Chamber adapter vs. Extra Barrel

[Tyeatman]

About a year ago I bought a NEF Pardner SB in 12 ga.. I had shot an old .410 Topper years ago at my grandparents that my uncle now has and shot a 20 ga. after that. I was looking on the web for chamber adapters that would allow the use of these, and found only the Cabelas and another one in .410 on another site. I see that H&R sells barrels and have thought about one in 20 ga., but wondered if there were other sources for the adapters,and what anyone thought about adapters vs. a whole barrel.

[lefty41]

I too have thought about an adapter for a 12ga. of mine. The down side is cost (execpt for the Cabelas model), look at www.nokick.com for chambermates adapters. Some where in the $240.00 range. A new barrel or new NEF shotgun would be less expensive IMHO. In my case I am looking at them for a Marlin model 90 O/U in 12ga. and that may be what I will do. The Chambermates sound like a better solution than Cabelas, but have no experience with either.
good luck!

[Mike Britton]

I think a chamber adapter for my 16 ga. 311 Stevens sxs in .38-55 would be dynomite!

[wanderer]

The chamber adapters such as Browning's Little Skeeters sound like a good idea, but in reality, they are no substitute for a separate barrel. The reason is that the wad from a 20ga or .410 has a hard time sealing in the oversized 12ga bore. I have also heard that patterns aren't always so great either, but this seems to depend on the gun/ammo combination. The other thing is that with a complete barrel, you don't have to worry about catching the adapter when it gets kicked out by the ejector.

Some companies such as Briley make adapter sets that are basically like a whole new barrel that fits inside your existing barrel. They solve the oversized bore problem, but they are extremely expensive and you could literally buy a pile of brand new H&R shotguns for the price.

I would get another barrel (or two  They're kinda addicting...). Swapping shotgun barrels takes less than a minute. However, if you can think of some scenario where another spare gun would be convenient (such as guest or relatives coming to hunt), you may just want to buy a whole new shotgun.

[Markus]

When you ;ook at the cost fo shipping it back and getting a new barrel fitted you might as well get another gun.

[WNY_Whitetailer]

I agree...Just plunk down the dough on a new shotgun...You could have a 410, 20 and a 16 for relatively little out of pocket...You could shoot them now as well...No waiting for UPS to deliver your stuff back to you after the factory fitting.  Besides, who knows how the accessory barrel program will be effected with Remington consolidating operations.

[Tyeatman]

I picked up the 12 ga. at a pawn shop, used, and in nice shape for around $80. I might just go for lower powered shells, like the Aguila, if I didn't want as much recoil, though I do have a recoil pad on the butt. I was able to handle the 20 ga. OK, and might have gotten one, had I seen one. Problem is, money is tight now, and may be for a while longer. I see the barrels are around $42 from H&R, but read they are having delays due to the factory closing at Gardner.

[Markus]

These are the prefect guns for times when the money is tight.