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Unread 02-06-2024, 06:30 AM   #11
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Stan Hillis
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I know of no source for 2 5/8" 12 ga. shells aside from reloading them yourself. But, the point I think Drew was making is that there is really no reason not to use 2 3/4" shells in the 2 5/8" chambers as long as the pressures are kept down. There is a proven increase in chamber pressure when a shell is fired in a chamber too short for it to completely open without the crimp being in the forcing cone, but it has been shown many times to be a small increase. Thus, the practice of starting out with pressures low enough to allow for that small increase, without getting into the higher pressure "realm".

Many over the counter loads, while labeled as 2 3/4" loads, do not open up to a full 2 3/4", anyway. When you start seeing the case mouth torn and ragged after firing you can know for certain that the shells are too long for your chamber. Absent that sign, I don't worry a whole lot about the length, preferring to focus on the resulting pressures generated.
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