Picked up another old shotgun

After having another surgery with my arm this year, hunting with a shotgun has gotten tougher, especially with a pump action, so I went looking for another shotgun. I recently found this old Husqvarna Model 20 12 gauge recently. It's got fluid steel barrels so smokeless powder loads are ok, but since it's chambered for 2 5/8" shells, I have to handload for it, so I bought some Magtech 2 1/2" brass shells. I am going to load it light, 7/8 ounce loads with light loads. The underlever takes a little getting used to, but the shotgun is just a real beauty. It's actually very light for a double 12 gauge, only about 7 pounds. I was told that it's full choke and modified and the barrels measure out to twenty nine inches, which is just fine. I am waiting on the correct size wads and then I will get loading the shells. I hope to take it out squirrel hunting once deer season is over, weather permitting.
The stock had most of the checkering sanded off at one point, but the engraving on the gun is beautiful, a fox on one side, a dog on the other. The underlever takes a little getting used to, but it's not really that bad. The sling came with the gun, not sure where that came from. I got it at a reasonable price, picked it up for four bills.

the sling looks something similar to a Garand sling.Frank

Picked Up Another Old Shotgun

Nice BBL.
Have you considered a small gauge shotgun or a Semi-Auto for your hunting ?

Very Nice!

I do like those old or vintage firearms returned to active service. Good luck with it and perhaps you have a mantle where the shotgun may be hung and displayed when not in use?

very nice thanks for sharing .kenny , texas

I think you'll love the sling. I bought an East German Merkel that came with sling swivels, lo-o-o-ove them. If I had the guts I'd put them on all my shotguns.

The swedes sure know how to make em.... beautiful shotgun, would love to own one like it.

SWEET !!!
I've always been a double gun fan and the exposed hammers just add to it.
Enjoy the experience .
Gary

I have loaded the Mag-tech all brass shells in 12 and 20. My set of dies is from CH4D in Mt. Vernon, Ohio They require a metallic press with 1 1/4-10 threads (I use my Rock chucker.)

If you are putting the over the shot card and roll crimping it in place, that crimp must be removed before reloading. If you hold the over shot card in place with a form of glue, there is no crimp to remove. If you don't crimp, you can go a very long time without FL sizing! and don't need the dies (stay in Black Powder chamber pressure area)

Ballistic Products has all the fiber wads, and various cards you need, just remember, you brass hulls require 19 gauge wads and cards (paper hull us 20 gauge. B.P. also has a flyer about loading Brass Hulls, I paid $5 for it to tell me to use regular shotgun data and fill the column with fiber wads until the shot is within 1/8" of mouth. (wasted $5!)

I was using Black Powder. The use of smokeless powder takes a lot less space! A bag of 500 1/2" wads will do around 200 shells. They sell different thickness, but I just cut to order with a sharp knife. There are over powder and over shot cards. You can get by with using overshot cards for both.

If you forego dies, use a short length dowel rod, or large rimmed rifle case to insert and press everything together. You can use Lee scoops or a powder measure to charge cases, BP sells adjustable shot scoops.

Some people use Elmer's glue to seal cases, it usually fall off in the field, and you walk around with a pocket full of shot! I use a "Gutter Seam Sealer" I buy at the roofing department at Lowe's. It takes 3 weeks to completely cure (or you are scrubbing long strands of goo out of your barrels-been there done that/didn't want the t-shirt!) I tried wax one time, work about as good a Elmer's. Let your mind run wild, you are at very low pressure so anything with a mild to medium release will work!

Ivan

ETA: On all brass hulls, the wads and cards are always one gauge larger than the shell. So 20 ga. uses 19 ga. wads; 16 ga. uses 15 ga. wads; 12 ga. uses 11 ga. wads; and 10 ga. uses 9 ga. wads. If you have an Arch Punch the correct diameter, you can make wads from old felt carpet pad or just buy the correct wads from Ballistic Products.

Beautiful shotgun. Me thinks that sling needs to be replaced with a nice leather one. Very nice find, enjoy it!

Nice shotgun.
Strong action and steel bbl's.
I wouldn't hesitate to shoot 2 3/4" shells in the gun.
Especially since it's a 12ga and you are reloading.

Keep the pressures down. It's easy to find 6K and 7K psi loads right out of the loading manuals. No specialized components. Some even lower psi in the 5K range.
The now discontinued powders like 7625 were great for this, but with some research even the newer ones have been adapted to low pressure loads in the 12ga.

They are usually in the 7/8oz shot load range though some can be found in the 1oz loads.
They all will still be in 1200+/-fps velocity. Standard Clay Game and Hunting load velocities.

If it were a 16 or 20ga with their earlier short chambers, I'd opt for the specialty short shells. The 16's were generally 2 9/16" and the 20's were 2 1/2" shells.
Chamber pressures run higher in the smaller bores. It's harder to find reliable reloading info for low pressure small(er) bore shotshells though it is around. Chopping the shot load down helps a lot. 3/4oz is popular and even 1/2 oz.

A H Fox advertised that their standard 12ga guns were chambered to 2 3/4" shells (1913/14).
But you can take any unaltered Philadelphia made AHF shotgun in 12ga (aside from a Factory 3" gun or spcl order) and measure the chamber length and they will come out at 2 5/8".


Remington factory spec sheets at the time they were making the PArker shotgun called for chamber length to be cut 1/8" shorter than the shot shell length they were being chambered for.

Most all of the early Ithaca's are 'short chambered too.

With thin walled modern plastic hulls, thin, slick plastic wads and reliable reloading data from a known source (Lyman, ect), a low pressure 2 3/4" shell fired in a 2 5/8" chambered shotgun in fine mechanical condition poses no problems.
What do you think they have been fed for the last 60 or so years in off the shelf ammo... just that.. Cheapest price per box, Max Pressure Commercial 'make sure all the semi autos work every time ammo'.

When I was loading BP(sub) in brass shells I used to seal the top wad with cheap white window&door caulk. A small handy squeeze tube.
It worked great and dried in a day or so. Was rubbery when set and dry. But just disintegrated upon firing and went out the bore with everything else. Nothing stuck in the bore.

Plastic shotshell wads would melt when BP or a BP sub was used. Long strings of plastic attached to the bore.

I have owned and used a Model 20 in 12 ga for about 10 or 12 years, stick with low pressure shells and you will be A-Ok ! These are a great affordable entry into hammerguns.

I did open the chokes on mine to 30 & 15 thousandths constriction, as I recall the right barrel on my had 42 thousandths constriction and I had to make the first cuts with 16 gauge reamers!

It’s a mistake to imagine that ‘fluid steel’ barrels on very old sxs shotguns are stronger than twist or Damascus barrels: typically, they aren’t. The fluid steel models were typically the cheapest guns made by the respective manufacturers.

Double Gun Journal ran a series or reports on tests done by Sherman Bell on the strength of Damascus and twist steel barrels. The objective was to see what it took to blow them up!

Turns out that the composite barrels are a whole lot stronger than popularity thought. He also debunked the idea that you need black powder to be safe.

I’m happy to take any of those dangerous Damascus and twist barreled guns off your hands and properly dispose of them. Just send them to me. I’ll even pay the shipping!

There seems to be a widespread opinion that shooting longer-than-chamber-length shotshells is in some way hazardous. It is not, and there is no basis for thinking that it will. There is quite a bit of information on the internet about that, and I personally had a discussion with both Winchester and Federal ballisticians, both of whom told me that the practice would not raise chamber pressures (logically, how could it?). I would imagine that the majority of those old shotguns having shorter chambers have been firing longer shells for most of their lives. For some pump guns, the worst problem is that the ejection port is too short for longer shells, and empties will hang up during ejection. I personally have a very early Winchester Model 12 (20 gauge) with a 2-1/2" chamber and have fired many 2-3/4" shells through it. Winchester and Remington plastic cased shells work fine, Federal shell plastic empties will hang up in the ejection port every time, as the Federal shell cases are slightly longer than Remingtons or Winchesters. I once had a duck-hunting buddy (this was over 50 years ago) who had an old LeFever double 12 with 2-3/4" chambers. He always used 3" magnum shells in it, never a problem.

Cowboy action shooters love those old guns. VERY PRETTY!

I will note that I had an old Utica Arms Company 12 gauge from the late 19th century or MAYBE very early 20th, marked fluid steel. I only used modern 7.5 birdshot in it for CAS shooting but it didn't take long for the receiver to crack and become irreparable. So keep that in mind when you're loading your shells.

Frank46 said:

the sling looks something similar to a Garand sling.Frank

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I'm pretty sure that is a GI sling. And, it is on backwards.

2152hq said:

Plastic shotshell wads would melt when BP or a BP sub was used. Long strings of plastic attached to the bore.

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Indeed they do. Back when I was shooting Cowboy, I once loaded up several boxes of 12 Ga using BP and plastic wads (I had a Win 97). Lots of strings of plastic in the bore. I didn't do that again after that session. I also loaded some .44 Special with BP for use in my Ruger Blackhawks and Winchester 94. I quickly decided it was too messy and went back to using smokeless after one outing.

ISCS Yoda said:

Cowboy action shooters love those old guns. VERY PRETTY!

I will note that I had an old Utica Arms Company 12 gauge from the late 19th century or MAYBE very early 20th, marked fluid steel. I only used modern 7.5 birdshot in it for CAS shooting but it didn't take long for the receiver to crack and become irreparable. So keep that in mind when you're loading your shells.

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The first Winchester pump shotgun was the Model 1893. They are rarely seen today as Winchester recalled them all after numerous damage incidents occurred when smokeless loads were used in them. Winchester traded new Model 1897s for the 1893s. I have seen a few 1893s, so I guess some owners decided to pass on the swap. The 1893 resembles the 1897 in appearance.

I too have a soft spot for double barrel SXS shotguns with exposed hammers . I " cut my teeth " on my dads 10ga magnum , Ithica SXS with exposed hammers . A few yrs back I found in a LGS a 12ga made by the co. that bought out L.C. Smith . It's a SXS with exposed hammers , fairly clean and even had a sling . AS the story goes , a guy died , his widow had brought it into the LGS on consignment . Once a yr she would come in and look at it . It had hung there for 5yrs . That day it came home with me as it was just what I was looking for . Regards, Paul

I also have a model 97 winchester , serial # says it's a first yr model . It hung on the wall behind the bar in my Uncles saloon for yrs . As I understand it was " taken down " a few times to settle things . In later yrs the place burned down and my Uncle is passed . But I still have it . Regards, Paul