Ammo Question about old Stevens 12 gauge side-by-side

R

Ricklin

New member
Don't buy a shotgun without checking the choke.

Many older fixed choke guns have had the choke "opened up" and that may or may not be a bad thing.
Older pre plastic shot chokes are quite "tight"

Typically a dime will not pass through the muzzle of an old full choke 12 ga. the dime is strictly a quick and dirty method of checking. A simple choke measuring tool will do the trick.

Can't put the metal back if Bubba removed too much. I once bought a very nice older Win 101 choked mod and full. The mod was fine, the full barrel not so much, it was more open than the modified.
Fortunately the seller was good about it. I bought the gun to shoot trap, so I had a double barrel SBT. He gave me full credit toward another gun.

Bummer that old Sporty retired. Store is gone now.
 
H

HiBC

New member
Older forcing cones ahead of the chamber were abrupt. Not suited to steel shot.
Cut through the shot cup at the forcing cone,you don't protect the barrel.

As the steel shot mass hits the choke,it can cause a slight bulge,essentially swaging the choke taper outward. Thats a problem where the barrels are soft soldered to the rib, The solder joint fails.

Most doubles have had the barrel walls thinned as much as possible for weight reasons. Between the wall thickness and proper barrel regulation,retrofitting choke tubes is not always the answer.
Some modern doubles are made from the start to work with steel.(So I have heard. I have no experience)

I'd use the heck out of that shotgun,but I'd shoot lead or bismuth. I own the one and only Berretta O/U I will ever afford and I won't shoot steel through it. I'd buy a utility grade pump if I had to shoot steel.

If I felt a need to talk to folks who know shotgun ammo,I'd call Ballistic Products. They sell shotshell reloading components,. I'd bet they know what is safe for older doubles.
 
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