16ga.com ~ View topic

Joined: 17 Aug 2007 Posts: 1

Hello,

It was suggested on the Shotgunworld forum that I post this question here since I have a 16ga.

I have an old J.Stevens 94A, 16ga., break, shotgun. It was given to me by my father who is 64 years old, and I know he hunted with it when he was a boy, so its an older gun. Anyway, I don't have any information on the chamber length and after I purchased some Federal 2 3/4" shells for it, I noticed the warning that its dangerous to shoot shells that aren't designed for the guns chamber length. I have no idea what the chamber length is. Its not on the gun anywhere. Can anyone tell me if 2 3/4's shells are OK to use with this gun? Hoping to avoid having to take the gun to a gunsmith just to have that measured. On the Shotgunworld site, the more recent posts seem to suggest I should be OK because my gun (being a 94'A') should have been made after 1929, when 2 3/4" were becoming the standard, and even if it was a 2 9/16" chamber, using a 2 3/4" shell would just result in a little more recoil. Just wanted to follow up here as suggested in case more info might be gained here. A link to my thread on the shotgunworld site:

http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=115450

Thanks!

Joined: 18 Mar 2007 Posts: 280 Location: Southern Ohio

You"re basicly going to get the same answers here. The only sure way to know the chamber length, is to measure it or have it measured. since you don't have a gauge, there are several ways to do this, all pretty crude, if you're not a machinist.. 16 borte guns were made with 2 9/16" chambers as late as the late 30s and possibly later.. Take it to a smith..MDC

I doubt your 94A to be short chambered but make sure for your own piece of mind. This isn't a big deal for a smith to do and can be done at the counter so you won't need to leave the gun. Prolly won't cost you anickle either. Smile

Member Joined: 27 Jun 2005 Posts: 1545 Location: Michigan

Wow, no wonder your confussed. After reading all the "advice" on shotgunworld, I was shaking my head in confussion. Confused

You will have no way of know your chamber length for sure, without measuring it. However the loads pressure is more important than the length. Even if this gun has 2-9/16" chambers, you can safely shoot 2-3/4" loads of the proper pressure. I do it in my Damascus guns all the time. I just shoot 2 rounds of skeet the other night, with 2-3/4" shells in a 20 gauge Damascuss Parker with 2-1/2" chambers. Mind you these are low pressure hand loads. Your gun should be fine with 1 oz. game loads. I would avoid the high velocity 1-1/8 or 1-1/4 oz. loads.
Or you can buy some nice short low pressure loads from RST, untill you get your chambers measured.
http://www.rstshells.com/shells-best.htm
Enjoy your gun

Here's an easy way to measure the chamber that works remarkably well:
Take a 3" x 5" index card, roll it lengthwise, slide it into the chamber (it will partially unroll and expand to the chamber diameter), gently slide it until it stops at the end of the chamber, use a pencil to mark the index card at the breech end of the barrel, and repeat the steps to see if it always comes to same spot. Then use a tape or ruler to measure length marked on the card. The chamber must be clean, and it works best with a new 3” X 5” card.