Posted by Jim Akins on August 27, 2008, 1:22 pm, in reply to "Re: 3" 20 gauge"
Gordon, I live 40 miles from Los Banos, this was a heavy market hunting area in the late 1800's for the San Francisco market. I have never heard about the 20ga club story for L/B. The Widgeon Duck Club I believe was in the Delano area which is 120 miles south. The Sacramento and San Joaquin valley was a waterfowl hunters dream until the 1950s or so. Then all the people started arriving, a lot of the wetlands were plowed under and the ducks and geese looker for another place to spend the winter. I had a Specialty grade 20ga several years ago that had the 3" stamp on the flats. I also have a Field 20ga with the stamp like Drews photo (2 3/4), made in 1929 with factory 26" barrels. My thinking is that this stamp was used on guns with special chambering that was not normal for the period and that the actual chamber length was a different stamp than the oval one. I have owned several 12ga guns with the 3" stamp but never with a 2 3/4 one as this was the normal chambering. That doesn't mean there isn't one out there. i learned a long time ago, never say never, when it comes to all these old guns.