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Mar 29th, 2024
Thread Like Summary
greener4me
Total Likes: 1
Original Post (Thread Starter)
by Michael in NH
Michael in NH
Every once in a while the gun buying bug gets me and this time I chose a Webley and Scott 700 imported by Abercrombie and Fitch in the 50's. I'm hoping to gain some insight into it as I am thinking now that it is either a brilliant piece, or maybe there was a good reason no one else was interested in buying it. It is a 20 gauge and the ad for it stated 3" chambers. And it has 20 gauge chambers, -but the bores are 16 gauge! Its proof is 16, 3 1/4 tons, 2 3/4". The chambers are indeed 3", in fact they are actually 28" as the 16 gauge bore size is so close to the 20 gauge chamber size that a 20 gauge chamber checker slides in all the way to the chokes. There are no inserts in the chambers that I can detect. It seems clearly to have been built this way, although I can find no other shotgun in this configuration on the entire internet. I have not shot it yet. I thought it would be a nifty little grouse gun. It is just 6 pounds and points beautifully for me. It looks hardly used. Single trigger.
My questions would be, why was this built? Are there others? My guess is it was made for the American market and 20 gauge was more popular than 16 so they chambered the gun so that future owners could buy shells at Walmart?
Could there be any advantage in such an overbored gun besides that? Any disadvantages?
And finally, what loads would be appropriate?
I'm hoping someone finds these questions interesting enough to give their insights.
Liked Replies
by KY Jon
KY Jon
So you have a chamber sleeved gun that you might decide to chamber sleeve back to 16. Why bother? The pressures of a 7/8 or 1 ounce 20 are not that much different than a 1 or 1 1/8 ounce 16. Chamber sleeving from 16 to 20 is far beyond most gunsmiths level of abilities. Poorly done they would take too much metal out of the old chamber to make fitting the sleeves easier. That leaves a gap which is soldered or welded, leaving a easily seen seam. It sounds like your was done in an expert fashion. There are half a dozen smiths in the US who could do that job. If you called them all the one who did it might even recall the job. Not a common job after all.

If the chambers were reamed out for the sleeves, then you will need to have it reamed out larger to fit a 16 gauge sleeve. Why remove more metal in the chamber area? Shoot it as is or send it down the road with what you now know. I’d love to have a overbored 20. To me that’s what that gun is. Proof means nothing in the US other than a vague endorsement of original configuration.
1 member likes this

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