Magnum buckshot question

[Lone_Sheep_Dog]

I have a 12 guage Harrington and Richardson. On the barrel it is marked for 3 inch shells. I don't see anything about magnum loads. Is it safe to shoot 3 inch magnum buckshot out of it? This gun has an 18.5 inch barrel and shoots single shots. The gun is fired by pulling a hammer back. Anyone know if this buckshot is safe to shoot? I bought the buckshot before I researched this. I have only fired bird shot through this gun so far.

 

[dfariswheel]

3" shells ARE Magnum shells.

There are also 2 3/4" Magnum shells.
In shotguns a "Magnum" shell just contains more shot than a standard shell.
Your gun can shoot any standard or Magnum shells loaded with any standard bird shot, buck shot, or rifled type slugs in 2 3/4" or 3" size.

I would NOT shoot steel shot through it or attempt to shoot 3 1/2" shells.

 

[Fred Fuller]

Safe? As long as the gun is in good mechanical condition and otherwise safe to fire, yes.

Adviseable? Depends on whether you want to cultivate a flinch or not. Personally I'd save the 3" maggie numbs for a shotgun weighing in the neighborhood of 9 pounds myself, but you're probably young and strong and not worried about a few bruises.

lpl

 

[czarjl]

Like Lee said, "gun is in good mechanical condition and otherwise safe to fire" then there should not be a safety issue....
It is going to kick hard... probably a lot hardener than the bird shot you have fired.

I have shot 3" slugs out of my H&R and it was not the most pleasant shooting experience but did teach me the importance of holding the butt stock to my shoulder correctly.

If you want you can send me the box shells and I will dispose of them for you (even if one is missing)

Good luck and safe shooting.

 

[MCgunner]

Recoil could be worse. There are H&Rs available, small frame, not the 10 gauge frame, in 3.5" 12 gauge. Buckshot ain't bad, though, even in 3". Try a slug.

 

[SeekHer]

3" or 3½" are not magnum loads, they're just 3" or 3½" shells...the number on the receiver/barrel only indicates the LONGEST shell you can use in your gun...

It matters what amount of powder you put in them that makes it magnum as there are 2¾" magnum shells just as there are field loads for 3" shells but not so many for 3½"...

What makes recoil is powder not name...1½ oz of shot over 4 drams of powder will recoil the same whether it is buck or birdshot or slugs or feathers...

Worried about recoil--mount a good LimbSaver recoil pad and maybe a couple of mercury tubes in the stock and you'll be fine...

 

[MCgunner]

I'd forgo any weight in the stock, would imbalance the gun. I don't even like a butt cuff with ammo on my guns when hunting. Balance and feel are important to me.

Most persons I know refer to 3" as "magnum". I've never seen 3" low brass dove loads, after all. I have a box of federal 3" in front of me right now that says "Classic STEEL Magnum" on the side of the box. If it's a 3", it's a magnum. True enough, we used to call high brass duck loads in 2 3/4" as "magnum" and "magnum" was often printed on the box as well. But, I have a box of Winchester Xpert Hi Velocity steel 2 3/4" in front of me now, says 1 1/16 ounce 1550 fps. For all intents, that's an old time 2 3/4" magnum load, but I do not find the word "magnum" anywhere on the box. On another box of Xpert, 1300 fps 2 3/4" 1 1/8 ounce, it actually says on the side, "waterfowl and heavy upland game loads". Remember, this is steel shot and 1 1/8 ounce is about all the steel shot a 2 3/4" hull will handle. You simply don't find the word magnum used anymore for 2 3/4" loads, it seems. You do on 3" and 3.5" loads. Like I say, I've never seen 3" dove loads.

The word "magnum" is tossed around a lot. Some loads that probably should be called "magnum" are simply called ".454 Casull" or ".480 Ruger", yet some that are laughable as a hot load are called ".32 H&R Magnum" or .22 WRMagnum. I don't think there's a real hard and fast rule for the use of the word. It is what you want it to mean.

 

[RSVP2RIP]

When in college I bought a NEF Pardner 12ga and used it with Brenneke 3" slugs for deer season there. I don't recomend it as the gun only weighs in the neighborhood of 6lbs and has a hard plastic buttplate. It will knock the snot out of you. It is safe to shoot but you have to ask yourself if you want to. A box of buckshot only being in the neighborhood of $4-5, just grab a regular box of 2-3/4" shells and try those out first. They got plenty of knockdown compared to 3" shells. And you might want to grab a cheapie slip over recoil pad, as I did, while getting the shells.

The term magnum was aplied to wine bottle first and it carried over in rifle casrtriges at the turn of the century (1900). A magnum bottle was a large bottle. You've seen those huge champaign bottles before. The first magnums were bottlenecked cases, resembling the magnum bottle...large base, small neck. I became synonimous with high velocity and power and after the magnum craze of the 60's, anything fast or powerful is called magnum, because of the maketing benifits. The 32 H&R Mag is not big or powerful compared to the 500S&W, but it is compared to the 32 S&W that preceaded it.