doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com 2 3/4 shells in 2 1/2 chamber?

I'm sure it has been asked before but is it safe to shoot low base 2 3/4 shells in good condition damascus barrels 2 1/2 chambers?

No.

The base height is irrelevant to the safety of it.

By low base, I meant low pressure, low velocity "dove" loads from Walmart.

I always use hand loaded 2 3/4" hulls in my short chambered guns. And after literally tens of thousands of rounds I can report I still have all my fingers. All scientifically controlled tests I have seen regarding this issue concluded no significant increase in chamber pressure using the longer hull. If you're interested, call the Double Gun Journal and ask for a copy of the issue containing Sherman Bell's report on using long hulls in short chambers.

It is chamber pressure that is important, not hull length. If short and long hulls give about the same chamber pressure in a short chamber then I consider both to be safe to shoot. It's interesting to note that long after 2 3/4" ammunition became standard most American gun manufacturers continued to cut their chambers 2 5/8" but recommended using the longer 2 3/4" hull.

I see you are asking about factory loaded ammunition. In that case I'm going to recommend No!. Most factory ammunition, regardless of base height or anything else are loaded to near SAMMI maximum pressures and repeated use of this class of ammunition in any double with short chambers should be avoided. In my previous post I was assuming ammunition loaded to lower pressures as were intended for the gun at the time of manufacture.

The only shells suitable at my Walmart would be the AA low noise, low recoil shells. At 6200psi and if you experience the 1000psi increase because of the 2 1/2 inch chamber, you're still below the 8000psi level. Modern Dove loads are well above that.
Regards
Ken

Thanks Joe, guess I will order some RST 2.5" low pressure shells, since I don't handload shotshells. Ken, I'm not familiar with those, might try them.

Scroll down to the bottom here for some modern load pressures
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1F2sQuPm05IE4VWYYnCkvuXmYEzQoWd_SQgaAfUOZEFU/preview
Most "Dove and Quail" loads are NOT low pressure
Herters for Cabela�s by Cheddite, Italy
http://www.chedditeitaly.com/en/index.php
Field & Target 1 oz. - 1290 psi
Select Field Dove & Quail 1 oz. - 1250 psi

Scroll down about 1/3 here regarding Bell's long shells in short chambers study.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZIo0y746UsSRZIgRuuxwAbZjSBHitO_EanvwLYc-kGA/edit

+1, Joe is right on the money with this one. The catch is, you almost have to reload, I've not seen any data on commercial 2 3/4" ammo that is low pressure. The only one is RST 2 3/4" which they told me is around 7500psi IIRC (you can call them to get the exact pressure). My reloads are 5900psi and have worked just fine in my 2 1/2" guns and they kill birds just fine. In fact I had my J. Harkom hammergun (circa 1890) out yesterday



I also use these reloads in my Nitro Proofed Damascus guns, no problems there either.

Good Luck!

Greg

Thanks gentlemen!