Chamber lengths on 12 ga. Trojan
 

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?

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

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.

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?

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




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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.

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.

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

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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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?

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





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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.

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.

Attachment 139508

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.

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

For me… One less thing to worry about.

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.

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.

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/Shotshell...%20Loads-L.jpg

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

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,

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.