3 dram & 3 1/4 dram

[Christopher Cefalu]

I have a 1924 DHE 2 barrel set, 28 inch and 30 inch barrels with the original hanging tags that show what the barrels were proofed/test with. the 28's show a 3 dram load and the 30's show a 3 1/4 dram shell tested. Is it safe to say that I can shoot modern 3 & 3 1/4 dram?? Or have the standards for dram equivalent changed with modern loads?

[Bill Murphy]

What a treasure. Maybe you can post a picture of this great gun. We don't normally shoot those "big box store" 3 1/4 dram equivalent loads in our Parkers, but the 3 dram equivalent loads are much easier on the gun and on your shoulder. This being said, Parker trap and pigeon guns seldom shot any loads under 1 1/4 ounces for 100 years, and are still in fairly good shape. I don't think my PHE trap gun ever shot anything less than 1 1/4 ounce loads before I became its lucky owner. I still shoot 1 1/4 ounce loads in it to kill box birds.

[Christopher Cefalu]

Here is a picture of the set.

[Dave Noreen]

Wonderful to have such a set and with the hang-tags! Wow!!

FWIW those are the loads the barrels were pattern tested with. The "proof loads" would have been much heavier/hotter.

Is your gun a 1 1/2- or 2-frame?

[Christopher Cefalu]

It is a 2 frame gun.