Does anyone know about shotgun barrel inserts?

Cal44 · Apr 30, 2016

These inserts fit into the chamber of a single shot, or double barrel break type shotgun and let you shoot smaller calibers.

For example, you can get an insert for a 20 ga shotgun that will shoot 38 special, or 9mm, or even 22 lr. Of you can shoot 410 from a 20 ga or 20 ga from a 12 ga.

Do these work? Are they accurate enough to be more than a curiosity?

What are good brands?

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Oops. It looks like I asked this before a year or two ago.

Any new thoughts?

H Richard · Apr 30, 2016

The few I have seen were in the curiosity category. A dinner plate size target at 10-15 yards was about all they would do. More of a pattern than a group. This is with any pistol or rifle rounds in a shotgun. Adapters to shoot smaller gauges in a 12 gauge seem to work satisfactory, and fitted full length barrels that go in a 12 and reduce to 20,28, and 410 work as good as the original barrel, (but do add a little weight).

OFT II · Apr 30, 2016

Way back in the last century I had an insert for a 12 gauge that was chambered in 38/55. Couldn't hit anything past 25 yards with it. I still have a couple of the old four-tenner inserts that allow a 12 gauge to use 410 shells but since 410 ammo costs more than 12 gauge they're retired.

Rpg · Apr 30, 2016

Barrel inserts to allow you to use pistol cartridges are disapointing. Because the shotgun doesn't have proper sights for single projectiles, accuracy is vague and inadequate for serious use.

The inserts that allow you to use smaller gauges are much more useful: you can shoot eg. 20 gauge in a 10 gauge. This can be useful, particularly when aproproate ammo in eg. 10 gauge is unavailable for a specific purpose (for instance it's almost impossible to find Skeet loads in 10 ga ammo).

I think inserts to allow you to shoot pistol cartridges in your shotgun are more novelty than useful.

30-30remchester · Apr 30, 2016

I have tried cartridge inserts for several decades. I have them for rifles and shotguns. There are inserts to fire 20 gauge in a 12 gauge. Pistol cartridges in big game rifles and 22 rimfire in handguns. The shotgun x shotgun inserts work well enough at 25 yards to make them a viable emergency tool. When firing a 20 gauge in a 12 gauge the pattern at 25 yards is good enough for hunting. I have a rifled 22 rimfire x 12 gauge adaptor that shoots well enough to hit a 4 inch bullseye at 25 yards. However my handgun x shotgun adaptors are not rifled and at 20 yards about half the bullets were keyholing. Now a company is making rifled adaptors and I have not tried them yet. I have tried many handgun round x big game round with differing results.

jtcarm · Apr 30, 2016

Can't speak to cartridges, but sleeves have long been used by skeet shooters in O/U guns so they could shoot 12 gauge down to .410 in the same gun.

Funny an old friend was just asking me the same thing about buying a Win 101 12 that had Briley inserts for 28 gauge, except the seller was calling them tubes, which is incorrect. Anyway, he was wondering if it would still shoot 12 gauge.

DWalt · Apr 30, 2016

I once had a short adapter for firing .410 in a 12 gauge. I didn't use it much, but it did seem to work and pattern OK. You sort of had to pry out the fired .410 shell. Those made for using various rifle calibers in a shotgun would probably be of very limited accuracy beyond a few yards, sort of like what would be expected from a smoothbore musket.

Inserts used by skeet shooters to use 20, 28, and .410 shells in 12 ga O/U shotguns are a different matter entirely. They are full length, custom made, and a set (six tubes) can cost about as much as a gun.

Ivan the Butcher · May 1, 2016

I have a 310 Savage in 20 gauge, choked very tight and extra tight. I have a pair of Savage Four-Tenners. With these it patterns horrible, I have yet to break a 10 on skeet, where I normally get in the 18-20 range with 410.

Ivan

Does anyone know about shotgun barrel inserts?

Cal44

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H Richard

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OFT II

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Rpg

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30-30remchester

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jtcarm

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DWalt

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Ivan the Butcher

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