pre 1898 winchester 1887

A propos nothing whatsoever, anybody see the Chiappa 1887/Mare's Leg Terminator thing displayed at the Shot Show? Make something like that with a non-antique gun, sawing it off at both ends, it would be a prohib. Do it with a 12/14ga newly created antique, what would its legal status be?

12/14 ammunition was made late enough that plastic cartridges were available.
This business about the trident firing pin making it impossible to use conventional cartirdges is just plain silly. Cut the two side prongs off, and guess what? The thing becomes a standard centerfire.
 
tiriaq said:
A propos nothing whatsoever, anybody see the Chiappa 1887/Mare's Leg Terminator thing displayed at the Shot Show? Make something like that with a non-antique gun, sawing it off at both ends, it would be a prohib. Do it with a 12/14ga newly created antique, what would its legal status be?

12/14 ammunition was made late enough that plastic cartridges were available.
This business about the trident firing pin making it impossible to use conventional cartirdges is just plain silly. Cut the two side prongs off, and guess what? The thing becomes a standard centerfire.
Click to expand...

i dont want to saw it off more of a odd ball shotgun for fun thats antique just because but the cut down ones are really cool i dont think they are chiappa but someone is making them down there in the US they should be NR here anyway

and yes sawing the prongs off would fix that problem(done alot when they where sold as surplus) but most of the people who would have got there hands on them may have not been so crafty and yes later on there was a 100% plastic shell and some even loaded with a slug that had a hole down the center with fins in it that where supposed to spin the slug i doubt they did
 
tiriaq said:
A propos nothing whatsoever, anybody see the Chiappa 1887/Mare's Leg Terminator thing displayed at the Shot Show?

12/14 ammunition was made late enough that plastic cartridges were available.
This business about the trident firing pin making it impossible to use conventional cartirdges is just plain silly. Cut the two side prongs off, and guess what? The thing becomes a standard centerfire.
Click to expand...

I saw the ad for it posted a day or two ago when I logged on. If it was cheap enough, tempting to buy one and rebarrel it and restock it to make it look like it should have in the first place. I am betting they will cost close to $1000 as they come. Possibly a good thing so that I am not tempted

Unless I am mistaken the two lugs were on a ring in the breach block and you could remove the ring without impeding the center pin function. I have a 14 guage gun (never got around to shooting it) and have made 14 guage shells from Win AA shells. Only the AA shells work because the other shells collapse in the forming process. I made up a die with a handle on it and put that in boiling water. Then take it out and press a AA shell in to it with a bottle capping press. Knock it out again with a wooden dowel. By forming hot, the shells retain their new shape when cool. The reason that I did it was that I tried converting a 12 guage double into a 14 g so that it could be classed antique. Bushed the chambers and rechambered to match the police shell. The first gun was a remington dbl with shortened barrels and no choke. I guess it would have been good for clearing bar rooms but not much else. Tried it a second time with a full choke gun and not much better. Keep in mind that I was using smokeless loads and 16 guage shot cups. My impression is that for sub guage liners to work, you probably need to use fairly hot loads to get the shot cup to bump up. Anyhow, I ended up reaming the bushing out of the chamber back to 12 guage. Interesting lesson

cheers mooncoon
 
The thing that I found interesting about the '87 was that the action is very much like that of the Spencer rifle. Block drops and rolls.
 
antiqueguy said:
only ones made in 10ga where 1901's the 1887's where 12ga only

almost had a 1901 but i wanted a 10ga for ducks and geese not going to pay through the roof for bismuth shot i still should have got it big old boomer with some BP buckshot loads would be nice
Click to expand...

You are half right, the 1901's are only 10 ga. The 1887's were both 10 & 12ga. Mine was 10 ga and lettered from Cody as 2nd yr production. All of the 20" barreled 87's issued to the U.S. prisons as riot guns were 10 ga.
The most expensive 87 I've ever seen was at the Cody Winchester show a couple of yrs ago, very fancy wood and almost like new apearance was priced at 75,000. I didn't ask to pick it up to cycle the action a couple of times ,just to feel if it would make a Cowboy gun!!! lol
 
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