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Hey, I was just looking at my winchester 1300 defender and noticed that it takes both the 2 3/4 rounds and the 3 inch rounds. It's stamped as such on the barrel. I have a box of 00 3 inch magnums I found in the back of the closet. I'm wondering if it's safe to run those through the gun. Someone told me once that all 3 inch rounds on a 12 gauge were magnum, but I'm wondering if that's true.

please advise :)

I am not sure, but I have always heard the 3 inch rounds referred to as magnums too. Considering that the difference between the 44 spl and magnum is case length, and the difference between the 38 spl and 357 magnum is case length, it seems likely that the longer shell is just called a magnum anyway.

It is.

You may also go the other way. The Winchester is one of the only shotguns that will reliably feed the Aguila Mini-shells without modification.

http://www.the-armory.com/shopsite_sc/s ... a_Min.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

1 3/4", 7 pellets of #4 buck or 4 pellets of #1 buck, 1200fps

Depending on magazine length, yours might hold up to 12 rounds.

srothstein wrote:I am not sure, but I have always heard the 3 inch rounds referred to as magnums too. Considering that the difference between the 44 spl and magnum is case length, and the difference between the 38 spl and 357 magnum is case length, it seems likely that the longer shell is just called a magnum anyway.

When I started reloading 12 ga. paper shotgun shells many, many moons ago, MEC had different charge bars for 2-3/4" field loads and 2-3/4" magnums. This was before 3" chambers were common in all ga./bore shotguns.

Does this answer the question? Naah, I didn't think so.

A magnum shot shell does not necessarily have more powder as does a pistol or rifle cartridge, but more shot. The extra shot is what makes it a magnum, soooo the extra length to handle the extra shot charge. The brass on a magnum pistol round is longer so you don't use a magnum in a standard caliber weapon. I know, I know, clear as mud. Right?

STI Shooter wrote:The brass on a magnum pistol round is longer so you don't use a magnum in a standard caliber weapon.

It is not the brass that designates magnum or not or whether a shell will fit the chamber, but rather the overall length.

In the olde days, there were low power loads that had the low base. Everything else, standard or magnum had the high base.

More recently, it seems that more loads have the low base. And I don't disagree that magnums will have the high base. But that isn't the designator between standard and magnum shells.

That is correct because the powder charge has nothing to do with a magnum shot shell. Magnum in a shot shell does not mean the same thing as it does in a metallic cartridge. Magnum when talking about a shot shell has to do with the amount of shot NOT powder. Magnum when talking about a metallic cartridge has only to do with powder NOT the bullet. Most modern shot shells don't even need brass. The only reason it is still used is to give the extractor/ejector something to grab on to or push against. Yes, some shot shells have more powder than others but that is NOT what makes them a magnum. Those shot shells with more powder are pushing more shot, and the shot is what makes it a magnum.

Have the same shotgun. Your good with either shoot away!

In regard to shot shells, I thought the high brass and drams eq. were both throw backs to black powder days.
And the reason for high brass on shot shells these days is? Thanks.

>And the reason for high brass on shot shells these days is?

tradition. maybe marketing.

For a while you could get Activ brand shells (or hulls) that had no exposed metal in 3" magnums. I believe they only had a steel plate in the bottom where the primer is seated.

In regards to the high brass, I'm told by folks that reload shotshells that they are better for reloading as well. I have a bag full of spent shells for the day I get a shotshell reloader. In general, the better factory loads tend to be in high brass shells, and from my limited experience, all the 3" shells I've bought were high brass. It seems like the more shot/drams, the more brass the shells had on them. There may be a physical reason for this, though I don't know enough about it to say definitely.

When I bought my first shotgun, I had the same question about magnum loads, and I think I posted them here. What I learned is that with factory ammo and modern shotguns, if it is the proper shell size, it's fine, magnum or no.

Shotguns are low pressure firearms. The pressures are measured in Lead Units of Pressure (LUP) when testing shot shells for pressure a lead crusher is used. Metallic ammunition is measured in Copper Units of Pressure (CUP) a copper crusher is used when testing pressures in these rounds. If I recall from my shotgun reloading days sometimes a "Magnum" recipe was lower pressure and velocity than a standard loading. The magnum shells basically have more shot not more velocity and certainly no high pressures.

LedJedi wrote:Hey, I was just looking at my winchester 1300 defender and noticed that it takes both the 2 3/4 rounds and the 3 inch rounds. It's stamped as such on the barrel. I have a box of 00 3 inch magnums I found in the back of the closet. I'm wondering if it's safe to run those through the gun. Someone told me once that all 3 inch rounds on a 12 gauge were magnum, but I'm wondering if that's true.

please advise :)

3" shells were considered magnum up until the 3.5" came out which just gave you more choices. If the barrel is stamped 3", I don't think you will have a problem unless the shells are some super hot gunshow reloads.

The winny 1300 locks up like a bank vault. The bolt has a rotating head that locks into lugs inside the chamber end of the barrel, much like the ar15. These shotguns (win 120, 1200 and 1300) have been criticized for having an aluminum alloy receiver as opposed to an all steel design like the remmy 870, but the truth is, they don't need it because of the way it locks up.