Hey guys, I just purchased an older H&H paradox at an auction. Serial number is 15335, and is a back action hammer gun. The gun is in well used shape, with stock repairs and a small dent about 10" back from the muzzle. Other than that, the bores are bright and shiny, and the rifling at the end of the barrels is sharp.

The gun was delivered today, so I quickly performed a chamber cast, and measured the bore diameter 9" from the breech. Unfortunately, the chambers appear to have been reamed to 2-3/4", and the bores measure .741 (both barrels) 9" from the breech.

I'd like to start developing some paradox loads, and have a CBE mold from Australia that casts solid paradox bullets at .736" and about 790 grains. I have a few questions, and I'd like your opinion:

1. Being that the chamber has been reamed out, should I just load the paradox rounds in un-cut 2-3/4" paper hulls, or stick with the 2-1/2" traditional length? I'm planning on starting with the popular Double Gun Journal load of 21.5 gr. of Unique, nitro card, and cork wads to bring up to length.

2. Regarding the dent, it is fairly small, but when pushing a patch through the bore, increased resistance is definitely noticeable when passing the dent area. I plan on having this professionally fixed with hydraulic tools eventually, but I'm wondering if it is still safe to shoot as-is?

Thanks in advance for your recommendations...if you'd like to see pics of this gun, just go to the Amoskeag Auction website, and go to lot #161 of the latest auction.