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< 16ga. Ammunition & Reloading ~ What shells for Sterly??? |
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Posted:
Fri Mar 23, 2007 6:00 pm
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Member
Joined: 02 Dec 2006
Posts: 741
Location: Long Island, NY
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I know this has to have been discussed before. But, what can a 1914 16ga. Sterlingworth digest? I haven't yet measured the chamber length.
But, assuming its 2 3/4", what can it digest?
Also, assume it's a 2 9/16"?
Thanks all.
Peter |
_________________ "Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind" ... Dr. Seuss
"There aint nothin' better than huntin' with a Setter" |
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Posted:
Fri Mar 23, 2007 8:07 pm
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Member
Joined: 20 Mar 2005
Posts: 1522
Location: NH
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PGG,
I've got one from that era and it has the2 9/16" chambers. I feed it a steady diet of RST 2.5" shells. 6s for pheasants and 7.5s for targets. I'm planning on getting a flat or 2 of their 5s for pheasants next season. |
_________________ A bad day of hunting is better than a good day of work. |
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Posted:
Sat Mar 24, 2007 7:13 pm
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Member
Joined: 02 Dec 2006
Posts: 741
Location: Long Island, NY
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Thanks. The gun store owner wanted to sell me a few boxes of hi brass 2 3/4" shells. He said the Sterly can digest anything.
But I would much rather defer to the experts here. |
_________________ "Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind" ... Dr. Seuss
"There aint nothin' better than huntin' with a Setter" |
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Posted:
Sun Mar 25, 2007 8:59 am
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Member
Joined: 01 Jan 2007
Posts: 1043
Location: Bozeman, MT
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Prussian Gun Guy wrote: |
I know this has to have been discussed before. But, what can a 1914 16ga. Sterlingworth digest? I haven't yet measured the chamber length.
But, assuming its 2 3/4", what can it digest?
Also, assume it's a 2 9/16"?
Thanks all.
Peter
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why you little sneaker, so you DID buy that Sterly...hee hee hee...
they can take more than an Elsie, but less than a Model 21 (or some of those Nazi Panzers you wield).... I'd stay at 8000 or below, but could do 10000 OK, but not a steady diet of it..... other opinions will differ.... and mine is a 1930 Savage, but from what I hear, they are the same design, no different.....they are not wimpy....
hey, tell us about your Sterly...bbl length, weight, chokes, yadda yadda...
I am LOVING mine, they are sweet..... (if jig ever sells a gun that you want, BUY IT, he is ramrod straight....) now that he's all ga ga over the 28ga, maybe he'll dump some more of his 16's
Duncan |
_________________ "Life is what happens to you while you're making other plans"....... anonymous |
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Posted:
Sun Mar 25, 2007 10:01 am
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Member
Joined: 02 Dec 2006
Posts: 741
Location: Long Island, NY
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britgun wrote: |
Prussian Gun Guy wrote: |
I know this has to have been discussed before. But, what can a 1914 16ga. Sterlingworth digest? I haven't yet measured the chamber length.
But, assuming its 2 3/4", what can it digest?
Also, assume it's a 2 9/16"?
Thanks all.
Peter
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why you little sneaker, so you DID buy that Sterly...hee hee hee...
they can take more than an Elsie, but less than a Model 21 (or some of those Nazi Panzers you wield).... I'd stay at 8000 or below, but could do 10000 OK, but not a steady diet of it..... other opinions will differ.... and mine is a 1930 Savage, but from what I hear, they are the same design, no different.....they are not wimpy....
hey, tell us about your Sterly...bbl length, weight, chokes, yadda yadda...
I am LOVING mine, they are sweet..... (if jig ever sells a gun that you want, BUY IT, he is ramrod straight....) now that he's all ga ga over the 28ga, maybe he'll dump some more of his 16's
Duncan
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Yeah, I had to sneak around a little. I found a Marlin Model 90 in 16 at the same store. But when I posted a heads up on this forum, I didn't tell anyone where to look until I had the sterly safe in my hands.
She was born in 1914. Has 26" barrels, choked imp/mod. Ejectors. I'll get a weight when I can. The case colors are real nice, as is the barrel blue. The wood was redone with a nice hand rubbed oil finish. There are s few handling marks under the finish, but the original checkering is very crisp. Someone put on a nice soft recoil pad.
The gun was packaged in a non-original leather hard case, complete with cleaning rods, an oil bottle, and a Fox label. Unfortunately, that brought the seller to a non negotiable $2200.00 price.
I haven't figured this posting photos thing yet so I'll send a photo to your e-mail address. |
_________________ "Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind" ... Dr. Seuss
"There aint nothin' better than huntin' with a Setter" |
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Posted:
Sun Mar 25, 2007 12:33 pm
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Member
Joined: 26 Apr 2005
Posts: 743
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For all practical purposes, the guy who said a SW can digest anything was pretty much correct. I'd sure as heck avoid 1 1/4 oz Fed magnums, and probably even 3 1/4-1 1/8 oz high brass loads. American 1 ozers will recoil a lot less (because of shot weight and velocity), but may still kick you pretty hard--and are slightly above the pressures for which that gun was built. Not enough so to blow the barrels, but it might shoot loose sooner. 7/8 oz reloads, various 2 1/2" shells would be the way to go. And yes, unless someone lengthened the chambers, you've definitely got a 2 9/16" gun there! |
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Posted:
Sun Mar 25, 2007 12:42 pm
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Member
Joined: 28 Dec 2005
Posts: 2016
Location: Glendale, AZ
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Posted:
Sun Mar 25, 2007 1:04 pm
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Member
Joined: 04 May 2005
Posts: 123
Location: Oregon
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Peter, I wouldn't count on those bores being original. Chances are they are but you need to have them carefully measured just in front of the forcing cones all the way around the barrel and go by the thinnest measurement. Kearcher has never recommended anything to me but he has told me what his personal comfort level is. He won't shoot any shells over 10,000 psi if the wall thickness is below .080. He also told me it takes .010 out of the thickness when you extend the chambers to 2 3/4". So you would need a bare minimum of .090 before it would be safe to extend them, at least according to Kearcher.
I've shot those Federal 3 1/4 dram hunting loads in my .080 and .085 barrel SW's with no ill effects yet but have never fired more then 8 or 10 a day through the guns.
Larry
ps- Thanks again for the heads up on the Model 90! |
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Posted:
Sun Mar 25, 2007 2:19 pm
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Member
Joined: 02 Dec 2006
Posts: 741
Location: Long Island, NY
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revdocdrew wrote: |
Here's Peter's Sterly and the boy done good!
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Coming from you Drew, that is high praise indeed. |
_________________ "Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind" ... Dr. Seuss
"There aint nothin' better than huntin' with a Setter" |
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Posted:
Sun Mar 25, 2007 8:42 pm
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Member
Joined: 01 Jan 2007
Posts: 1043
Location: Bozeman, MT
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...what a sweetheart! and ejectors?? I think you got yourself a really nice gun at a great price, with all the extras to boot! Have you weighed it yet? Or maybe you said and I missed it.....what a nice gun....
Duncan |
_________________ "Life is what happens to you while you're making other plans"....... anonymous |
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Posted:
Mon Mar 26, 2007 3:47 am
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Member
Joined: 02 Dec 2006
Posts: 741
Location: Long Island, NY
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britgun wrote: |
...what a sweetheart! and ejectors?? I think you got yourself a really nice gun at a great price, with all the extras to boot! Have you weighed it yet? Or maybe you said and I missed it.....what a nice gun....
Duncan
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Duncan,
I don't have a postal scale, but my home fat-man scale reads somewhere around the 6 1/4 pound mark. I just wish I had longer barrels. |
_________________ "Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind" ... Dr. Seuss
"There aint nothin' better than huntin' with a Setter" |
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Posted:
Mon Mar 26, 2007 6:05 am
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Member
Joined: 26 Apr 2005
Posts: 743
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Interestingly, standard "heavy field" loads for the old 2 9/16" 16's were 3 drams equivalent, 1 1/8 oz--which gives a pretty fair indication that those old American 16's were fed some fairly heavy factory stuff. I don't think anyone makes that formula nowadays in modern, 2 3/4" hulls, but it would probably deliver a velocity somewhere in the 1250 fps range. |
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