Deciding to use an old shotgun that belonged to grandpa uncle ###brother or sister or cousin etc? ###Do not shoot it unless you find out how old it is and just what exactly the chamber length is, ###this is like holding a pipe bomb up next to your face! ###Many old guns have outdated short chambers like 2&5/8, 2&1/2, 2&9/16, or even worse are not nitro proofed for smokeless powder. ###Short shells are available from Spread R or Fiocchi or brass short shells can be used. ###If a 2&3/4 shell fails to fully open in the barrel it's goodbye barrel and your face and your hand!
My little brother just got a "steal" on a sidelock double. ###Beautiful old gun had been sitting in an old lady's attic. ###
Fortunately, he asked me before he took it into the field on a quail hunt. ###Turns out, it was a damascus barrel, definitely not made for modern nitro powders. ###He's a smart guy, just never studied much on guns, so never gave it a thought. ###
I'm afraid that's the case with a lot of the accidents you hear about. ###Some people just don't know... and where would the average joe find out? ###Fortunately, there're web sites like this, and folks who think to pass the knowledge along. ###
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