doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com 14 gauge shotshells

Well put, if you want to buy shells off the shelf it will be for a different gauge.

Already in the 1920s/1930s, German manufacturers offered no loaded 14 gauge cartridges any longer, and empty shells only for blackpowder reloaders. England (Eley) may have held out longer.

To research and compare the various old ammunition catalogues from different countries would be interesting, but for that one would best ask in the IAA forum.
Those few empty shells and even fewer loaded cartridges that occasionally show up in eGun, are INVARIABLY more than 100 years old.

Craig's initial question was motivated by a short notice in an older edition of "Cartridges of the World". Now, that one was just one more of many irresponsable lores and pipe-dreams in that encyclopedia. What their slovenly author had in mind, was the French production of 24 gauge cartridges, which still exists on a small, almost artisanal base, besides the Italian (Fiocchi) and the Turkish ones.

I remember in one of his more recent articles in DGJ Ross Seyfried wrote about using a 14 bore gun with suitable 16 bore cartridges wrapped with a turn or 2 of tape.

If that leaves sufficient rim for your extractors to engage that might be a solution, particularly for black powder loads.

This is old info but if it helps, I sold an English 14G sbs to a German Judge way back around 1999.

Brass ( messing ) Shotgun Shells (boxes of 10)
20 Gauge 2-7/8" $35.00 12 Gauge 2-7/8 $35.00
16 Gauge 2-1/2" 30.00 10 Gauge 2-7/8" 40.00
14 Gauge 2-1/2" 30.00 8 Gauge 3-1/4" 60.00

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Oh my - could that be... I shall contact you with a private message.
The gun that I have in mind was cased, high quality, and appeared very English (its owner died late in 1918, at the Western Front); only that I suspect it to be of Belgian provenance.

One of the local Vintagers here is trying to make a 14-gauge Purdey function by fire-forming 16-gage hulls in it. He seems to be having some success with it but...that seems a bridge too far for me.

Its a beautiful gun (of course!) and it handles perfectly, but...

Lloyd, I can think of several reasons why attempting to fireform 16 ga. shells to 14 ga. would possibly be a very bad idea. But it would be interesting if you could find out some details.

At very least, I'd be hesitant to experiment with a nice rare and antique Purdey, and would rather open up the chamber and bore of some heavy old single shot 16 ga.to use for the fireforming and testing.

I have a box of Winchester 14 ga aluminum ammo it that would help
anyone)

A 14 gauge Purdey would be great, if somebody else paid to have it chamber sleeved to 20 gauge, and left it to me in their will.

I’m totally serious. Anybody?

Best,
Ted

Ted,
That would be a huge bore diameter for a 20 gauge. If it worked at all it would not work at the Minnesota average fall/winter temps.

Would make more sense to re barrel. To 12 or 16 gauge.

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