doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com remington 1894 chambers

Well I have the gun in hand (model 1894 BE) and based upon my observations found it in good condition overall, bores free of pitting, mechanically in order, with these qualifications:

- chambers lengthened to 2.75" forcing cones about .75" total length

- light scattered pitting on outside of barrels mostly forward 2/3, the deepest I'd estimate of few tenths of millimeter

For whatever its worth, dealer checked MWT (0.033/0.035) and bores measured 0.729. Will not have an opportunity to get it checked out during inspection period, no one around here is qualified, so any comments?

I own 2 10 ga 1894 AE's. The one with 28" barrels has a serial # of P136XXX and the the one with the 32" barrels has serial # P139xxx. The short barreled gun has a hollow butt stock and was so muzzle heavy I inserted a hardware store dowel rod into the the recess. The balance feels better now.

Mergus

I shoot 2 7/8" shells in my 1882 10ga Damascus Remington. I reload all my shotgun shells. With the 10ga a moderate 12ga load data is used. 18 to 19grs of Red Dot, Green Dot, or Promo and 1oz of shot. A 16ga fiber wad inside a plastic 10ga wad [ inserted before the shot ] and you're all set to go. For 12ga just drop the powder charge a half grain. All my Remington 12ga guns, 10 of them, have 2 5/8 chambers, Damascus and steel. The 10 has 2 7/8 chambers. As said, it's pretty easy to be off a 1/8" when measuring chambers. One will have 9/16, another 5/8, and maybe even 3/4 of a inch. Don't worry about it. And I wouldn't ever lengthen the chambers or forcing cones. You're removing steel where it's needed the most. I've been shooting my Damascus Remingtons, Parkers, or Lefevers for about 23 years weekly with no problems. Forget chamber lengths, just shoot it and have fun.

Very well could be the chambers are original (2 5/8") as the measuring tool meets resistance at that depth. Could be a slight taper in the last 3/8" or so. At any rate I have no plans to grind metal out.

My last experience with a chamber length mystery involved a european 12 double offered by a very well known dealer, who reported that the chambers measured 2 7/8", although 75mm was stamped on the flat. In actuality the chambers were tapered in the last 1" so that his tool stopped 1/8" ahead of the forcing cones.