Chamber on Brno/CZ SxS?

Jager

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I'm sorry this may be a little vague as I don't have the shotgun in front of me (Dad's), but it is a Brno side by side 12 gauge. It has very few markings from my recollection and am wondering if there is anything I should look for to determine what the chamber is? 2.75 or 3"?

Is there a practical home check to find out without going to a smith?
What about figuring out what chokes (fixed) it has?

One last question regarding chokes. I have an old H&R 12gauge single shot. It is just an old beater and is simply stamped "choke" on the barrel. Any idea as to WHAT choke?

Peter
 
If it does not state it is 3 inch it isn't.

The metric equivelant is 76mm I believe.

Look at all the proof marks... You may find a mark "70" which is 2 & 3/4.
 
If it is a Czech made SxS it is likely to be a Brno model ZP-49. Does it look like the gun on this page:

http://www.mcdonaldsgunshop.com/shotguns/brno_sn12544.htm

If so, it has 2 3/4 inch chambers. These guns usually come choked full and modified, and are not compatible with steel or other hard shot. Lead, bismuth or tungsten matrix is what it needs to eat.

These are nice hunting guns, pleasant to carry and effective to shoot. They have true sidelocks, built on the Baker coil spring design. Some have etched game scene engraving, others are unadorned. They were quite popular in Australia.

Your H&R 12 gauge will be full choke.

Sharptail
 
Buckbrush, you got a good deal. Around here, there have been a couple sell for around the $700 mark in the last year and a half. In my opinion, the quality of the gun easily supports that value. The $900 US they are asking for the 16 is a "little" high, but I only wanted to use the pictures for ID purposes

Sharptail
 
Thanks for the input. I will definately look for metric markings. Dads Brno is in much better shape than the one in the pics. It has a pistol grip stock and the full side locks (plain) are machined so well you really have to look for the seams. I am also fairly certain the hinge cross bolt does not have the 'star' pattern. Too bad about the steel shot but we're not much of waterfowlers (yet) so it's not a big deal.
 
Jager, are you sure about the hinge caps not having the star pattern? All of the ZP-49's that I have seen have that trademark pattern. If your father's does not, it may not be a ZP-49, and that means pictures become a necessity. Look at the pins in the lock plate on the pictures from the site I posted above, and compare them to your gun. Are the pins in the same place? Any visible differences that you can see?

Don't sweat about steel shot, it's no loss. Good quality ammo is available for all useful purposes for your gun. Go start scouting for grouse!

Sharptail
 
Jager said:
Too bad about the steel shot but we're not much of waterfowlers (yet) so it's not a big deal.

SHOTGUN BARREL ALTERATIONS FOR STEEL SHOT

Forcing Cone Alteration:

Factory shotgun barrels usually have a fairly short and abrupt forcing cone. The forcing cone is the tapered area just ahead of the chamber where the shell is contained. Altering the forcing cone, so it is one and one half or two inches in length, reduces recoil and improves the pattern density. Trap shooters and skeet shooters have been doing this for many years. It is a good benefit to the steel shot user as well.

Choke Alteration:
Choke designation from the tightest to the most open are:
Extra Full, Full, Improved Modified, Modified, Skeet II, Improved Cylinder, Skeet I, and Cylinder Bore.

Steel shot does not require the constriction that lead shot needs, to produce good patterns. In fact too much constriction, causes poor, erratic patterns, and in some cases, permanently damages the barrel. I have seen barrels bulged at the choke, I have seen barrels where the choke split right open, from using steel shot.

For steel shot, with thin barrels, chokes should be altered to at least Skeet II. Often, over & under, and side-by-side shotguns, are best altered to Skeet I and Skeet II chokes. Heavier barrels can be left at Modified choke but may see an improvement in the pattern if opened slightly.
 
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