Trojan 16ga 3" chambers

[Bruce Day]

[quote=Mark Garrett;111718]..... Is it possible that this Parker gun could have been ordered that way ?

Ans: Remotely possible and not probable.

...... Or do you think that this is just a bad job of someone just reaming the chambers too deep ?

Ans: Yes

..... If checks out , is safe to shoot modern ammo through this gun?

Ans: At the time your gun was made, it was intended to shoot 7/8oz , 2 1/2 dram loads. A few years after your gun was made and without change to the barrel dimensions, the intended charge was changed to 1 oz , 2 1/2 dram loads. The 1 oz 2 1/2 dram load is sold today as a standard hunting load by Federal, Winchester and Remington.

Loads heavier than those, such as the 1 1/8 oz 3 dram loads sold by some major manufacturers as a heavy hunting 16ga load cause significant recoil in a typical weight 16ga and are ballistically inefficient for the bore.

[Researcher]

The heaviest 16-gauge loads offered by Remington Arms - Union Metallic Cartridge Co. in their 1913-14 catalogue were 2 1/2 drams of bulk or the equivalent in dense smokeless powder pushing 1 ounce of shot in their Nitro Club and 2 3/4 drams of bulk or the equivalent in dense smokeless powder pushing 1 ounce of shot in their top quality Arrow shell.



UMC offered to put their 16-gauge load up in 2 3/4, 2 7/8 and 3-inch cases, but the only advantage they offered was more/better wadding over the "standard" 2 9/16 inch shell.

In their 1915 catalogue Western Cartridge Co. listed the heaviest 16-gauge loads as 2 3/4 drams of bulk or the equivalent in dense smokeless powder pushing 1 ounce of shot from their top of the line Record shell.

In the 20-gauge shells one got a 1/4 dram bulk, or the equivalent in dense, more smokeless powder in the long shells, but not so in the 16-gauge?!? Today, finding old long 20-gauge shells in collector ammunition auctions is rather common, but long 16-gauge shells are like the teeth of hens. There is a single Winchester Leader 3-inch 16-gauge shell in the current SoldUSA online auction. I've never seen a box for the long 16-gauge shells come up for auction.