28 gauge chamber

[John Bastiani]

Originally Posted by Dean Romig

My 1936 ( 236912 ) VHE 28 gauge Skeet gun (for sale on another thread in the For Sale sub forum) letters both in the PGCA Research Letter prepared by Chuck Bishop, and in the Griffin & Howe records of the A&F Parkers, prepared by Bob Beach, as having true 2 3/4" chambers from the Meriden factory.





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I have 2 28 gauge guns made in 1936 as your gun. The DHE 28 gauge skeet will accept a 2 7/8 paper shell thats from the same era. My VHE 28 guage will not accept the 2 7/8 shell but chambers the 2 3/4. Neither of the guns have the chambers listed in the factory letters. I wish that the early Meriden made Remington Parkers would have stamped the chamber size on the guns like they did when they moved to Ilion.

[Researcher]

Visually there is not a lot of difference in the various loaded 28-gauge shells --

28-gauge Super-X with 2 1-2-inch Remington Shur Shot.jpg

From left to right --

1. Remington Shur Shot 2 1/2-inch, roll crimp, loaded length 2.357-inch

2. Western Super-X 2 7/8-inch, roll crimp, loaded length 2.612-inch

3. Western Super-X 2 7/8-inch, Super Seal crimp, loaded length 2.495-inch

4. Western Super-X 2 3/4-inch, Super Seal crimp, loaded length 2.425-inch

[Researcher]

Looking through some of my stuff on another subject I found that a very late Parker 28-gauge from the September 2023 G & D auction had the hang-tag and it states, "Chambered for 2 7/8 inch shell."

242103 03.jpeg

The SAAMI meeting where it was suggested that manufacturers begin marking the chamber length on their shotguns was in 1937. On Savage made A.H. Fox guns I see the chamber length markings on some 1938 guns but fully in use on 1939 guns. In my Remington pumps and autoloaders I see barrels with date codes as late as December 1940 that just have the gauge but no chamber length.