Gauge reducers

J

JohnPL

New member
Has anyone tried using gauge reducers? They look like 12 gauge shells but allow you to drop in a shell of smaller size, thus allowing a 12 gauge gun to shoot 20/28/.410 shells. I'm thinking it might be a good way of getting my son shooting my 12g double, but with the lighter recoil of a 20. Just concerned about the safety and patterning, and possible damage to the barrel.
 
I've seen what they call tubes for insertion in larger gauge bbls. But they are a couple feet long. Briley makes em and maybe other manufacturers, too.
 
I've seen those long tubes, too, but these are about the size of a 12 gauge shell. Cabela's has them. They're called "Little Skeeters Gauge Reducers". Seems like a simple and cheap way to increase the versatility of a shotgun.
 
I got some skeeters for my 12 in 20 and 28 a few months ago. Neat idea anyway. They locked up and fired fine, but the patterns out of a 12 barrel are about what I expected, wide and scattered. And after a few shots I was having to beat the shells out of the holders. Still kinda fun tho'. Now if they'd just make some .444 inserts for my .410...:D
 
Suggest workin up some light 12ga loads. That way you not addin weight to the gun and have a better chance of getting a decent pattern.

I used to shoot skeet with 12ga loads that were lighter than any over the counter 20ga. And they turned the birds into soot farts just fine.

Sam
 
The Technoid over on Shotgun Report has some input on these, and in a recent issue of Shotgun Sports, Stan Baker mentioned them also.

Downside, Baker reports that they dirty up the bore right in front of the chamber, and if a 12 ga load is fired w/o first cleaning out the buildup, a ring bulge may occur.

As for teaching kids, any reloader can come up with something like the 3/4 oz 12 gauge load Son is using. Standard components, plus one 28 ga felt wad in the shot cup. Circle Fly carries these wads. The BP wonderwads oughta work too.
 
If you don't reload, the Winchester Low Noise, Low Recoil 12 gauge, commonly called the Featherlight because of the feather on box and hull, is the most popular load among Cowboy Action Shooters. It keeps down the recoil in their crooked old doubles and pumps. Also makes shooting bearable for the womenfolks and kids.
 
Well, I MAY be qualified to reply here...started to shoot Skeet competitively in '79...up to about 50,000 targets fired on in competition...did the "four 1100's" thing, THEN owned three different "Tubed" O/U's...all w/full-length tubes, BTW...I remember seeing some of the short Browning "Supertubes" when I first started...consensus then was that they did okay in the 20 and 28 gauge, but that the .410's DID NOT perform "up to snuff" or on a par with the full-length tubes...I've not seen anything about the EVEN SHORTER "Little Skeeters" or "Chamber Mates" that would change my opinion...FWIW....mikey357
 
You might to want to try "Chambermates" from Seminole and also "Sidekicks" from Briley. They are more expensive than the "Little Skeeters" but I have seen them used on the Skeet Field and they do work.

Good Shooting,
 
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