Sometime ago, I asked the forum members about the wisdom of using an old Alger Arms 12 gauge side by side that I picked up at a gun show. The advice given was mostly in the form of "don't risk it without taking it to a gunsmith. Well, I didn't want to spend the money, so I decided to just not use it.
Another thought has come to mind since then. I have some Gaugemate inserts that allow me to fire 16, 20, and 28 gauge shells from a 12 gauge. So, what I am wondering now - in the opinion of some of the more experienced gun hands here - would using those inserts make the gun safe to use? I'm assuming that the inserts themselves are taking most of the pressure, and that this takes a lot of the pressure off the actual barrel. If these inserts would make the gun safe, it would be kind of fun to take the old side by side out from time to time. If necessary, I could even pick myself up some .410 inserts, but I'm hoping at least the 28 or even 20 gauge rounds would be safe using the inserts.
Thoughts and advice anyone?
