The big 20-gauge guns had a flash of popularity shortly before WW-I. The famous Widgeon Duck Club guns being, of course, the great Parker Bros. example. The J. Stevens Arms & Tool Co. also introduced their No. 200 pump gun for 20-gauge shells up to 3-inch about 1913. Several of the early graded Ansley H. Fox 20-gauges were chambered for 3-inch cases. In those days the max load available from the manufacturers in the "standard" 2 1/2 inch 20-gauge shell was 2 1/4 drams of bulk or 2 1/2 drams equiv. of dense smokeless powder and 7/8 ounce of shot. However, in the longer shells they would load 2 1/2 drams or drams equiv. and 7/8 ounce of shot.
Around 1911, Edwin Hedderly the famous California sportsman and editor of Western Field magazine did a lengthy series on his experiments with high velocity smallbore loads. He got several long barrel smallbore guns from Parker Bros. I have records for a 32-inch DHE 20-gauge, a 32-inch DHE 28-gauge, a 32-inch A-1 Special 20-gauge and a 32-inch A-1 Special 16-gauge. Fellow member Kevin McCormack had been in the process for some time of transcribing these articles in the hope of republishing them. Maybe someday?
Maybe the interest in getting ones long barrel smallbore on a big frame came from reports of Hedderly blowing up the DHE 20-gauge!!!!
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