doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Webley and Scott 20

I got your picture both ways, Rob.

Coming into this conversation some what late , the 720 and 728 models were made in the early 70's specifically for the US market . They were similar to the 702 model in appearance , stocked with panels and points but had 26 and 25 inch barrels.

If you see a rack of 700's the engraving can vary quite a bit in quality. Always the same basic style but dependent on when it was done and by whom. 20 bore versions command a fairly good premium over their 12 bore counterparts here in the U.K. Rare to see 3" chambers so maybe a special order export model. I for one wouldn't like to fire heavy 3" cartridges through it as the recoil would be quite fierce I should think. Lagopus......

This Italian 20 gauge double has 3” chambers:





It weighs 6 1/2lbs, and might not be that bad with a 3” round, but, I’m in no real hurry to find out. 3” 20 gauge ammunition did not impress me when I tried a few, 40 seasons past. I didn’t try it in a sub 6lb gun, either.

Best,
Ted

As I recall and please forgive me but it was 50 plus years ago and memories are bit hazy about some specific details. The 720's were made specifically for the US and had 3" chambers .Thats 3" standard not 3" magnum .These would all be with 26" barrels which at the time every one wanted .
The 728's had 25" barrels with engine turned flat ribs .

Engraving did vary as W&S had to out source some of this as the engraving shop did not have the capacity to fill the order for the contract completion date as the original initial order was for all the guns to be delivered as one shipment .

The rest of that saga is another thing altogether .

I would like to add that the very early 700's made for the British market had 2 1/2 inch chambers though quickly changed to 2 3/4 inch. The gun in the second photograph of my post the "plain Jane" is one such 700 having 2 1/2 inch chambers.

Few Americans buying a gun that was marked for 3” ammunition would realize that it might not necessarily be magnum proofed.

From what I’ve seen, you are mostly wasting your time trying to tell them that fact, as well. You would have to go back many years to reference an American ammunition that was loaded to non magnum specification in a 3” hull.

Thank you, Graham.

Best,
Ted

Back then, there seemed to be a mania for giving 20s designed for the US market 3" chambers. The Japanese did the same thing. All the Ithaca SKB 20ga sxs had 3" chambers. Shooting magnums through a Model100 with 25" barrels (usually weighing less than 6#) might not be very comfortable even if it didn't harm the gun.

Meanwhile, the Ithaca SKB sxs 12s nearly all had 2 3/4" chambers.