I already have a pump gun, I just reeeeeely want a side by side. I've wanted one for a long time. The american 1878 design is great and I'd love to have one, but when I saw this european with the splinter forearm it grew on me fast.

I know huskie made the swedish mausers, which are still strong as hell, and in a hundred years they'll still be strong as hell. The barrels on the gun aren't like damascus or anything. The parts on this are, like anything old and swiss, amazingly well built, good quality, and perfectly fitted in a way you just won't find on a new gun anymore.

but you're right, I'm not sure about the durability with modern ammo. I did read online about one guy who started using 2 3/4 modern shells in his 2 1/2 inch chambers on the same model and it got loose after a year, he had a smith tighten it up and it got loose again in a year. So, apparently, even if you're a complete moron and try to blow your face off, it seems to handle the overpressure about as well as you can expect from the poor thing.

I'm just wondering if the same would happen over time if you gave it proper sized chambers. I understand putting the normal shells causes them to unfold the crimp out in the bore, where it's constricted... which in turn constricts the wad, and causes a crazy spike in pressure.

I'm not a hunter, and I don't go shotgunning very often. When I do, I only go about 25 shots before I get bored and move on to the next gun in the trunk, set up the spent hulls as rifle targets on the rocks. mostly this gun is just to be appreciated, occasionally shot, appreciated some more, talked about and handled with friends and like all good shotguns, kept loaded and ready in case of zombies.