1935 requesting to lower the pressure proof for the 2" gun and not use the 2 1/2" service pressure proof. Both proof houses reviewed the petition, but it was denied. It wasn't until 1954 when the rules of proof were revised. The agreed to proof for a 2" gun was 2 3/4 tons per square inch.

I have a 2" gun proofed at 1 oz built in 1937.

Ken

All I can tell you is that these 2" shells with 15/16 ounce at 1375 FPS KICK,
even in a heavy 2 3/4 chambered gun.

http://www.lyalvaleexpress.com/special-game-28-grams



And they do make a 1 1/16 ounce load

Seeing this thread reminded me that I have 4 full boxes of old Eley 2" shells. I had a look at them. I was surprised to see that the box only says #6 shot but not the oz load. On the bottom of the box it does say not to be used in guns not proofed for 2 3/4 tons per square inch or in guns not proofed for at least 7/8 oz load. Of course it also says not to be used in damascus barreled guns!

Skeettx, I have shot a few of those Lyalvale shells and they do not cheat you on powder. A couple of friends had them and were sneaking them into the dove field. You could get three up the spout on a 1100 to give you four shells in the gun. If the game warden checked you they just gave him full size shells which only two would fit. Funny thing is that they would work a 1100 but kicked like a mule and having four shells in a gun was no advantage for they still missed most of the time. I tried a couple on the skeet field and decided that they could keep their secret.