Chamber lengths on 12 ga. Trojan

[David Livesay]

I am in the process of buying a 12 ga. Trojan. I have already ordered a factory letter as of yesterday. It was made in 1921 and has 30-inch barrels choked F/F.
Do all of the Trojans from that era have 2 & 3/4 chambers?

[Dave Noreen]

Very likely left Meriden with 2 5/8-inch chambers, intended for 2 3/4-inch shells.

[Andrew Sacco]

Dave, I have a number of Parkers that I measure with the brass gauge as 2 5/8" chambers. I think I have one or two with 2.5" chambers, you would think I would know off the top of my head. I continue to get into debates about shooting 2 3/4" shells in 2 5/8" chambers and I think you or someone else said it was because Parker wanted a better seal? Does that mean for PAPER shells only? Or given good barrels and wood, it would be OK to use modern 2 3/4" shells? I'm talking about sporting clays rounds like Fiocchi Shooting Dynamics, AA, B&P etc, NOT hot hunting loads. I have some deplorables who give me a hard time like I'm clubbing a baby seal or something.

[Bill Murphy]

How many thousand 2 3/4" shells has a 1920 Trojan digested without damage to its 2 1/2" or 2 5/8" chambered barrels?

[Dean Romig]

Does that mean for PAPER shells only? Or given good barrels and wood, it would be OK to use modern 2 3/4" shells? I'm talking about sporting clays rounds like Fiocchi Shooting Dynamics, AA, B&P etc, NOT hot hunting loads. I have some deplorables who give me a hard time like I'm clubbing a baby seal or something.

Well they didn't have plastic hulls back then and brass hulls were already obsolete, so...




.

[Andrew Sacco]

Well, that wasn’t my question Bill but thanks anyways and I get that Dean of course. I think we’ve all been through this when somebody berates us for not using RST shells in a 2 5/8 inch chamber. I basically tell them to go to hell without saying so. I don’t know why I care so much because i dont really give a shit what people think. So there’s that. Just wondering what information and how to educate the uneducable.

[Daryl Corona]

Andy,
I'm with you on this as I've shot nothing but 2 3/4" loads since buying my first Parker in the early 70's for no other reason than I had no idea about chambers or chokes. I just shot loads that didn't kick the snot out of me and I reloaded way back then so I know they were reasonable. It's like the argument 7 1/2's or 8's? If you feel the need for RST's go for it. They're a great shell but out of my price range for any volume shooting.

[Andrew Sacco]

I like RST but I have about 90 million factory flats ��

[Dean Romig]

Again, and I’ve said this before, when I was cutting my Parker teeth at 13 on a 12 gauge Trojan made in about 1917 I had no idea of it’s chamber length and I really didn’t care. I bought whatever my paper route earnings would buy me at the Western Auto downtown as long as it was #6 shot. Yes some of the stuff I bought made me take a step backward when I fired it but I just figured I needed to grow bigger and put on some muscle weight.
As long at it fit in my Trojan and I could close it…






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[Clark McCombe]

Other than maintaining a gun in 100% original condition, is there any reason not to lengthen the chambers? Provided the barrels are in good shape and the gunsmith is qualified?

[Dean Romig]

Why would you want to?
Why would you think that would be necessary?





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[Clark McCombe]

I was using the lightest Fiocchi dove loads I could find in my 16 ga Trojan. RST was out of stock at the time. After a few shots shooting clays the gun became hard to open. After much inner turmoil I decided to have the chambers lengthened to 2 3/4 by someone who came highly recommended. Problem was solved.

[Dave Noreen]

I have now had my go to upland gun, my 1914 vintage 12-gauge A-Grade, Ansley H. Fox, for 60 years and it has had a steady diet of 2 3/4-inch shells in its 2 5/8-inch chambers for all that time.

139508

[Craig Larter]

I shoot 2 3/4" 3/4oz reloads in all my Parkers and Foxes. If I didn't reload, I would shoot the cheapest 2 3/4" factory loads I could find, 7/8oz and 1200fps or less and not be concerned.

[Pete Lester]

Why would you want to?
Why would you think that would be necessary?
.

FWIW or maybe FYI, I believe you will find lot of guns that DelGrego & Son worked on had their chambers lengthened.

[Clark McCombe]

For me… One less thing to worry about.

[Harold Lee Pickens]

Opening up a chamber just makes sense to me, especially on a shooter.
One of the reasons I like Utica Foxes is that the later had 2 3/4" chambers and generally better stock dimensions.

[Bill Murphy]

Pete, in 1972, Del Gregos sent me an invoice for working on my 28 including a small charge for lengthening the chambers to 2 3/4". Years later, I measured the bores and chambers. You guessed it, 2 1/2". I had shot thousands of rounds through that gun over the years.

[Drew Hause]

Dave likely posted this previously, which should end the debate regarding 12g chambers and loads; from the 1914 catalog

12g (2 5/8" chambers) "for 2 3/4-inch shells"

https://photos.smugmug.com/Shotshells-and-pressures/Shotshells/i-2CKbdGj/0/KqT4DP9VbsgxHZ4TsCmpqsf8WzmxSjbJ7sB7HW6vD/L/S%26P%2017%201914%20Fox%20Loads-L.jpg (https://drewhause.smugmug.com/Shotshells-and-pressures/Shotshells/i-2CKbdGj/A)

Using 2 3/4" 20g shells in chambers shorter than 2 1/2" is an entirely different issue.

[ED J, MORGAN]

Ther is no need to lengthen 2 5/8 or 2 9/16 chambers for 2 3/4 shells , parker designed them for that shell,

[edgarspencer]

The front corner of the forcing cone is where the pressures are highest. .090" is considered the minimum safe thickness at that spot.
Lengthening a 2 7/16" chamber to 2 3/4" (16ga.) probably took that wall thickness down. A gunsmith with a chamber reamer is only as competent as the advise he gives you.
Shooting one brand, which gives you some issues, in opening the gun can be the result of a lot of things, the least of which is the 2 3/4" shell.