doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Black Powder Loads in Winchester 1893

First I'll apologize in advance for asking a question abount a slide action shotgun on a double gun site. But I know of no better place to go - I have a Winchester 1893 12 bore slide action (John Browning's first gun patent) in Riot configuration, 1st year production (Cody Museum confirmed) It came from the Old Ohio Penitentiary where they Nickel? plated the entire gun and Gold? plated the trigger and hammer. (I've read that they did that to make them look scarier to the prisoners) Anyway, I know that they recalled them because the action wouldn't hold up to the new smokless loads that were catching on in 1893-4-5. Also read where they offered anyone that owned an 1893 a brand new shiny improved 1897 if they brought the 1893 back in for trade. I would imagine that most people took them up on their offer, because there don't seem to be many of them around. This also means that I can't find much info on these guns. My question is can I still shoot black powder loads through this gun? I know of an article on the web about a guy in england that shoots his (It's serial # is 6, so he claims to be using the oldest slide action shotgun in the world) The gun is in perfect condition and has been inspected by a gunsmith (not an expert in this type of gun). The people from Winchester say don't shoot. (but I'm sure that's a lawyer CYA answer). Any thoughts from the experts?

I would use RST low pressure smokeless loads or the Winchester Feather loads (if they will work through the action). The RST 2 1/2" 7/8 ounce loads should be just peachy in the '93. The cowboy action shooters are not only using Model 1893s but the 1887 lever guns which are also not "recommended" for smokeless loads.

Eightbore - I appreciate the info. I'd never heard of RST until your post. They might be just what the doctor ordered. The Winchester's probably won't cycle through the action once they're shot (1893 has 2-5/8" chamber) but the 2-1/2" RST's should be fine. Is there any info out there that shows what kind of pressures that are created with this load?

Alex Papp or Morris Baker will reply to an email to their company with pressure figures for various of their loads. I guess that they do not post pressures on the website because they are constantly developing new loads and the information quickly becomes obsolete. The last pressure chart I received from them indicated very reasonable figures, obviously aimed at use in vintage guns, including Damascus barrels. rstshells.com is their web address. RST has recently acquired pressure testing equipment that allows them to test their loads "in house".