Did I hurt my 20 guage? 2 3/4 vs. 3" in same gun.

[fulloflead]

I've got an old single shot H&R Model 88 20 guage. I just got it out of the back of the closet where it's been packed & protected for "longterm storage" where it's been for years and years. It's still in the pristine condition it was when I put it away. I think it's a "youth" model, but I'm a pretty small-stature guy so I plan on enjoying it for years into the future as well.

The only thing is that, being older and wiser now, I looked at the barrel and see that is says " 3" full " on the barrel and I KNOW I always used to shoot 2 3/4" ammo through it. Did I screw it up shooting that shorter ammo all those years? (Probably about 1,500 rounds.) How can I tell?

Can/should I CONTINUE to shoot 2 3/4 through it?
Any harm in me shooting 3" rifled slugs through it now?
Would 2 3/4" slugs be OK?

What's the difference between the 2 3/4 and 3" ammo anyway?

Thanks.

.

[Jim Watson]

Uh, a quarter inch and about a quarter ounce of shot.
The three inch designation is the MAXIMUM length shell to be used. Shooting a shorter shell is fine. Note that length is measured on the fired shell, a loaded round will be shorter due to the crimp.

[Moonclip]

I've actually fired the 3" shells by accident in a 2 3/4" chamber by accident :uhoh:

[fulloflead]

But will a 2 3/4" round, especially a slug screw up that shoulder at the forward edge of the chamber?

.

[Jim Watson]

No.

[fulloflead]

Thanks.

[Mannlicher]

oh my...........

[fulloflead]

"oh my..........."


??????????????? :confused:


.

[chris in va]

If I may point something out here...

I have a 410 Pardner. Someone mentioned I can't be using slugs with this gun due to the full choke barrel.

Just a thought.

[fulloflead]

How do I know if I have a full choke barrel?

It says
3" full
on the side of the chamber.
Is that what that means?

.

[scout26]

Yep.

You can shoot (Foster) slugs through it, but they won't be very accurate. You normally only want to shoot slugs through Cylinder, Improved Cylinder or Modified.

[fulloflead]

A Foster is a "rifled" slug, yes?

.

[richardschennberg]

You should also be able to shoot 2 1/2" shells, but I am not sure if they are readily available for 20 gauge. Shooting 2 1/2" shells in 12 gauge shotguns with 2 1/2, 2 3/4, 3, and 3 1/2" is fairly common because some commercial hunting loads are 2 1/2" 12 gauge. It is possible they will not cycle well in a 3 1/2" auto or even some 3 1/2" pumps, but they are safe to shoot. You might even derive the same benefit shotguners get when they have their forcing cones lengthened. If anything, this reduces pressure and might slightly reduce felt recoil and improve the pattern somewhat. At worst there is no benefit but also no harm.
Richard
Schennberg.com (http://www.schennberg.com)

[vesmcd]

After some research on .410 slugs, I have found that most .410 shotguns are choked full. As a result. production, .410 slugs are are sized to work with full chokes with no problem as opposed to other gauges which are designed for imp.cyl./cyl chokes.