shell length: how critical is precision?

[christ on a crutch]

i was looking at some Rio 2.75 inch 00 buck on cheaper than dirt, and a few of the buyers commented that these shells routinely come from the factory longer than 2.75 inches.

my gun is chambered for 2.75 only. it's a j.c. higgins model 20 pump made about 60 years ago. i have not shot it much, just with winchester and federal slugs, which it digested fine. is it likely to refuse to chamber rounds that are slightly longer than 2.75?

[NapalmCheese]

2.75 inches is the measurement of the fired hull, not the loaded round. I would feel pretty safe using something that is labeled 2-3/4 inches in a 2-3/4 inch gun and chalk it up to internet people not knowing what they are talking about. If you have any doubt about it, buy something else, I'm not a Rio fan anyway.

[Brd_Hntr]

2-3/4 inch is the chamber length, so the shell should be significantly shorter than 2-3/4 inches. Usually a 2-3/4 inch shell measures about 2-1/4 inches for a folded plastic hull shot shell. A RIO buckshot shell for 2-3/4 inch measures about 2-1/2 inch because it doesn't have a fully folded top (it uses a plastic over card). If your shells measures longer than 2-3/4 inch they are not for a 2-3/4 inch chamber.

[christ on a crutch]

2-3/4 inch is the chamber length, so the shell should be significantly shorter than 2-3/4 inches.

i measured the three kinds of shells i had on hand last night, and the longest was 2 5/16.

thanks folks. the learning process continues!

[Stewdabaker23]

I have those shells and unlike a lot of other shells the Hull doesn't expand when fired. It has a plastic retainer that holds everything in.