I had a decent supply of 16ga laying around to burn, so when I ran across this Union Firearms Company model 22 side by side at a gunshow for $100 I jumped on it. Made in Toledo Ohio in the early 1900s. May look Lefeverish because Union Firearms Company employed Charles Lefever, son to Lefever founder Daniel Lefever.
Had a stuck safety but a good cleaning fixed that.
Barrel had a dent in it too. I found a socket that in fit the barrel perfectly but would get stuck on the dent. I used a cleaning rod and tapped it under the dent, then using a brass hammer tapped around the outside of the barrel around the dent. Magically the dent raised out.
Stocks took some sanding and I epoxied the cracks to try and prevent them from spreading.
I learned that the chamber is 2 5/8 rather than the 2 3/4 ammo I had on hand. May be a little concerning, but after researching studies by cowboy action guys on testing longer shells, and figuring that most short chambered shotguns are probably fired everyday with longer shells by people who never even realize it, I took the chance with low pressured bird shot ammo. Some feathering on the crimp of the shell due to the shell not being able to open up fully with the forcing cone, but no ill effects, and even patterned well.
Shotgun took a hen turkey last fall, and some stocked chukar and quail. Not bad for a $100 find.
As you mentioned, a lot of folks ignore the difference in chamber length and suffer no ill effects, however, I would not be one of those people. I would be concerned about chamber pressure. Not that it’d immediately blow up my 120 year old gun made of metals inferior to today’s, but that over time the pressure would eventually break something.
If It was me, I’d reload 2 5/8 brass shells or cut down plastic or paper shells to 2 5/8.
As far as factory ammo is concerned, the label may say 2 3/4 but the fully opened hull is often times shorter than that. For instance RGC measures .05 shorter than 2 3/4, so that may give enough slack to fire the shell safely in a 2 5/8 chamber. But if it was the full 2 3/4, that would probably cause an increase in pressure as the modern plastic wad gets squished through the constriction. Up until about the 50’s shotshells had no shot cup, so I doubt older ammo would be a problem.
In any case, that is a really cool SxS, a handsome example of the quintessential gentleman’s 16ga upland game gun of the period.
I buy 2 1/2” shells from RST for my 2 5/8” chambered doubles when they have them available. Then these empty cases can be reloaded on MEC single stage presses with a “short kit” from MEC.
I ended up finding a 2 3/4 Clymer finish reamer on eBay and gave it a go after watching a 1 minute Larry Potterfield video. I think it came out great. Reamer is available for loan in case anyone needs to lengthen their 16ga.
