A shotgun gauge oddity: The 24 Gauge

[Matt Buckley]

I've been researching the odd ball 24 gauge and I'm wondering if anybody here has or shoots a 24 gauge. They seem to be as rare as hens teeth in the US.

[Bill Murphy]

There are always 24 gauge shooters at the Southern and some other vintage gun shoots. The 24 gauge Parker is well known to Parker students.

[Clark McCombe]

Oh no!!
That means I'm missing a 28 ga, a .410 and now a 24 ga from my Parker collection !! :)

[Dave Noreen]

Other than the one Parker Bros. 24-gauge made for United States Cartridge Co., the bulk of the 24-gauge guns made in the U.S. were single barrels.

The Remington No. 3 --

131892

Harrington & Richardson Model 1905 --

131893

and later Model 1915 --

131894

One hundred plus years ago the 24-gauge was loaded with 3/4 ounce of shot --
131895

131897

While the 28-gauge came with 5/8 ounce --

131896

[Andrew Sacco]

I shot a 24g and 32g from a British manufacturer over ten years ago at Lehigh Valley. An friend of a friend let me try and after I found out how much he paid for them I wished I hadn't touched them. Amazing British guns, but for the life of me I could not tell you what they were, but they were the same maker, same model and together he paid close to 150K for them. I wish now I knew. I've never seen a 24g parker but it would be neat to see.

[edgarspencer]

24ga. is very popular in Italy and France. I had a Belgian SxS 24 and Fiocchi was the only thing I could find.
I don't think it's as much that they are rare, but just that they don't come on the market often because of the reluctance of buyers to get stuck with nothing to feed them. Ballistic products does sell hulls and wads, and Nick Ross will make you a roll crimper.

[Matt Buckley]

Ballistic products sells a 24 gauge roll crimper as well. Very interesting information on the 24.

[Jay Oliver]

Matt,

The 24 gauge has intrigued me as well. I have some shells as well as hulls and a few other reloading components. I think part of me was hoping to get one and then I might just finally have a chance at wining a shooting category at the southern.

I missed an imported 24gauge sxs hammergun this passed year and it still bothers me!

Hopefully we both find one

[Dave Noreen]

Two more companies that offered 24-gauges --

131898

131899

[CraigThompson]

We had an O/U Italian made 24 gauge at the shop a couple years ago . Sold it with a flat of shells . It wasn’t a high quality gun if memory serves it sold on GB for about 1k . I contemplated it for a bit just for the novelty factor , but when I couldn’t find a loading press I got over the idea quickly .

[Arthur Shaffer]

As noted, pretty common in Europe. Beretta made the 686 in 24 and 32. Twenty five or so years ago, a number of them were imported by I believe Quality Arms. They still turn up with some regularity on Guns International.