Chamber Length

[Researcher]

This kind of question gets harder to answer as every year goes by and we don't know with any certainty what has been done to these old guns over the last century, or just last week for that matter. Do we have any idea as to when this "policy" of holding chambers 1/8 inch shorter than the intended shell began? I only own a few Parker Bros. doubles. My 1894 vintage 3-frame NH-Grade has chambers that measure a true 2 7/8 inch. My Father's 1902 vintage 2-frame VH-Grade 12-gauge has chambers that measure a true 2 3/4 inch. My 1930 vintage 0-frame VH-Grade 20-gauge has chambers that measure 2 3/8 inch for the 2 1/2 inch 20-gauge shells.

I own quite a few Ansley H. Fox guns. In going through and checking them I find the 12-gauge guns I own that were made between 1906 and 1912 all have 2 3/4 inch chambers. In the guns made from 1913 on into the 1930s I find mostly 2 5/8 inch 12-gauge chambers, 2 7/16 inch 16-gauge chambers and 20-gauge chambers a strong 2 3/8 inch. I own a 1920 vintage 20-gauge AE-Grade that letters "Chamber for 2 3/4 inch shells" and it has 2 5/8 inch chambers.

It would be interesting to check the chamber lengths of some of the few Parker Bros. 10-gauge guns made between WW-I and WW-II.