Experiment

[Gerald McPherson]

http://www.gunbroker.com/item/706704858
Check this out. Lesson learned.

[Mills Morrison]

If that guy is still around to benefit from the lesson and is in one piece, he is lucky

[Eric Eis]

Good parts gun !

[Destry L. Hoffard]

What's funny is several companies sold chambers to shoot rifle and pistol cartridges out of shotguns.

[Mike Poindexter]

Current SAAMI spec for 44mag is 36,000 psi. While the chamber insert probably holds the wall pressure, the pressure against the breech face and firing pin hole would seem to be unaffected, so the little gun is eating way more than our 7000 psi vintage shotgun shells, or even the 11000 psi SAAMI spec. Were the old chamber inserts designed for lower pressure black powder rifle cartridges?

[Mills Morrison]

Very interesting Mike.

Glad to learn that the easy way

[Dave Noreen]

Remington Arms Co. offered these for a number of years --

57623

1901 Remington Arms Co. catalog.

Note the warning about "high pressure smokeless powder cartridges"

[John Campbell]

Were the old chamber inserts designed for lower pressure black powder rifle cartridges?

In a word, yes. But one must remember that gas seal and firing pin clearance are the critical culprits here. Inserts do not offer an effective seal against gas flowing backward. And firing pin/standing breach clearance in these old doubles is generous. Result:
High pressure gas flows backward and around the insert, into the firing pin hole and lock recess, then blows out a chunk of 100-year-old black walnut.

Oops.

[Destry L. Hoffard]

I'm not saying I'd use one, but I believe Marbles sold them into the 50's or even after.

[Bill Murphy]

All of my Marbles inserts are "rifle to rifle" made for guns with small firing pin holes.

[charlie cleveland]

you can still buy these inserts today on line...i have bought 2 one a 38 special and the other 44 mag... they are only about 4 inches long and are smooth bore..the accuracy is terrible you would have to be with in 20 foot or less to hit something..when i seen this post i learned some thing i want be shooting any more of these in my guns...i even looked and shot a 20 ga lc smith that had the barrels cut and 454 casul liners put in it the acuracy was terrible i m galad i never bought it now....charlie