Disconnect between Hang-Tag & Letter
 

I was just looking at a 20-gauge for sale on GI that includes the original hang-tag and has a letter. The letter states "RH full and LH full."

The hang-tag states the gun was targeted with 2 1/2 inch 20-gauge shells with 2 1/4 drams of bulk smokeless powder and 7/8 ounce of #8 Tatham Chilled Shot. The tag states R.H. Bbl. targets 100 pellets, L.H. Bbl. targets 150 pellets. According to the charts I've found, Tatham #8s run 399 per ounce which would be 349 in 7/8 ounce. 100/349 = 28.7% and 150/349 = 43% essentially extremely open.

https://www.gunsinternational.com/gu...n_id=101458959

I saw the same , I would believe the hang tags, with today's ammo the gun skeet and mod.Chokes listed as .005 & .017

Not the first gun I have seen with chokes that did not match a letter. And I am talking about cases there the gun is much tighter than the letter states on one or both barrels. That doesn't just happen on its own.

After sleeping on this, it occurs to me that the gun might well have been built for stock full & full and then the chokes opened per the hang-tag to fill an order.

Attached is a copy of the stock book for 195024 and above it is 195023 which is a 16ga. gun. Notice the 2 entries for pellet count on the 16ga. gun. The top is RH, the bottom LH. This was with #7 shot. Look at the pellet count for 195024 and you see only 1 entry which would mean both barrels had the same pellet count using #8 shot. I guess that there could have been an entry on top of 240 but I can't see it. Using 240 as the pellet count it comes out to 69%, much different than the hang tag!

I love looking at the pages from the records. It's like looking at the Dead Sea Scrolls. (And I'm glad Chuck can read this writing!)

If I remember correctly rom reading it here a few months ago, PB used a 20" circle for patterning.

The pattern circle diameter and distance changed over time. The earliest tag I've saved a picture of that shows the Brothers P using the "standard" 30-inch circle at forty yards is in the 117xxx range. The hang-tag for the gun in question shows the 30-inch circle at forty yards.

Attachment 85005

There was also a period during which the patterning ‘circle’ was actually an oval... something like 18” X 24” or some such. Chuck can verify the dimensions. I don’t know if the oval was in a “portrait” position or “landscape” position though.






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The very first guns were patterned using 18 x 24" at 45 yards. I'm guessing it was an oval. Then it was 24" at 45 yards, then finally 30" at 40 yards. I think the small gouges were patterned at shorter distances sometimes. The stock books when copied many times would not show the distances. The book was too long for the copier.