Murphy4570
Member
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2010
- Messages
- 433
So I was doing some research on a reproduction M1897 Winchester shotgun I have, and all sources were saying it has a 6 shell magazine capacity. This I found odd, as mine holds only 5 shells.
So, I started tinkering. I found that the 00 Buck shells I have are noticeably longer than the target shells I have. The other two shell brands I have will fit 6 into my shotgun, though is a tight fit. Feeding doesn't seem to be affected for the sixth shell.
So I took some measurements. All shells are 12ga, 2 3/4 advertised shells.
Test subjects (left to right): Remington buckshot, Federal target load, Winchester target load.
Specifics:
Remington:
1325fps velocity
9 pellets
00 Buckshot
Federal:
1200fps
8 shot, 1 1/8 oz
Winchester:
1300 fps
1 oz, 6 shot
The Remington buckshot is longest, averaging to 2.3214" long. Winchester's averages to 2.2988", and Federal's averages to 2.2866". Averages were computed from measuring 5 shells in each group.
Remington's had a length ranging from 2.314" to 2.333". Winchester's ranged from 2.314" to 2.287". Federal's ranged from 2.283 to 2.297".
The most consistent length was found with Federal's, with two at 2.285" and two at 2.283". The other two brands were more varied in length.
This data raises some questions.
Is shot shell length dependent upon load type (eg buck vs target vs bird etc)?
Why are shells advertised as 2 3/4" length, yet in reality are much shorter? After all, math is math is math, and in every other part of the world, 2 3/4" = 2.750".
Practical lessons learned:
A repop shotgun will fit its advertised shell amount, but only with certain brands and types of shells.
So, I started tinkering. I found that the 00 Buck shells I have are noticeably longer than the target shells I have. The other two shell brands I have will fit 6 into my shotgun, though is a tight fit. Feeding doesn't seem to be affected for the sixth shell.
So I took some measurements. All shells are 12ga, 2 3/4 advertised shells.
Test subjects (left to right): Remington buckshot, Federal target load, Winchester target load.
Specifics:
Remington:
1325fps velocity
9 pellets
00 Buckshot
Federal:
1200fps
8 shot, 1 1/8 oz
Winchester:
1300 fps
1 oz, 6 shot
The Remington buckshot is longest, averaging to 2.3214" long. Winchester's averages to 2.2988", and Federal's averages to 2.2866". Averages were computed from measuring 5 shells in each group.
Remington's had a length ranging from 2.314" to 2.333". Winchester's ranged from 2.314" to 2.287". Federal's ranged from 2.283 to 2.297".
The most consistent length was found with Federal's, with two at 2.285" and two at 2.283". The other two brands were more varied in length.
This data raises some questions.
Is shot shell length dependent upon load type (eg buck vs target vs bird etc)?
Why are shells advertised as 2 3/4" length, yet in reality are much shorter? After all, math is math is math, and in every other part of the world, 2 3/4" = 2.750".
Practical lessons learned:
A repop shotgun will fit its advertised shell amount, but only with certain brands and types of shells.