Full Length Tubes
 

I am contemplating adding 28 gauge full length tubes to my 20 gauge VH. Between the two major suppliers, Kolar and Briley, which would you recommend from experience and why?

I think they both make a quality product . If I had to tip my hat to one it would be Kolar but that’s kind of a personal thing .

What is the point? Why spend money for tubes to shoot a more expensive shell with less shot? If you want to shoot 3/4-ounce of shot just shoot 3/4-ounce 20-gauge shells. Back when your VH was made our ammunition manufacturers offered several 3/4-ounce 20-gauge loads.

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Because I have a lot of 28 gauge ammo and don't have a 28 gauge Parker? :)

Briley makes shorty tubes also well atleast for the 12 gauge perhaps they make shorties for the 20 as well .

20 to 28 tubes are fragile. I would not do the 20 to 28 thing.

Sell the 28 ga. ammo and reinvest the money into 20 ga. ammo…





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When tubing a gun you need to go down two sizes for best results. So a 12 to 20 is fine. 16 to 28. 20 to .410. For certain bore sizes you can get away with dropping one size, but it's not optimal.

I use Briley for any full-length tubes. They custom fit the tubes for a specific bbl set. I also have them make the tubes with fixed chokes.

I had a friend who shot of all things a Ruger Red Label 20 gauge at skeet and he had it tubes by Briley . I never heard him say anything negatively , except of course when he missed .

I just had Briley do a set of full length 28ga for my Parker 16Ga Damascus gun. I like it quite a bit, with 3/4oz loads it breaks clays well.

I have never shot a gun with sub gauge tubes in it and to be honest I never thought I would like it.

However...I just picked up a 16ga DHE 30" Damascus with 28 gauge Briley full length tubes in it. The barrels have a few dents and likely have low wall thickness(which I had measured today). Here is the gun: https://www.gunbroker.com/item/975272749

I shot sporting clays today with the 28ga tubes and loved every second. The tubes add 6-8 ounces so you have a heavy field gun, but a great clays gun. I had skeet in the right barrel and mod in the left. I didn't miss much.

I am going to confirm wall thickness at the Southern, but will likely always shoot the original barrels with tubes and be on the lookout for another set of barrels.

I think the tubes add a whole new dimension. In fact I think I would shoot a few of my 10 gauge hammer guns more if they had 16ga tubes. It didn't take me long to become a fan...

Thanks for all the advice. I did not know about needing to be 2 gauges different but had not really researched the subject. At the price of the 28 ga ammo, selling them may be more practical, but I would only use the setup for hunting anyway. I am not a skeet guy! :)

Either tube set is fine. I have both brands for skeet (Kolar in a Remington 3200 and Brilley in a Perazzi MX3). Personally I like Kolar but they are both superb tubes and you can't go wrong with either brand.

From my experience and your last post, tubing for hunting will make a barrel heavy gun. In my skeet guns, which are heavier that a 20g SxS, I actually added about 6oz of weight inside the stock to balance the gun better. Makes a heavier gun but it balances well.

Lastly, for whatever reason, in both sets of tubes I have, the 28g tubes throw the best pattern and consistently have the best smashes. If I hadn't to shoot 1 gauge, 28g would be it.

Kinda the reason I was contemplating the 28ga tubes. Maybe I will look for a 16 ga to add to the addiction! I understand the weight issue for field use, but that is why I go to the gym!

I put 20 ga Kolar tubes in a '89 BH damascus 12. Other than the low shooting dimensions it does great at clays and scares the hell out of the other shooters shooting that dangerous damascus.

Briley offers the option of the lightweight tubes instead of standard weight. The lightweight are maybe 4-6 oz lighter. For clays I went with standard weight tubes. There is an upcharge for the LW tubes. I don't remember exactly what it is but $150 seems to stick in my craw.

If and it’s a mighty big “if” , if you could find some gauge mate 20 to 28 chamber inserts that would be the easiest lightest etc way to go .

You also could talk to Lou Rotelli he might be able to make you a set or two of 20 to 28 chamber inserts .