Chamber Gauge ?

[Mark Britton]

I am looking for a drop in chamber gauge for a 20 and 12 gauge gun. The steel ones that tell you the length of the chambers. Brownells has only 10 gauge left in stock and emailed me back .Item will no longer be available. Midway doesn't have them either. Any suggestions ?

[CraigThompson]

Galazan has a brass deal that’s 10-12-16-20-28-410 as well as choke gauge . Different leaf for each gauge and the choke gauge . I bought one at Sanford from them in 2022 for $25 .

[CraigThompson]

Here’s a link to what I bought but it only cost me $25 they’re showing $45 here . https://connecticutshotgun.co/professional-shotgun-chamber-length-gauge-with-integral-choke-gauge/

[Russ Jackson]

The Link Craig posted is the same as the one I purchased years ago from Galazan ,it is very convenient ! Perfect size to slip into your pocket for gun shows etc. ! Highly recommend it !

[Dave Noreen]

Chamber depth is considered to be the distance between the breech end of the barrels and the joint between the chamber body itself and the forcing cone, which reduces down to bore diameter. This is loosely based on the length of the "Fired" shell. Today, theoretically when the crimp opens on the shell being fired the end would land at the junction of the chamber and cone. Prior to WW-II many companies had the practice of holding the chamber about 1/8 inch shorter than the shell for which it was intended. Fly in the ointment is nominal measurements often differ from actual ones in both chambers and shells. A very good method I have found of measuring chambers without much outlay of cash, and is quite accurate enough for virtually any situation, is a common 6" flexible machinist's scale which you likely have. Hold the barrels with muzzles toward a light source, not necessarily a concentrated one a window is great, while looking into the breech and the cone will be thrown in a shadow. May have to move the barrels around a little until it is distinct. While still looking into the chamber simply slide the scale in until you observe the end coming flush with the shadow line & mark position of breech end with your thumb. Remove and read the scale. I usually repeat this a few times to insure I am getting a consistent reading, but you will be amazed how accurate this can be done. While I own a Galazan chamber gauge, I use this more often than not. The chamber body itself has a taper of about .005" per inch. Sometimes chambers were cut with slightly worn reamers giving a slight undersize chamber. If the chamber is a bit undersize a gauge made to "industry" standards will not go in to the true depth of the chamber. A.H. Fox Gun Co. shotguns are known for having tight chambers. The machinist’s scale method can be more accurate.

[Phil Yearout]

I have one of those Galazan gauges in my "gun evaluation kit" as well. Very handy. A member here actually made the first one which Tony copied and marketed.

[Alfred Greeson]

I have had Tony's gauges for a few years and they are really handle and virtually indestructible.

[Dave Tatman]

I have one on the way, thanks to this thread! :)

Dave

[Bill Jolliff]

Another potential Cheap 'n Dirty Chamber Gauge can be made using plastic hulls; RST's, etc. Check out the pictures below.

Make a nice, square cut just in front of the metal base and square up and trim as necessary. If possible, end up with a finished length of 2.0" +/- 1/16" for easier measuring.

Just slide the trimmed, squared off end into the chamber until it stops. Likely, just where the forcing cone begins. The other folded, crimped end will be seen in the chamber.

Then with a machinist's scale, measure how deep into the chamber that hull rests.

Add that measurement to the length of your gauge and you'll have your chamber length.

Works great.

Some pictures below and you can see what they look like. Make set for each gauge. Yeah, Cheap 'n Dirty.

You'll notice that I have my set of 4 threaded on a piece of line. If you'll look real close, it's not an ordinary piece of line. It has a collar crimped at each end.

For you Old Navy Salts, you'll recognize that as a Navy clothes pin. They were issued to us in Navy boot camp back in the early 1950's.

In boot camp, we did our laundry be hand and hung them out on a clothesline to dry. It was required you used as many of those Navy clothes pins as necessary keep your laundry tied to the clothesline.

And it had better be tied on with a square knot. If not, and the company commander found your laundry tied on with a Granny knot, you can expect to see your fresh washed clothes on the ground and stomped on.

Also, for those interested, I show a picture of the Galazan/Jolliff chamber gauge as discussed above. The one shown is Serial Number 1 made back in the 1970's.

[Bill Murphy]

Bill, I tried the Navy method, but the rope gets in the way. The gauge and the rope won't fit in the barrel. I prefer the Galazan gauge.

[Bruce Day]

FYI

[Bruce Day]

And for those who do not know what Parkers were made to shoot, this is from a 1910 Parker brochure . Parker made no mention of chamber length .

I use an old credit card cut to the diameter of a cartridge to insert in a chamber , I push it in until the card stops, then I measure the distance it went in past the chamber opening . The chamber diameter can also be measured by inserting a bore gauge and determining where the forcing cone begins , and then measuring how far the gauge was inserted.

[Mark Britton]

I have one on the way from Galanza for $55 with shipping. Would had rather had the Brownell type {like Gunther uses ) but O well better than what I have . Nothing ! Thanks to all ! Mark

[Bill Murphy]

I'm not familiar with the Brownell gauge.

[Daniel B Sweet]

Perhaps this makes sence for a chamber gauge, just take a new, unloaded, never crimped hull and place it in the chamber, if it's a 2 3/4" hull and goes in all the way it's 2 3/4" if it's an 1/8" short you have a 2 5/8" chamber and so on. Can it be that simple ?:eek:

[Mark Britton]

The Brownell gauge is a round solid steel ( like a shotgun shell ) You drop in like loading a gun and the circle lines tell you the chamber length. A different one for each gauge .

[Daniel B Sweet]

Am I correct, it appears to me that the velocities were taken at a range of 100' from the muzzle. If you were to extrapolate that what would the M/V be three feet from the muzzle ?

[Daniel B Sweet]

That answers my question, sounds like you take that new hull, mark it with a pen and you have a CSMC chamber gauge.

[Bruce Day]

Am I correct, it appears to me that the velocities were taken at a range of 100' from the muzzle. If you were to extrapolate that what would the M/V be three feet from the muzzle ?

You would need to know shot mass per pellet , surface area, drag, air resistance , but I think you can take an educated guess and consider the muzzle velocities to be about 1150 to 1200 fps. And also consider that from 1890 to today, the standard trap load is a 3 DRE 1 1/8 oz running at about 1200 fps. Parkers , irrespective of barrel steel , were made to shoot at least these loads. Parkers were not delicate guns.

[Arthur Shaffer]

That answers my question, sounds like you take that new hull, mark it with a pen and you have a CSMC chamber gauge.

Actually, you take a new hull, mark it as measured from the front and you have a form of Brownell's gauge. They need to be measured from the front and measure to the breech. Most plastic hulls are short so they need to be marked to proper length. On a Brownell's gauge the marks are to the rear. This has been a confusing thread. The question was about chamber gauges and probably 2/3's of the posts are about choke gauges. All interspersed.

I bought a set of the Brownell gauges 25 or 30 years ago and they are absolutely the best I have ever seen. They are made, by my measurements, to the exact specs. I have measured a lot of European guns that wouldn't measure to spec, and some of those suffered from tight fit or sticky extraction when used. Note that they almost all would take a new hull with no effort. An emppty hull has enough give so that it will enter a tight chamber yet stick when loaded. I have used some quality brass shells as gauges and a few times in a pinch a new plastic shell. The best method, and it is a compromise, is to use a new long (3 or 3.5") hull and cut it to exact length. Most new plastic hulls are undersized to some extent but will work in a pinch. Fired hulls of all kinds are useless.

I wish someone like Wheeler will pick the business up and make them available.

[DougPowell]

Do you think this is accurate (enough)? I went through my socket set and found the widest one that would fit in the barrels. Attached an extension to make it longer, slid it in, made a sharpie mark on the extension where the edge of the barrel was, and measured it. I got 2 7/8”, so I should be safe to shoot with a 2 3/4 shell? Make sense? I guess you could also drop a 3” shell in and if <=1/4” is still sticking out….

[Brian Dudley]

Just buy the brass CSMC gauge and be done with it. It works, it gives you all gauges and is reasonably priced.
The only thing on it that may not always be accurate is the choke gauge.

[DougPowell]

thanks for the rapid reply! My only personal problems with getting the brass gauge are I don’t see myself ever needing to do this again, and I’d like to shoot this weekend. My concern with the steel socket was damaging something, but I was gentle. :)

[Brian Dudley]

When use a pencil or a dowel.

[DougPowell]

Yep, I also did it with an unsharpened pencil and flashlight and measured >=2 3/4" that way too.

[Craig Budgeon]

Unfortunately Bill is a Fox collector and declined to add the 410 chamber on the original, well Herschel did. Bill great tool in the 1970's and still is.

[randall rosenthal]

I tried the cut the brass off an unfired shell and measure the remainder with a strip made from an old credit card. easy as can be and accurate enough to know . love this site!!

[allen newell]

Gents, just buy the dam brass gauge. It's short money and you will find yourselves using it from time to time and on your buddies guns too. It's short money

[Tom Hawkins]

As Phil stated, a gun evaluation kit is very helpful. I made this kit years ago when the components were considerably cheaper. It has saved many mistakes over the years. It can be carried in a pocket and is lightweight. I could have doubled my money many times over the years if I had wanted to. The contents are as follows;
1 Chamber gauge
2 Bore gauge
3 Bore light
4 Tape Measure
5 Magnifying Glass

This kit is used along with a list of pre established checks to help prevent mistakes. My son calls it my screw prevention kit.

[Phil Yearout]

Tom, your kit looks a lot like mine; screw prevention kit is a good name! I've since replaced the 6" rule and the round choke gauge with a brass folding chamber/choke gauge. It has saved me a few times, or at least helped me to determine what I was willing to pay! I like your tin...

https://i.imgur.com/17YxlTKl.jpg

[Stan Hillis]

I agree with Dave (Researcher) about using the 6" scale. It works very well, is repeatable, and eliminates the issue with varying chamber diameters. I have used it successfully for many, many years. If it works, don't fix it.