Folding shotgun

[minky]

I picked up a nice H&R folding 12 gauge shotgun today. My research says it was made between 1910 and 1940. Any ideas on the length of shells I can use in it? I am thinking 2 3/4 inch but I want to be sure before firing. If needed I will consult a gunsmith.

[Wanderer]

2 3/4 inch is a safe assumption.  The rule has always been don’t use 3 inch if the barrel isn’t stamped for it.

[minky]

Thanks Wanderer, would be fun to take a grouse or squirrel with it.

[Wanderer]

Yeah, I can see the charm in that.  Nice looking gun by the way.  Great shape for its age!

[monstermoose78]

I would not use the hot duck loads or pheasant loads. I have been destroying my Remington 58 with the hot duck loads 

[Mike89]

my Grand Pa had one of those!!  I now have it...  

[minky]

Yep, no hot loads for the folding shotgun. I still think I can find lots of good 2 3/4 loads to use for small game hunting. I am thinking it is full choked, anyone have any input? 

[Wanderer]

Put a dime on the end of the barrel.  If it doesn’t go in, it’s full.

[minky]

Dime fell right in (tried 3 times to be sure), thanks for the tip! I am now thinking modified? 

[Wanderer]

Probably mod, definitely not full!  That was a tip my Dad taught me like 40 years ago on his Winchester Model 12.  Part of my firearms training as up and coming hunter.  I have that gun now.  I’d rather he still had it though. 

 

If you tried it 3 times it probably teased you like it might stay?  Little clearance?  If plenty of clearance it could be IC but most guns made back then where mod or full unless it was meant to be a slug gun, which I doubt that one was.

 

Pattern it! 
 

[Hoonahhick2]

Old shotgun might take 2 9/16ths shells. The 2 3/4 shells came along  later and while that could be correct, you might want to have a gunsmith do a quick check.

[minky]

The old shotgun provides dinner.

[bobbymalone]

That's either a little shotgun or a bigass squirrel.

[minky]

Lol, little of both I think.

[Wanderer]

Foxy!