10 Gauge Lifter or Top Lever?

[Jay Oliver]

I want to add to my Parker collection this year with a 10 Gauge hammer gun. This would be my first short chambered 10 gauge and something I would like to shoot with low pressure shells.

I searched the forum on chamber lengths and couldn't find any years or serial numbers where the chamber lengths went from 2 5/8 to 2 7/8. I had assumed all Lifters were 2 5/8's and all Top Levers were 2 7/8's, but really have nothing to base my "guess" on. Is this assumption true?

I don't reload 10 Gauge(though I am open to it) and wanted to use RST Shells(which are 2 7/8) at least to get started using the gun.

I may be over thinking this and should just find a gun I like, Lifter or Top Lever, and then worry about chamber length. Any input would be appreciated.

Thank you,

Jay

[Dean Romig]

No, your assumption is not necessarily correct. I have a lifter 10 with 2 7/8" chambers and have had other lifter 10's with 2 7/8" chambers.

[David Dwyer]

I also have a D grade lifter 10 with 2 7/8 chambers and shoot RST's. I also enjoy 12ga chambermates and the much more affordable 12ga RSTs in the gun
David
I favor the lifters and have one from 20ga to 10ga and shoot them all!

[Bill Murphy]

You should probably avoid guns with square corner chambers if you are going to shoot it a lot. By the way, 2 5/8" tens are in the planning stages at RST. Pick the nicest gun you can afford. Buy condition.

[Dean Romig]

Bill, did you mean "square corner chambers" or a 90 degree standing breech to action flats angle?

[Jay Oliver]

I appreciate the responses, and in my searching online did seem to find more guns I like that are lifters. I just was concerned about 2 5/8 length as far as shell availability. I agree with you on condition and would like to find a nice grade 2 gun.

[CraigThompson]

Last year I bought a lifter radius and a top lever , both 10 gauge and both Grade 2 . I do hand load so shells are of no issue to me . And if my memory serves both of these guns are 2 7/8" by my brownells chamber gauge . The lifter is an 1881 gun and the top lever is an 1884 gun .

[CraigThompson]

You may wish to actually handle the lifter guns before you leap . While I have found the top levers I've handled to be shoot able as is , the stock dimènsions on the lifters I've handled have been a little much in the drop department .

[Bill Murphy]

Dean, I was referring to square corner chambers. Of course, I don't even know whether my shooters have them.

[Dean Romig]

Craig -

What is a "lifter radius"?

[CraigThompson]

Craig -

What is a "lifter radius"?

That's a lifter with the breech face to water table not be square in the corner but rather radiused .

[Dean Romig]

Ah!.... Thank you.

[Jay Oliver]

I was surprised find out how many lifters were chambered in 2 7/8's. That shows what making assumptions does. I am glad I asked this forum and appreciate all of the responses.

[Austin J Hawthorne Jr.]

Just curious Bill. What are the perceived disadvantages of square corner chambers?

[CraigThompson]

Just curious Bill. What are the perceived disadvantages of square corner chambers?

I've had a couple folks tell me that the square corners stress more and or crack there easier then the guns that have a radius in the corner . Whether that rings true or not I do not know , but when I got around to buying a lifter gun I made an effort to get one with a radius . And it still needed a good bit of work (but it wasn't cracked), but for what I paid and the fact that it was made in 1881 I think I still came out okay .

[Dean Romig]

There seems to be some confusion between chambers that were cut for metallic (often brass) cartridges (square chambers) and the 90 degree angle of the action flats intersection with the standing breech (also referred to as square cut) on the earliest lifters. Later Parker Bros modified this 90 degree angle by machining a radius to this juncture.
A number of the early (square cut) guns suffered cracking at this juncture and the word today is that "If you shoot it often enough, it may crack." Evidence suggests this may be more than just rumor.

The chambers that were cut for metallic cartridges don't crack that we know of. I have a few of these guns and shoot them with the appropriate RST loads and never give it a second thought. If your plastic shell opens beyond the end of the "square" chamber it is no worse than shooting a 2 3/4" shell in a gun with 2 5/8" chambers... maybe an increase of 100 p.s.i.

[Jay Oliver]

When I started this thread I was afraid(In a good way) that I would have a 10 gauge soon. I did find an early gun(1874) D grade I couldn't live without.

It has 32 inch barrels(which was my preference in a 10) and an English stock which I also prefer. It has 2 7/8 chambers, which I also I wanted and is choked IM/F. I went out of my budget to get it, but it will be my first D grade.

Since it is an early gun it will likely have the square chambers discussed in this thread. I am only going to shoot RST and low pressure equivalent shells(when I start to reload 10 gauge). Hopefully, I won't have any issues with light loads.

I won't have then gun until early April, but I will post pictures as soon as I get it. I already ordered my Parker research letter. I am looking forward to shooting it at the Southern SXS.

Thanks again for all of the suggestions and advice!

Jay

[Mike Franzen]

Congratulations on your acquisition. Looking forward to the pics