short timer

[George]

Well, I guess I’m doomed. It turns out none of the guns I routinely hunt with are safe enough to shoot.

My go-to gun for most things is a contemporary 20 gauge smoothbore made with a DOM barrel of 1026 steel.

My favorite original is 250 years old, a .55 caliber smooth rifle, handmade of wrought iron, a folded tube with a forge weld 50 inches long, probably done by some apprentice.

My favorite rabbit gun is a SxS percussion shotgun about 150 years old with damascus barrels.

My oldest replica is a sweet little .40 caliber, but it has a Douglas barrel, made with 12L14 steel.

Same thing for my dedicated turkey gun with the Colerain barrel, 12L14.

God only knows what kind of steel Bill Large used in the barrel of my other small caliber flintlock rifle.

Problem is, I’ve been shooting these guns for a lot of years, and I generally load what most people think of as heavy charges. Walking around with a bunch of ticking time bombs in my hands every time I go hunting, surely my time is running out. If even 0.01% of all the dire predictions I’ve heard over the years are accurate, it all has to catch up to me soon, and I’m a goner.

Well, it was fun while it lasted, but I’m no fool. Where’d I put that Marlin lever gun? :haha:

Spence

 

[Rifleman1776]

Yer doin' sumptin wrong. :shocked2:
Shoulda kilt yerself long time ago. :wink:

 

[Loyalist Dave]

You probably have "tested" the barrels enough that IF they were going to blow, you'd be done by now. :shocked2: I don't know why you are worried about the 12L14 Douglas barrels..., it might be though the "bumble bee effect". The bumble bee cannot fly, according to aerodynamic engineers, but the bee does not know this, so does so anyway..., so just don't tell the guns they should blow up, and they probably won't.

LD

 

[Lonegun1894]

Spence,
You and I must be related somewhere down the line. My MLs should have blown up in my hands also, even though I don't think I have anything quite as "experianced" as your guns in the ML category. Not only that though, but I carried a 1911 overseas and then used the same 1911 when going through the police academy, and still carry the same gun on duty. Now in the academy, about half the class refused to stand anywhere near me during the firearms portion of things because since mine was steel and wood instead of mostly plastic like theirs, it is an outdated antique that "will blow up and kill us all". The instructors and I just smiled, and the gun is still going strong and more accurate than the tupperware, some of which had parts falling off by the time we were half way through. Having said that, I bet your 250yr old gun isn't made of plastic, and therefore I would rather trust it than the majority of truly "modern" stuff.

 

[Roguedog]

I imagine a few of my gun barrels are made of 12L14 steel. So far, so good.

Jeff

 

[George T.]

It's hard for me to believe that almost any modern steel is better than those used in the 1800's and earlier. I have an origional Norwitch Civil War Musket and I have fired it many times.
There are many origional rifles and handguns beibg shot today! I have never heard of a blow up unless some thing very stupid was done! zGeo. T.

 

[wattlebuster]

I think ya got a better chance of hittin the lottery :idunno: but Im just a fat redneck and dont pretend to know nothin

 

[dbutch]

Spence..Better get working on your bucket list! :grin:

 

[mark/wi]

George, this is one of the best post I have seen in a while, thanks. :v Mark

 

[Stumpkiller]

My favorite flintlock rifle has 12L14 steel. The good news is that if you abuse 12L14 it will bulge. There are "better" barrel steels that warn you by bursting. I don't see that as a benefit. ;-)

But just to be safe you'd better send me your guns. I'd hate to see you hurt. :hatsoff:

 

[razorbritches]

since you is as good as gone I want dibbs on that 20 guage

 

[Sperit de bois]

Then the good side,,if you die doing what you love then it's all worth it,,beat a retirement home and shuffle board!!!!!!!!!!!! :grin:
What is DOM???????(dirty old man)?????? :idunno:

 

[cynthialee]

We should take out a policy on him. He is a gonner for sure. Just a matter of time...

 

[George]

What is DOM???????

Drawn Over Mandrel, aka tubing barrel.

Spence

 

[Lonegun1894]

Spence,
I will keep shooting mine, even if it does eventually kill me, and I am betting you see it the same way. Besides, what a way to go!

 

[VEARL]

If I croak while shooting one of my BP rifles, I told the wife to list them all on Ebay. Them fools will pay top dollar for anything. :rotf: :rotf:

 

[pargent]

Obviously your gun is in good condition and you yourself are a very experienced person around m/l guns . For those that arn't at least pull the barrel and check the bottom surface for rust pits and delamination anything found here should discourage the use of the gun .also of possible intrest to some members is the way different guns were proofed originaly eg. military guns had 3 times the normal powder charge and a tight ball loaded and then fired, a lot of trade guns only had 2/3rds the balls weigth in powder and a ball loaded. A barrel with slag spots that past proof 150-250 years ago may not hold up now , the iron or steel around that slag that held up so many years ago may well let go to-day. How many guys on this forum can spot this with the naked eye? 2,3 6 maybe?Just because some of us do know what we are doing we should take some care when advising others to do like we do . Just as a point if I were to come into an as new condition original I still would not fire it because of it's historical value not it's money value and there are plenty of repros about.( Iam talking pre 1850 here guys, as you all know there is some WW1&WW11 stuff that should not be fired as well ff because of breeches and barrels bursting )

 

[hoochiepapa]

I don't want to know what my barrels are made of after this!!! :haha: :hatsoff: