
	Bill Hanus

The Golden Age of Shotguns

by Bill Hanus

"Nature always sides with the hidden flaw" -- Murphy’s Law

Without a doubt, the twentieth century ushered in the "Golden Age" of shotgun development. Small gauge shotshells -- and the small-framed guns to use them -- came of age- Charles Parker invented the 28 gauge. The legendary Moder 1912 Winchester was offered first in 20 gauge. Double gun makers from England and Europe competed with American makers to offer the greatest selection of side-by-side shotguns in history. In Europe, live pigeon shooters pioneered the use of ultra high performance 12 gauge ammunition and heavy guns to handle it. The legends of Parker, Ithaca, LC. Smith, Fox, Lefever, Iver Johnson, Remington, Baker, Stevens and many others were born and live on in gun cabinets of fortunate hunters and -- routinely perform their assigned tasks magnificently every fall.

The Model 1897 Winchester pump action hammer gun went to war as a trench gun in WWI. An interesting sidebar is that in a war which introduced poison gas, barbed wire, tanks, machine guns and air war as new ways to kill people, it was the Model 1897 which the Germans complained of as being "inhumane" and urged that it be banned from "civilized war."

Nearly every one of the great names in American gunmaking offered their version of this absolutely unique American shooting phenomenon -- the "repeater" shotgun. Scoffed at and derided by European makers, American ingenuity had evolved a whole new shooting system with which to reap the wildlife riches of America’s crop lands, weed patches, forests and waterways. The repeating shotgun -- often chambered to hold 5, 6 or 7 shells in 12,16, 20 gauge (with 28 gauge and 410 soon to follow) -- was aimed at filling a bottomless game bag.

Times change, but not America’s love affair with shotguns.

The Hidden Flaw Revealed
The development of the repeater shotgun in the colonies were met with disdain in Europe, where the idea of milder shotgun loads was dealt with by shortening the 12 gauge shotshell and the shotgun chambers for which it was intended. The idea was to produce a low recoil 12 gauge gun with a 20 or 28 gauge payload. Good idea, but dumb execution. This plan would have been acceptable if an agreement existed whereby each of these short-chambered guns was to be buried with the original owner when he died.

Early in the century, shotgun chambering lengths were kind of loosey goosey all over the world. lf you own an American shotgun made before the mid-1930’s, or a European one made before World War II, it is entirely possible you have a short- chambered shotgun in your gun cabinet. It wasn’t until the 1930’s that 2-3/4" chambering became the standard in The U.S. The famous Browning "Sweet 16" semi-automatic, for example, was originally chambered for 2-9/16" shells -- and Browning still offers a program to convert these old beauties to accept 2-3/4" shells.

Tons of "liberated" short-chambered European shotguns came to our shores in the duffel bags of returning U.S. servicemen after WWII. More recently, so many short- chambered English doubles have been air-freighted to the U.S. that the sheer weight of metal threatens to deflect true north compass readings and has probably caused changes in the climate that have been falsely attributed to El Nino. Several makers even offer short- chambered shotguns today.

There are many good reasons for not owning and using a short-chambered shotgun. But the main one is:

You can chamber a 2-3/4" shell (2.44") in a 2-1/2" (2.5") chamber.

And fire it!!!!

The least of the penalties you will pay for exploring these exciting new levels of chamber presure will include enhanced recoil to: (A) loosen your dental tillings; and, (B) develop a life-long flinch.

Deformed pellets, perhaps 30% or 40% of the load, created by the "bottle neck" effect are cartwheeling off somewhere in space, as much of a threat to your dog, as to the departing target.

Repeated use of adult ammunition in adolescent chambers will permanently damage a gun without corresponding benefit to the shooter.

Murphy’s Law Repealed
Brownells, Inc. publishes a copyrighted guideline for gunsmiths entitled: MEASURING & RECHAMBERING SHOTGUN CHAMBERS that defines the problem. The following is quoted with permission:

Prior to around 1900, shotgun chamber lengths varied considerably from manufacturer to manufacturer, often resulting in odd fractions. After 1900, shotguns have been produced in the following common chamber lengths:

Gauge	From 1900 to 1920	From 1920 to Mid-1930’s
10	2-7/8", 3-1/2"	3-1/2"
12	2", 2-1/2", 2-5/8", 2-3/4", 3"	2-3/4", 3", 3-1/2"
16	2-9/16", 2-3/4"	2-3/4"
20	2-1/2", 2-9/16", 2-3/4", 3"	2-3/4", 3"
28	2-3/4", 2-7/8"	2-3/4"
.410	2", 2-1/2", 3"	3"

The Shotgun Shell In Relation To Chamber Length
An unfired 20 gauge 3" shell measures 2.68" in length, which allows it to easily enter the 20 gauge 2-3/4" chamber (2.75").

However, when the 3" shell is fired the case unfolds to its full 3" length. The extra .25" of case body enters the forcing cone creating a `bottle neck’ effect through which the shot and wad must pass.

"’Bottle Neck’ effect is when the end of the fired shell enters the forcing cone, thus squeezing and deforming the shot (left) as opposed to a correct length chamber (right) in which the fired case does not enter the forcing cone. Dotted line is the beginning of the bore and the end of the forcing cone."

Checking and lengthening chamber lengths to 2-3/4" is usually an easy and inexpensive task for your gunsmith. This is a safety and common sense issue that does not have a downside, a classic "no-brainer."

Older guns usually have short, about 1/2" forcing cones (a kind of funnel that channels the shot column from the chamber mouth to the barrel proper). You can check this visually by looking in your barrels from the breech end. The ring you see just ahead of the chamber is the forcing cone. Practicing your depth perception here, you can make a guess on the length of the forcing cones. Longer forcing cones will improve patterns and reduce recoil, so lengthening forcing cones to about 3/4" or 1" is generally recommended. Competition shooters like even longer forcing cones (I have 5" forcing cones on one of mine) on target guns, but the practical limit here is what size reamer your gunsmith has.

A common misconception is that the "right" choke is what determines pattern, recoil and performance. Not so. It is the configuration of how all three elements, chamber length, forcing cone length and choke, work together to get the best results out of modern, star-crimped shotshells.

If you are fortunate enough to own and use a gun from the Golden Age of Shotguns, or are considering the purchase of one, here are a couple more suggestions for it’s care and feeding after you’ve had the chamber length and forcing cones checked and, if necessary, lengthened:

Use moderate loads: 1 oz. for 12 or 16, 7/8 oz. for 20 and 3/4 oz. for 28 gauge. Test different brands. I have half a case of English-loaded 16 gauge ammunition which has a thin rim, which sloshes back and forth in the chamber of a friend’s old Stevens pump. It will only fire when the gun is pointed straight up in the air with the shell resting on the bolt face! Try before you buy.

Buy and use the best high-antimony (hard) or nickel or copper plated shot you can afford for your serious shooting. Chilled (soft) shot, commonly used in cheap or "promotional" loads is okay for shooting some clay pigeons or for close-in straight-away shots, but this stuff will break your heart on those once- in-a-lifetime 40-yard passing shots.

Don’t even think about using steel shot. Substitute Bismuth or the new tungsten- matrix shotshells where lead shot is prohibited.

If your double has a splinter forend, buy and use a hand-guard and/or shooting glove. Most American shooters don’t realize that their left hand is supposed to be holding the barrels just ahead of the forend instead of the forend itself. Shooting a longer left arm not only involves your torso in the swing and follow-through (which is good); but it keeps your head down on the stock (which is better) -- which eliminates the second most common reason for missing birds (lifting your head).

If your thumb touches your nose when you shoulder the gun, the stock is too short. If you have a bloody nose, it’s ’waaay too short. You want to have about an inch between your nose and the second joint of your thumb, which can be handled by a good pad. Some of the older shotguns have so much drop at the heel that they look like hockey sticks. One can only speculate that these must have belonged to owners of very wide-ranging dogs.

After cleaning your gun, be certain you lubricate the hinge pin and locking lugs with a light coating of heavy-duty gun grease. This is the operating insurance you buy for the next 100 years of shooting pleasure this gun will provide.

Do not store your guns cocked. Old springs can take a "set." Although plastic snap caps are cheap and commonly available, plastic exudes gas, that can attract moisture. The last place you want to collect moisture is the chamber of a shotgun. Buy metal snap caps or use a couple of fired hulls and put both hammers down for storage after a good cleaning and wipe down.

Treat your Golden Ager with the respect it deserves. Hey! One of these days when you’re that old -- you’ll wish you could function as well as that Golden Age shotgun does!