I guarantee you didn’t do that damage with standard 2 3/4” shells in 2 5/8” chambers - those chambers were cut for 2 3/4” shells!




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I think in most cases lengthening is a waste of time and who knows the history of your VH. If it was already 50+ years old who knows how many Peters duck loads were sent down river. This isn't some fragile British game gun proofed to a certain standard.

I think Andy said it best. I'll also throw in messing with chokes. Just learn to shoot the gun with the proper ammo or move it down the road.

Thank you Daryl. I know a whole hell of a lot of people who shoot a lot and wish for tighter chokes and not a whole lot who want less choke. And that includes bird hunters too. That is why God made spreader loads. If it was 1925 and I was ordering a VHE it would be a 16 on an 0 frame with 26" barrels, weigh 6 lbs and be choked M/F or IM/F and that's about what you'll find anyways.

With my apologies to Mr. Roth for sidetracking his thread here I'll say one last thing about chokes, chambers, etc. The very first Parker I bought 54 years ago was a 20ga VHE, 26" which I assumed was IC/M as that's what I was told by the seller. Back then I knew nothing about checking bores, constrictions or chamber lengths. I shot the snot out of that gun on everything from quail, ducks, geese, doves and turkeys. Ten or so years ago I acquired the equipment to perform those measurements and guess what? It was IM/F with 2 1/2" chambers. Take from that what you will.

I'm not very good shot. I thought that a more open choked gun would make me better at clays, and this gave me a good excuse to buy another Parker, but at least on my level, if I pick up my cyl/skt or my mod/full, I still break about the same -50% to 60%.
I should stick to the basics. Not worry about chokes. Just point and shoot and keep all the Parker barrels warm!

I think by now this is what we might called “the age old argument.” I did finally watch the 5 stand at the Southern with excellent commentary from Mountain Mike. I now see why the predilection for tight chokes. Shots were taken at ranges I would never take in my hunting. But I’ll keep my more open right barrels and my 75-80% on pointed wild quail (we won’t mention my per cent shooting on grouse). Those birds will be dead, but without too much shot butchering the meat. On the rare occasion we try for pheasants, I have a long barreled Du Bray ordered, high stocked VH with tight chokes… and will refrain from shooting at, and shredding, any Bobs we might encounter.:bigbye:

Garry I can't disagree, and my favorite quote is, "Let them get out a little bit then shoot them..." Yeah, try that with a grouse.

Some folks are always looking for something to make them better without putting in the work. That's how golf club and ball manufacturers etc. make their living. My old pops had a saying, "Get a gun and learn to shoot it."

I've got a dozen or so shotguns on the place, all right off the peg as the Brits say. I've got a couple of primitive bore/choke/chamber devices, a $12 trigger pull gauge, and a dry wall square to check the stock dimensions, mostly just because I'm curious, not because I intend to make any changes. I'm an indiscriminate shooter: I can miss equally well with all of them, and often do :)