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Joined: 31 Dec 2008 Posts: 354

If a 2 3/4 inch factory shell will chamber in a 16 gauge...

Does it have a 2 3/4 inch chamber ?

As opposed to the short 2 9/16 inch chamber ?

Or is this irrelevant to the question ?

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

You could probably place a 3" shell in a gun with a 2-3/4" chamber.
As the shells length is measured after firing, with the crimp open.
You really need to have the chamber measured, if you don't know how to do it. Any gunsmith worth a nickle can do it.

Joined: 31 Dec 2008 Posts: 354

Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 728

You have to remember that the 2-3/4" dimension refers to the length of the chamber and the length of a fired hull (i.e. with crimp open). An unfired 2-3/4" shell is shorter than a 2-9/16" chamber, but when it is fired the crimped portion of the hull protrudes beyond the chamber and into the forcing cone which reduces the effective area that the wad and shot have to travel through. This increases chamber pressure (more wear and tear on the gun) and felt recoil (more wear and tear on the shooter) and most likely deforms more shot than would be the case with a 2-3/4" chamber (fewer and/or less lethal hits).

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

Joined: 31 Dec 2008 Posts: 354

Now long has it been since Mossberg made a 16 gauge ?

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Joined: 06 Mar 2008 Posts: 596 Location: 17603

Joined: 31 Dec 2008 Posts: 354

Just trying to calibrate two-cent gunsmiths and Mossbergs in a 16 gauge world.

Wink

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

Member Joined: 16 Nov 2006 Posts: 1338

Guest

Mike,

You should be ashamed, that is too easy.

Member Joined: 16 Nov 2006 Posts: 1338

Guest

Mike,

Guys totally ignore the true ballisticians that PUBLISH STUDIES for the firearms industry and believe the magazine writers that WRITE STORIES for a living.

Like an industry ballistician once told me, if you don't trust your shotgun to stay together at 11,000 PSI, why would you ever trust it at 9,000 PSI.

Joined: 06 Mar 2008 Posts: 596 Location: 17603

"Guys totally ignore the true ballisticians that PUBLISH STUDIES for the firearms industry and believe the magazine writers that WRITE STORIES for a living. "

Part of the problem there is that a LOT more people read the feel good magazine stories,much more accessible and available, than those scientific studies, Armburst and his articles are hard to find.

"a steel pipe built to withstand explosions generating 11,000 psi, day in and day out forever , suffers more "wear and tear" from 10,000 psi spikes than it does from 8,000 psi spikes? "

First up, I'm not so sure about "forever", steel can and does suffer from metal fatigue and crystallization with repeated stress, and a max hunting load of 11,000psi in a short chambered gun will cause an increase in pressure. That short chambered gun barrel is more than likely already 80+ years old, subjected to who knows what over its years of use and possible abuse, AND built when steel technology is nothing like it is today. Does pressure increase by your 25%? I don't know, and, with all due respect, neither do you I suspect. Internal ballistics are indeed your "black box", guns blowing up, in view of the tremendous amount of reloading that goes on, are a very rare occurence, but it can and does happen.
R*2

Joined: 31 Dec 2008 Posts: 354

See that the short factory shells can be ordered. Good.

Is there a shotshell reloading press, e.g., a MEC, that can be ordered delivered to load the short shotshells without modification or extensive adjustment by the home hobbyist reloader ?

Can short hulls and appropriate wads be conveniently ordered ?

Or is reloading short shells a major pain on the reloader ?

In metallic cartridge reloading there is some degree of controversy over firing short shells in long chambers, e.g., 45 Colt in 454 Casull. Most folks accept the idea of the 38 Special in the 357 Magnum and the 44 Special in the 44 Magnum, but the Freedom Arms factory strongly protest the 45 Colt in the 454 Casull and offer a replacement cylinder for the short cartridge. In shotshells, any problems with shooting short shells in a long chamber ? In a Remington 1100 ? In a Browning Auto-5 ?

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