Barrel Steel

[Granville]

This is an amateur question no doubt. I was wondering why musket barrels are made from steel and shotgun barrels of the same general era are made from Damascus?

 

[Phil Coffins]

Cost.

 

[EC121]

Cost and strength. The "damascus" barrels were made in Europe for the commercial market. The US military musket barrels were made in the US. Has anyone ever seen a musket or rifle with a twist barrel? There probably are some, but I haven't seen any.
Edit: Doh!! I've seen one. I just remembered that I had a percussion twist barreled English halfstock rifle years ago.

 

[Granville]

Interesting, thanks for the input.

 

[nhmoose]

Damascus was stronger than the time period steel barrels.

 

[ohio ramrod]

Damascus was stronger than the time period steel barrels.

So true many people consider damacus barrels unsafe, and steel barrels safer. But in their time period damacus barrels were stronger since they had a series of overlapping weld points, where as, the steel barrels had one weld seam.

 

[French Colonial]

AND...
Damascus barrels were a higher priced option when a manufacturer such as Remington offered both.