Loaded 3 inch shotgun shell in a shotgun for 2 3/4 inch shell barrel. .

[RGV Hunter]

The shell went in and the rifle locked like it should but I noticed I had the 3 inch shell in there before I pulled the trigger. Anybody ever tried loading a 3 inch shell inside a barrel designed for 2 3/4 inch shells. It is a wingmaster 870 and I was suprised that the shell went in. I did not fire it.

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[TacticalCowboy]

Shot one once on accident. It loaded and fired just fine, but didn’t want to come out of the ejection port. Gun was fine.

[junkmanhunter]

The machining in the barrel will allow it to load and shoot fine. The problem is the ejection port on the receiver isn't long enough to allow the shell to eject. You will have to manually pull it out.

I have done it with 3" and 3-1/2" shells.

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[okrattler]

I was huntin with a buddy once that was doing that all day long and I didn't think to ask him until the end of the day when I asked if his gun could shoot those. His gun was shooting so I guess it worked out fine. According to the barrel it could only shoot 2 3/4" shells but apparently not because he was shooting bigger shells than that.

[ctom87]

Now I am curious, if a shotgun made for 2 and 3/4 can take 3 or 3.5 except for ejecting, why aren't they all just made to accept 3.5 so we could load whatever we wanted?

[junkmanhunter]

Now I am curious, if a shotgun made for 2 and 3/4 can take 3 or 3.5 except for ejecting, why aren't they all just made to accept 3.5 so we could load whatever we wanted?

Barrels will accept the shells. It's the receiver that wont eject it. If you have a shotgun that says 2-3/4 only and a gun that says 3" measure the ejection port on receiver, that's where the difference is.

I believe reason is gun manufacturers can charge more money if you have to have a different receiver for larger shells.

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[HCON3]

16 gauge shell will and lock and load in 20gauge but wont extract no didn't fire it!!!

[Phillip Fields]

The chamber of a shotgun is longer than the shell to allow for the crimp to open up. If you put a 3" shell in a 2 3/4" chamber, this extra length allows to shell to be seated. When the shell is fired, the crimp has to open on the shoulder of the chamber, thereby increasing the pressure. Thankfully most modern shotguns are strong enough to contain this extra pressure.

[Walker]

16 gauge shell will and lock and load in 20gauge but wont extract no didn't fire it!!!

Never tried that but I highly doubt you can close the bolt on a 16 in a 20.

[diamond10x]

I thought all 870’s were 2-3/4 & 3? Then you had the 870 mag that could handle 3-1/2s? Is this an older 870?

[okrattler]

I've accidentally put a 16 gauge shell in a 12 gauge. It didn't shoot. Didn't even hit the primer.

[tdwinklr]

my 1100 is like that, I wouldn't have thought a 3" shell would even chamber in it and definitely would NOT fire it if I loaded one.
Mainly wondering why someone would even attempt it, unless by accident? Just asking for trouble.

Never made sense to me why they made it like that. Every shotgun should be at least 3" compatible.

[jdg13]

I thought all 870’s were 2-3/4 & 3? Then you had the 870 mag that could handle 3-1/2s? Is this an older 870?

Most of the early ones were 2 3/4" only, though the 3" "Magnum" model was available starting in 1955. There simply wasn't a real need for anything more. (Winchester model 12's were all 2 3/4" except for the "duck gun" which was 3") Most of the magnum 870s you see are mid 70s vintage or newer. When 3.5" came out the "super magnum" model was introduced. Now that 3" is the all around duck load, all the new 870s with the exception of the super mag and a couple of trap guns are technically "magnums."

[diamond10x]

Most of the early ones were 2 3/4" only, though the 3" "Magnum" model was available starting in 1955. There simply wasn't a real need for anything more. (Winchester model 12's were all 2 3/4" except for the "duck gun" which was 3") Most of the magnum 870s you see are mid 70s vintage or newer. When 3.5" came out the "super magnum" model was introduced. Now that 3" is the all around duck load, all the new 870s with the exception of the super mag and a couple of trap guns are technically "magnums."

Cool thank you for the history lesson, I enjoy learning stuff like this. About all I knew of the 870 was it was basically the most reliable lower end shotgun there was. Heck I didn’t even realize it was made back in 1955!

[bboswell]

The shell went in and the rifle locked like it should but I noticed I had the 3 inch shell in there before I pulled the trigger. Anybody ever tried loading a 3 inch shell inside a barrel designed for 2 3/4 inch shells. It is a wingmaster 870 and I was suprised that the shell went in. I did not fire it.

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Why are you putting shotgun shells in a rifle?