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even this gun was ordered with 2/3/4 inch chambers and the 20 ga shells were only 2 1/2 inch at this time...in 1917 the guy that ordered this gun was maybe loading his own shells for primed empty hulls could be ordered in up to 3 inch in 1917 at that time...charlie
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While the 2 1/2 inch 20-gauge shell was the North American "standard" shell in that gauge, 2 3/4, 2 7/8 and 3-inch 20-gauge shells were available. In the 20-gauge, the maximum loads offered in the "standard" 2 1/2 inch case were 2 1/4 drams of bulk smokeless powder or 18 grains of dense smokeless powder such as Ballistite or infallible pushing 7/8 ounce of shot. In the 2 3/4 inch and longer 20-gauge cases one could get 2 1/2 drams of bulk smokeless powder or 20 grains of Ballistite or Infallible pushing that same 7/8 ounce of shot a bit faster.
These were the shells for the famous Hanford and Widgeon Duck Club Parker Bros. 3-inch 20-gauge guns and the J. Stevens Arms & Tool Co.'s No. 200 pump.