[Austin W Hogan]

Bill; I would really like to find a solid pre 1920 reference to this long shell in short chamber pattern theory. I think Askins the elder alluded to it but did not verify or explain it.
The bore jig I used to measure the Super Fox allowed me to make some quantitative measurements about this. One of my own "competition" guns is 136683 that dates from 1906 and was made to measurements by DuBray. It shoots beautifully tight, round patterns with both barrels. It is chambered 2 3/4 inches; the front of the forcing cone has a long taper ending at the barrel diameter of .740 inch at 6 inches from the breech, and one choke is more parabolic than like Oscar's "OGEE". I have a VHE with btfe and monte carlo, no safety 170789 , 32 inches that shoots similar round patterns. It is also 2 3/4 chamber with the forcing cone taper meeting the bore of .738 at 5 inches from the breech, and again a more parabolic choke in the left (full) barrel. A third 32 inch PH (207489) also reaches .738 at five inches, and the left barrel choke begins at .740 five inches back from the muzzle with a more parabolic than ogee taper. These dimensions do not duplicate the Super Fox, but the forcing cone taper and choke taper is of the same form.
These three guns tell me either that these owners sent their guns to Becker, or that King knew how to produce these patterns with forcing cone and choke profiles that did not involve jamming the case mouth into the forcing cone.
I have some "new" primed 3 inch ten gauge paper cases from two makers that have never been loaded or fired. They measure 2 7/8 inches precisely. I would like to find some unloaded twelve ga cases to measure.
The Super Fox has beautifully tapered chokes and forcing cones. The chambers measure .788 - 792 at 2 5/8 from the breech. The most common plug type chamber gauges are .792 wide. I did not measure the Super Fox with a blade gauge, but it may have measured 2 5/8.
Multiply fired modern 2 3/4 cases measure 2.66 +/-. Squaring the ragged mouth would shorten them a little. Were paper 2 3/4 cases also 2 5/8? We need some unfired cases to measure.

Best, Austin