3 inch in 2 3/4 chamber

Bwillsonhunter4 · October 9, 2016, 09:13 PM

I was wondering why is it so bad to shoot 3 inch shells in a shorter chamber. I have seen it done a lot in several different guns (beretta 302 and 303, several Remington 870 wingmasters, 870 sportsmen, Remington 1100). The only problem I have ever seen from it was a extractor pin broke on a 303 but nothing else. I have or have seen probily over 3,000 rounds go through guns like this in goose loads, slugs, and turkey loads, but I have read that it is very bad and dangourouse on the internet. Why?

tangolima · October 9, 2016, 10:33 PM

Can you chamber a 3" in a 2 3/4" chamber and close the action without forcing it? I don't know.

Suppose you could. 3" shells have more shots than 2 3/4". Muzzle velocities are the same. The only possibility is higher pressure in 3" guns.

-TL

Bwillsonhunter4 · October 9, 2016, 10:51 PM

Yes you can close the chamber without force they even cycle fine in a semi auto

BigJimP · October 9, 2016, 11:05 PM

It's not safe to shoot 3" shells in a gun with 2 3/4" chambers ....because shot shells are measured after they are fired.....meaning the petals of the crimp opening in a 3" shell don't have room to open up properly in a 2 3/4" chamber....and constricting the chamber, forcing cone and the barrel.....significantly increasing pressures.

It's not safe to do it !!

mete · October 10, 2016, 12:19 AM

Right on , Big Jim !

darkgael · October 10, 2016, 05:26 AM

Quote:

I was wondering why is it so bad to shoot 3 inch shells in a shorter chamber. I have seen it done a lot in several different guns

As noted above.....in a word...Pressure.
Excessive pressure has a cumulative effect. A firearm may work repeatedly without apparent issue and then one day it lets go.
Just because you can doesn't mean that you should.
Pete

FITASC · October 10, 2016, 11:29 AM

Folks who overstress the gun will have a serious accident sooner or later. Your eyes and other important body parts are mere inches from what basically becomes a pipe bomb. It only takes one time to result in a very bad day.

BigJimP · October 10, 2016, 12:23 PM

In case any new shotgunners are out there reading this ...thinking some guns are strong enough to do this ....even once in a while.......( its not ok, to do it at all !! ). Noone, with any sense, I hope -- would want to intentionally fire a gun -- shotgun, handgun or rifle -- with a partically blocked chamber, forcing cone or barrel ....and think its ok ...!

Shooting a 3" shell in a gun chambered for 2 3/4" shells...you end up shooting a shell in a gun with a partically blocked chamber, forcing cone and/or barrel...

The petals on a shell, depending on the brand of shell, are about 3/8" long....so that is why a shell called a "3" shell" ...unfired is only about 2 5/8" long unfired...( 3" is the fired length ). So that is why an Unfired 3" shell ......can be unsafely loaded into a shotgun with a 2 3/4" chamber...

I have a buddy that owns a used gun shop and sells a lot of used shotguns....and this issue of chamber length comes up all the time - he says at least once a day ( espeically on older field guns ) / and I am always shocked when a buyer implies that checking the length of the chamber in a gun is best done by just dropping an unfired shell in there...and thinking that is how its measured --- its not !!

( and a little off topic..of 12ga shell length ) ...its also possible to drop a 20ga shell into the chamber of a 12ga...and the 20ga shell will drop all the way down and stick in the opening of the barrel...and it goes down far enough ...to allow an unfired 12ga shell to be loaded in behind it ---- in effect creating a bomb ..if that 12ga shell is fired with a fully blocked barrel with that 20ga shell. That is why in the field...or even on sporting clays fields...I would never allow anyone to carry both 12ga and 20ga shells in their vest ( maybe a new shooter is shooting the 20ga / so the other shooter carrying a 12ga...says they will carry all the shells ( 12ga and 20ga )...its a recipe for disaster ! Because in the heat of the moment ...its easy to forget ...and drop the wrong kind of shell ( a 20ga ) into a 12ga.
---------------
While I understand some guys might think firing 3" shells in a gun chambered for 2 3/4" might be ok once in a while....like others have said....its a ridiculous risk to take !

The same risk applies on all gagues of shotguns...( 12ga, 16ga, 20ga, 28ga and .410 ) ....you need to match the shell to the chamber length of the gun. Some guns, especially field guns may have 3" chambers...or even 3 1/2" now...but there are a lot of "target" guns out there with 2 3/4" in 12ga thru 28ga / or 2 1/2" chambers in .410..../ read the markings on the barrel...and if the barrel is not marked..talk to a gunsmith or an experienced shooter that understands how to measure the chamber length --- please don't guess !!

zippy13 · October 10, 2016, 01:52 PM

What Jim said.

jmr40 · October 10, 2016, 02:18 PM

Just to reinforce what has already been said. The unfired shells will fit inside the chambers and fire when the trigger is pulled. You can put a 3.5" shell in a 3" chamber too, but it is even more dangerous. But once the shell opens the petals has no place to go. If you measure unfired shells of the same advertised length you'll often see quite a bit of difference. If someone has been doing this and not blown up a gun yet it is a lucky combo of 3" shells that are shorter than standard and a gun with a longer than standard chamber. One thing is for sure, a barrel that has had longer than spec ammo fired in it is weakened and I'd no longer shoot it with the correct shells.

October 9, 2016, 09:13 PM	#1
Bwillsonhunter4 Member Join Date: May 30, 2016 Posts: 44	3 inch in 2 3/4 chamber I was wondering why is it so bad to shoot 3 inch shells in a shorter chamber. I have seen it done a lot in several different guns (beretta 302 and 303, several Remington 870 wingmasters, 870 sportsmen, Remington 1100). The only problem I have ever seen from it was a extractor pin broke on a 303 but nothing else. I have or have seen probily over 3,000 rounds go through guns like this in goose loads, slugs, and turkey loads, but I have read that it is very bad and dangourouse on the internet. Why?

October 10, 2016, 12:19 AM	#5
mete Senior Member Join Date: June 14, 2004 Location: NY State Posts: 6,575	Right on , Big Jim ! __________________ And Watson , bring your revolver !

October 10, 2016, 11:29 AM	#7
FITASC Senior Member Join Date: December 6, 2014 Posts: 6,446	Folks who overstress the gun will have a serious accident sooner or later. Your eyes and other important body parts are mere inches from what basically becomes a pipe bomb. It only takes one time to result in a very bad day. __________________ "I believe that people have a right to decide their own destinies; people own themselves. I also believe that, in a democracy, government exists because (and only so long as) individual citizens give it a 'temporary license to exist'—in exchange for a promise that it will behave itself. In a democracy, you own the government—it doesn't own you."- Frank Zappa

October 9, 2016, 10:33 PM	#2
tangolima Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2013 Posts: 3,827	Can you chamber a 3" in a 2 3/4" chamber and close the action without forcing it? I don't know. Suppose you could. 3" shells have more shots than 2 3/4". Muzzle velocities are the same. The only possibility is higher pressure in 3" guns. -TL

October 9, 2016, 10:51 PM	#3
Bwillsonhunter4 Member Join Date: May 30, 2016 Posts: 44	Yes you can close the chamber without force they even cycle fine in a semi auto

October 9, 2016, 11:05 PM	#4
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	It's not safe to shoot 3" shells in a gun with 2 3/4" chambers ....because shot shells are measured after they are fired.....meaning the petals of the crimp opening in a 3" shell don't have room to open up properly in a 2 3/4" chamber....and constricting the chamber, forcing cone and the barrel.....significantly increasing pressures. It's not safe to do it !!

October 10, 2016, 12:23 PM	#8
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	In case any new shotgunners are out there reading this ...thinking some guns are strong enough to do this ....even once in a while.......( its not ok, to do it at all !! ). Noone, with any sense, I hope -- would want to intentionally fire a gun -- shotgun, handgun or rifle -- with a partically blocked chamber, forcing cone or barrel ....and think its ok ...! Shooting a 3" shell in a gun chambered for 2 3/4" shells...you end up shooting a shell in a gun with a partically blocked chamber, forcing cone and/or barrel... The petals on a shell, depending on the brand of shell, are about 3/8" long....so that is why a shell called a "3" shell" ...unfired is only about 2 5/8" long unfired...( 3" is the fired length ). So that is why an Unfired 3" shell ......can be unsafely loaded into a shotgun with a 2 3/4" chamber... I have a buddy that owns a used gun shop and sells a lot of used shotguns....and this issue of chamber length comes up all the time - he says at least once a day ( espeically on older field guns ) / and I am always shocked when a buyer implies that checking the length of the chamber in a gun is best done by just dropping an unfired shell in there...and thinking that is how its measured --- its not !! ( and a little off topic..of 12ga shell length ) ...its also possible to drop a 20ga shell into the chamber of a 12ga...and the 20ga shell will drop all the way down and stick in the opening of the barrel...and it goes down far enough ...to allow an unfired 12ga shell to be loaded in behind it ---- in effect creating a bomb ..if that 12ga shell is fired with a fully blocked barrel with that 20ga shell. That is why in the field...or even on sporting clays fields...I would never allow anyone to carry both 12ga and 20ga shells in their vest ( maybe a new shooter is shooting the 20ga / so the other shooter carrying a 12ga...says they will carry all the shells ( 12ga and 20ga )...its a recipe for disaster ! Because in the heat of the moment ...its easy to forget ...and drop the wrong kind of shell ( a 20ga ) into a 12ga. --------------- While I understand some guys might think firing 3" shells in a gun chambered for 2 3/4" might be ok once in a while....like others have said....its a ridiculous risk to take ! The same risk applies on all gagues of shotguns...( 12ga, 16ga, 20ga, 28ga and .410 ) ....you need to match the shell to the chamber length of the gun. Some guns, especially field guns may have 3" chambers...or even 3 1/2" now...but there are a lot of "target" guns out there with 2 3/4" in 12ga thru 28ga / or 2 1/2" chambers in .410..../ read the markings on the barrel...and if the barrel is not marked..talk to a gunsmith or an experienced shooter that understands how to measure the chamber length --- please don't guess !!

October 10, 2016, 01:52 PM	#9
zippy13 Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2008 Location: SoCal Posts: 6,442	What Jim said.

October 10, 2016, 02:18 PM	#10
jmr40 Senior Member Join Date: June 15, 2008 Location: Georgia Posts: 10,809	Just to reinforce what has already been said. The unfired shells will fit inside the chambers and fire when the trigger is pulled. You can put a 3.5" shell in a 3" chamber too, but it is even more dangerous. But once the shell opens the petals has no place to go. If you measure unfired shells of the same advertised length you'll often see quite a bit of difference. If someone has been doing this and not blown up a gun yet it is a lucky combo of 3" shells that are shorter than standard and a gun with a longer than standard chamber. One thing is for sure, a barrel that has had longer than spec ammo fired in it is weakened and I'd no longer shoot it with the correct shells.