anyone here shooting a damascus barrel????????

[recycle33952]

HI,
Wodering if anyones shooting damascus? and what are your thoughts on returning some of the relics back to the field? we are all aware they rust from the inside out/microscopic rust between the layers. Im speaking of good guns with good barrels. and what loads do you use?

 

[Mike Moore]

Recycle,
I have a old Wesley Richardson side by side that has those beautiful barrels on it. After purchasing it, a good local gunsmith checked it out and replaced the nipples. I have shot it small game hunting, but go very light loads and probably only shot it four times max. I would not recommend shooting them alot, there are just too many things that could go wrong with them and if it does- you or/and the gun could be hurt. I am sure that there are much more knowledgeable people on this discussion board who will comment more on this. Myself, I just had to shoot the gun once. I will tell you that this gun with its barrels has a different sound when shot.
mike.

 

[Mike Brooks]

I've shot tens of thousands of rounds thru damascus double guns, both flint and percussion. I use the same loads as I do in steel barreled muuzzle loading shotguns. Never had a problem.
I'm not suggesting you do the same, but i'll continue to shoot all of mine without hesitation.

 

[donk]

I have a friend that has a damascus double barrel 20 gauge flinter. My brouther was a gunsmith and checked it out very thourally and gave it the ok and he does shoot it once in a while but with light loads. I think it is a good Idea to have it checked out by a reputable gunsmith before you try it but if it is in good shape I would say it is ok to shoot it.

 

[Dave K]

Most of my shotguns are Damascus or Twist. I am probably shooting about 12 guns now that are of this type. I can't say that your gun is safe to shoot, but I have been shooting them ALLOT. My one breech loading shotgun, gets probably 3000 shots a year out of it(low pressure loads under 6500psi and fps around 1175). My one muzzleloading dove gun gets shot ALLOT as well.Careful inspection and common sense goes a long way in safety, for any gun. Some of the old fluid steel guns are just as suspect to corrosion as these old barrels. My loads are toward the light end of the scale. Another reason is, I don't want to injure the stocks to high recoil.

 

[robinghewitt]

But of course. It would be a terrible shame to leave it at home, it wants to be shot :thumbsup:

 

[guncobbler]

OK Squire - You just have to tell us the story behind that gun! Makes me want to hammer some steel and iron together, fold, hammer, fold, hammer, fold, hammer.... GC

 

[mike alexandre]

I have 5 original muzzle loaders with damascus barrels and two that take it up the back way. All get shot using standard loads ie 60g fff or 24 weight cartridges. All guns are checked over after each shoot. Did have a rib lift a bit once on one of the younger guns. Several other originals are shot at our club, one of them has a pin hole 2" from the end of one barrel and a little smoke comes out when its warm but its got no worse in 4 years.
As long as your gun has been checked over - shoot it and enjoy it for what it was made for. :imo:

 

[recycle33952]

squire robin, where ever did one find such a wonderfull damascus barrel the pattern is divine

 

[robinghewitt]

OK Squire - You just have to tell us the story behind that gun! Makes me want to hammer some steel and iron together, fold, hammer, fold, hammer, fold, hammer.... GC

Not much to tell, it's a 14 bore made by an Austrian called Karl Pirko, active from 1831 until he died in '67. Back action locks, slight overkill on shrouding the caps. I bought it when the barrels on my usual clay gun came completely unsoldered and fell apart. I never worried that either gun might blow up, tough stuff damascene :thumbsup:

 

[robinghewitt]

squire robin, where ever did one find such a wonderfull damascus barrel the pattern is divine

I got it from Michael D Long in Nottingham.

Dyson is selling original late Liege damascene blanks, not cheap but when they're gone that's the end of it for ever. These rusty old 38" tubes have a similar twist to that Pirko, just waiting for someone to bring it out :thumbsup:

 

[hirocker]

I have two Damascus 16ga fowlers, one with a 1790s barrel and one from about 1690. Both are VERY light guns; the earlier one weighs only 5 1/2 pounds loaded. I 'proofed' them with 100gr of Swiss 2F and 2oz of shot, a 2X2 overlaod. The barrels were unmounted for the proof, and they shattered the wood backstop but were dimensionally unchanged.

They are both beautiful and extremely tough - we worry too much these days; the old guns could handle almost any BP charge you could throw at them.

 

eace: Just passing on to all that there is a good article on how to check out Damascus barrles in Novembers American Rifleman.

 

[bezoar]

Its hard to remember that these were the original "magnum" charge barrels.