Should I lengthen the chambers in my L.C. Smith 20 gauge or 16 gauge shotgun?
• If your gun is of genuine “collector quality,” any alteration from factory original may substantially reduce its value. • It is possible that the wall thickness immediately past the chamber is inadequate for lengthening the chamber. Many of the barrels of the older shotguns have been honed out to eliminate pitting, and, hence, the barrel walls may be thin. The entire shotgun must be thoroughly inspected. These are good reasons to be sure a gunsmith with expertise on classic American double barrel shotguns does the work. • Using 2 3/4 inch shells in short chambers has been shown to only “slightly” raise the chamber pressure. Sherman Bell, in article titled “Finding Out for Myself” Part V “Long Shells in Short Chambers” (Double Gun Journal, Winter 2001) said that with loads that are sensible in a light 2 1/2 inch gun, he saw no dangerous pressure levels produced. He said there was no reason, related to safety, to modify an original 2 1/2 inch chambered gun to shoot 2 3/4 shells, as lon
