Thanks, Josey! So your chambers measure 2 7/8"? Is there a chance you can measure the barrel wall thickness at the end of the chamber?

The seller of this GHE has agreed to extend the inspection period until I get the research letter.

Yes the chambers measure pretty close to 2 7/8". Unfortunately I don't have a barrel wall thickness gauge so I can't give you those measurements.

Thanks for the help everyone! Now I'll wait for my research letter. Is there any chance of getting an early word about the chambers before I receive my letter?
Meanwhile, does anyone else happen to have end of chamber/forcing cone wall thickness measurements for a Parker 12 gauge?
I'm leaning towards the idea this is a non-Parker modification that was done a long time ago as evidenced by consistent rust staining through the full length of the chamber. Also, the fact my chambers are 3" exactly, not following the factory practice of being 1/8" short.
Drew, by the way my forcing cones are 1/2".

After Chuck receives your payment he can tell you what he finds either privately or publicly, your choice. All you have to do is ask him.






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Some time ago there was a thread where it was discussed/speculated that if a customer's order called for a "3-inch chamber", that is what they got. But, if the request was "chamber for 3-inch shells" the chamber would be 2 7/8 inch. Have no idea if this has any validity.

I’ve heard and read the same thing Dave.




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That's interesting! I'm more curious than ever to see what the letter says. It sounds like 3" factory chambers are not out of the question yet.
I carefully remeasured my chamber end wall thickness and the lowest reading was .096" left and .105" right. I measured a lot of locations and it was an eye opener how much variation there was. The .096" was a single low spot, all other readings on the left barrel were over .105" with a high reading of .112". The right barrel was likewise over .110" except in that one spot and had a high of .118". I recently got the gauge from Brownell's and am trying to be accurate with it. It's sensitive to pressure, to say the least.

The usual end of chamber factory wall thickness for 2 frame Parkers is about .120 “.

These barrels measure .118" right and .120" at 2 5/8" from the breech, so if these barrel had been chambered with a standard length chamber that would be consistent with your measurements. I'm in the process of measuring a few 12 gauge doubles right now. I only have one other 1 1/2 Parker but I have a LC Smith, a Baker, and a 21 Winchester for comparison.

I hope you wind up with a factory 3 inch gun...I really like 3 inch guns they seem to have some thing magical about them.....charlie