I had in my hand today a 13 gauge double made in Birmingham in 1876.It is an under lever in 90% condition.I have never had anything that old in such great condition in my hands before.My question to the forum is where would I find hulls and load information for this beauty?
13 gauge shotgun
- Thread starter sullijr
- Start date
Bet its chambered for 12 ga. cartridges. If the "13" is stamped on the bottoms of the barrels, that refers to how the bores gauged, not the cartridge for which the gun is chambered.
I have a pair of Charles Lancaster oval bore rifled barrels, 12 ga. chambers, but the bore gauge stamp is "14".
I have a pair of Charles Lancaster oval bore rifled barrels, 12 ga. chambers, but the bore gauge stamp is "14".
Yeah the other posts are likely right and it could be chambered for 2 1/2" shells. On old english made shotguns the bore diameter a certain distance down the barrel was marked 13/1, 14/1, 13, 12..... or other numbers along those lines. They are not the gauge of the gun. Depending on the year the gun was made you may see a diamond shape with a 12 over a C or a 12 over a LC. This shows the gauge and the length of the chamber.
There is a lot of info in the proof marks of an English gun and you will see all kinds of marks on the barrel and action to tell you what you need to know.
Ellwood Epps sells 2 1/2" Gamebore (Kent) 12 Ga ammo. I use these in two old LeFaucheux shotguns and unlike the 2 3/4", they will meet the pressure level limit of these shotguns, too.
Be careful with Damanscus barrels, though.
Not a scientific way to verify it, but usually, a 2 1/2" will chamber an unfired 2 3/4" and 3" but will leave the 3 1/2" about 1/2" out, while a 2 3/4" will swallow the 3 1/2" easily.
Be careful with Damanscus barrels, though.
Not a scientific way to verify it, but usually, a 2 1/2" will chamber an unfired 2 3/4" and 3" but will leave the 3 1/2" about 1/2" out, while a 2 3/4" will swallow the 3 1/2" easily.
No doubt those were 2 3/4" shells. They got stuck because they filled the chamber right to the end, including the space that's there to provide room for the crimp when open. The crimp opened into the forcing cone instead of into the chamber. The resulting pressures would have been higher than normal in that situation.
Were these smokeless (nitro) shells that were used? If so, the average pressure (not counting the crimp opening into the forcing cone) of such shells is approximately DOUBLE what the gun was designed for - the equivalent of a black powder proof load.
The hulls were difficult to remove because they were jammed into the end of the chamber and opened into the FC. Without a doubt, you should be using black powder shells in that gun - 2 1/2" or shorter.
If you buy this gun and shoot it with black powder, be advised that BP is extremely corrosive. The gun should be cleaned thoroughly the same day it is used.
Other than that, if you're like me, you'll get a big kick outta hunting/shooting black powder. It's a little messy, but you can't beat that authentic smell. The clouds of smoke are something else, too. That's why "smokeless" became so popular. The reduced corrosion was just a bonus.
If the shells were unloaded, except for the primers, the gun was possibly hard to open because the primers may have backed out a bit. When there is no pressure from an actual load firing, this could happen.
Before any elderly gun like this is actually used, you really want to be careful that everything is correct. Measuring the chambers is very important, as has been pointed out.
If the gun does have chambers less than 2 3/4", and if you cannot locate factory shells of the correct length, it is not difficult to handload correct ammunition. I made a little trimming jig, a wad cutting tool, and use an old roll crimper to close the cartridges.
Before any elderly gun like this is actually used, you really want to be careful that everything is correct. Measuring the chambers is very important, as has been pointed out.
If the gun does have chambers less than 2 3/4", and if you cannot locate factory shells of the correct length, it is not difficult to handload correct ammunition. I made a little trimming jig, a wad cutting tool, and use an old roll crimper to close the cartridges.
MauserMike
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
Yes roll crimped. The forcing cones are probably pretty steep too for felt/fibre wads, not that you really want to shoot plastic wads with black powder loads anyway.
I don't know where you are, but you would want such a gun checked out by an expert if you intend to use it. Get a warranty period long enough to get it checked out.
I don't know where you are, but you would want such a gun checked out by an expert if you intend to use it. Get a warranty period long enough to get it checked out.
