S&W 1000

[Opinated]

Just acquired a S&W 1000 12 gauge shotgun. Really great condition - visually.
The price was rather low, based on the GunBroker listings I consulted. Have not yet loaded nor fired it.
It has two barrels. One is marked 2 3/4" skeet, the other is 3" full. Does this sound correct? Was just pondering the possible confusion after switching barrels. Check and double check.

[zippy13]

Does this sound correct?

Yep.
Before the days of screw-in chokes, the alternative to an adjustable choke (a big ugly on the muzzle) was to have a separate barrel for each choke you desired. Is the skeet barrel shorter than the full one?

[Opinated]

Thanks for the response. My concern is about the shell lengths. Seems confusing to have a shotgun that has different maximum shell lengths depending on the barrel installed. Would seem to be easy to grab some 3" and try to use them with the 2 3/4" barrel.
I have a couple of old 12 gauge side-by-side doubles chambered for 2 3/4" and a 3" shell drops right in. Scares me to think what could happen. So I try to be completely attentive in these matters.

[PetahW]

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A highly-desirable feature of the Model 1000 is its pressure-compensator valve assembly, designed to stabilize variations in gas port pressures and thereby adapt the gun to a wide range of loads.

So, the standard S&W 1000 fires standard and magnum shells without adjustment - I don't remember a Magnum (only) version, but evidently there was (you have an original 3" chambered bbl).

If it's a 2-3/4" gun though, it will most likely not feed 3" shells; so I would WAG that someone bought the only extra bbl they could find that fits the action, and only fired 2-3/4" shells in the 3" chamber, buying the bbl more for the tighter choke.


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[Opinated]

Interesting comment-- we will find out eventually.
On another forum found a number of posts about the 1000, some dating from 2008, and the peculiar ills that may befall it. Some posts center on problems with non-metallic parts described as "rubber ring".
Mine has not yet been disassembled and who knows what may be encountered at that point.
In many applications for "rubber rings", Viton is a great choice for oil and solvent resistance combined with heat resistance. If the durometer ( hardness) is crucial, most Viton is often rather high durometer. Viton rings are harder to find and more expensive. A hydraulics shop might have them.
The o-rings sold at the hardware store probably are EPDM-- great for plumbing as the heat and water resistance is superb. EPDM also is highly resistant to ultraviolet and is used for single-ply roofing. But EPDM has extremely poor resistance to petroleum oils and solvents. So not for use on firearms. If in doubt, soak an o-ring in light oil for a few days before using one of that type for your firearm.

[Nickel Plated]

Some shotguns back in the day were made as separate models for 2 3/4 only and 2 3/4 and 3" models. Like older 870s. So u gotta watchout for that. A 2 3/4 only action will take a 3" barrel usually but the action wont be able to actually feed the longer shells. So i would stick to only 2 3/4 shells untill you know for sure what the actual receiver is for. And 2 3/4 only in the skeet barrel obviously.

[zippy13]

Would seem to be easy to grab some 3" and try to use them with the 2 3/4" barrel.

A Skeet shooter wouldn't have 3-inch shells in his shell bag. The Skeet barrel is 2 3/4-inch because target shooters feel they get better performance from the shorter chamber. It's one of the reasons the R-1100 (in 2 3/4) continued sales after the R-11-87 (with 3-inch chambers) was introduced. While field and casual target shooters lauded the new gun, competitive shooters weren't as enthusiastic.