PELLET COUNT FOR PARKER PROOFING

[Bob Jurewicz]

What weight and shot size did Parker Bros use when patterning 12 GA guns?
Thanks for your input.
Bob Jurewicz

[Researcher]

You can't know without the hang-tag. Some 12-gauge guns show 1 1/8-ounce --

107705 01 12-gauge, 2 3-4 inch, 1 1-8 ounce.jpg

and some 1 1/4-ounce --

108998 12-gauge, 2 3-4 inch, 1 1-4 ounce.jpeg

Then some are totally confusing. This tag for a 1925 vintage gun shows 1 1/4-ounce and 2 5/8-inch shells?!?

213855 12-gauge, 2 5-8-inch, 1 1-4 ounce.jpg

Our U.S. ammunition manufacturers quit offering 1 1/4-ounce loads in the 2 5/8-inch 12-gauge shell between 1906 and 1907. From then on, you had to go to the 2 3/4-inch or longer shells for 1 1/4-ounce.

[Drew Hause]

Shot size varied significantly by the turn-of-the-century maker. Most U.S. doubles were patterned with Tatham's