Gauge Mate tube insert

J

Joe O

Well-known member
Many of you are familure with the short tubes that reduce the host gun to a smaller gauge.I was going through their site,knowing that they had Silver,(you need to remove them after the shot to extract the shell),and Gold,that stay in the gun and the chamber is cut away so you can extract the shell without removing the insert.The silver sell for $56 a pair and the Gold for almost three times that.Now hear's the good part;the silver in the xx ga to .410 has a half moon cutout on each side of the insert head,so that you can remove the shell without removing the insert tube.BTW the .410s handle the 3" shells,whereas the 20ga tubes are for 23/4 only.I have the Chambermate tubes 20 to .410 that I've used for a few years.They have built in extractors and are like a Briley tube only shorter,10".I believe I paid $285.Check out this site below.The feature is only on the .410 silver tubes.

http://www.gauge-mate.com/gms_design.htm
 
I had a set of old 4-teners, that extracted the shell after firing it.
I wouldn't buy them if you have to play between every shot removing the spent shells.
Also, if you have inertia triggers the 410 report probably won't set the triegger for the second shot without some gunsmith work on the trigger assembly
 
Inertia triggers notwithstanding,the silver .410 tubes on the site are a long step ahead of the tubes you mentioned.These are as fast to reload as no tubes,and with no moving parts.They are best on extractor guns with mechanical triggers like Huglu or inertia trigger like the large block inertia system on my Perazzi 12ga,which shoots 21/2" .410 without fail.
 
I'll have to take a closer look at those 12/20 ga. Browning tubes I bought awhile back. I may be able to chamfer down one side of them just enough to get a finger nail under the edge of the brass for quicker loading? As they are now, I have to carry a small dowel of ballpoint pin with me to knock out teh empties once I pull the tubes out. To me, it's really not a big deal becasue it's more of a fun toy and I would just use another gun if I was hot and heavy into a mess of birds. They just make it fun to be able to shoot 12's & 20's out of the same gun, plus they will fit in any of my doubles.

I'll have to find out is any of these insert tubes are strong enough to use in damascus barreled guns?????

Dave
 
I'll have to take a closer look at those 12/20 ga. Browning tubes I bought awhile back. I may be able to chamfer down one side of them just enough to get a finger nail under the edge of the brass for quicker loading? As they are now, I have to carry a small dowel of ballpoint pin with me to knock out teh empties once I pull the tubes out. To me, it's really not a big deal becasue it's more of a fun toy and I would just use another gun if I was hot and heavy into a mess of birds. They just make it fun to be able to shoot 12's & 20's out of the same gun, plus they will fit in any of my doubles.

I'll have to find out is any of these insert tubes are strong enough to use in damascus barreled guns?????

Dave
Click to expand...

Dave, contact Tom Armbrust at Ballistic Research, McHenry, IL. He uses those small insert tubes to shoot his 8ga damascus guns with 10ga shells.
Tom is an expert on pressure and velocity testing. His "myth busting" studies on damascus are very interesting.
 
I bought a pair for my son 2 years ago for Xmas. We went to the range and loaded up his 20 Ga bernadelli side by side with 28 Ga shells. There a great idea but unfortunately they cracked and got stuck in his gun after his first shots. Maybe they were a bad pair but I am weary of buying a new pair.

-Jim
 
Thanks Mike, but I tried finding him via a Google search but did not come up with any Ballistic Research in Ill. Do you have his phone number?

Dave
 
Had to have been defective tubes,if they were SS Guage Mates,is my guess.A few decades ago I had a machinest make up a pair of short 28 ga chamber inserts to go in my 20ga SKB skeet gun.He couldn't find hard alluminum so used a soft tube.I had him cut a pair of blank extractors, that I bought,as well.I had to do the final hand fitting to get them seated properly.They shot great and I shot at least a thousand shells through them without splits.The only thing was ,being soft,they fireformed to the chamber,causing dificult removal.I removed the brass head from a 28gs shell ,slid it on a stout cleaning rod,and inserted it in the muzzle till it came in contact with the tube,and hammered it with a hammer till it came out.I was taking a machinest course at the time and wish I had the backing and knowhow to start production on SS short tubes that are currently available.They work great if you don't try to jump down too many guages,ie;12 to .410.20 to .410 is OK and 28 to .410,which I intend to try,should be perfect.I currently have
Chamber Mate 20 to .410 ss 10" tubes which are fine,and work better for ejector guns ,as they have integral ejectors, like Briley tubes.
 
Dave,
at the bottom of this article there is an email link. Very interestig author. I have been reading his work for a long time. He writes about some very nice guns.
http://www.armbrust.acf2.org/bargainprimer.htm
 
Cracked tubes are common when shooting 28ga. You need to use a slower powder that doesn't get to pressure as quick from what I understand..and they are made to shoot target loads not hunting loads.
 
Yep,

My son was shooting win AA target loads. I think they were 9's but I might be wrong. The instructions with the tubes said they were fine for Win AA and other target loads but I don't know. Great Idea though, I have a full tube set for my Beretta Silver Pigeon O/U from another maker. They are 12 to 20 but have'nt used them.

-Jim
 
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