doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Parker barrels that have been in fire

Going through parts that we got and found a set of Parker 10 guage barrels that have been through a fire and are heavily rusted on the outside but pretty good inside.Could these be cleaned up to be safe to shoot? I soaked them in vinegar and can just make out the "Parker" on the rib and the bores must have been greased or something because they don't look bad at all.Steel barrels,32 inches.

Well, the rust must have been holding things together because the ribs are loose for a good part of the length. I don't know what kind of temperatures that means.

RHD:
Would you really want to bet your fingers on a set of barrels that have been in a fire of unknown duration and temperature? If the ribs are loose they certainly got hot enough to unsolder them.
Heavily rusted also means there are likely pits thus thinning the barrels that have already most likely been weakened by heat. I'm certainly no metalurgist but IMO: The prudent thing to do here is to pass.
Jim

I think I'll clean the rust off and see what is underneath and record the serial# and see if I can save the ribs. Someone says it has to be about 800F to melt silver solder and I don't know how much higher it got or what kind of fire it was.I don't think there is a receiver in the pile that matches.We've scrapped almost 75 pounds of gun parts and misc. related items that were deemed unusable and/or repairable.Got 2 nice 8" cannon balls out of a wooden barrel and headstock for a lathe.

As the barrels will have been made of mild/low carbon steel, the heat can have damaged only the solder and/or caused rusting. Mild steel is not subject to heat hardening; likewise, it is not subject to heat "softening." So, if there is not too much rusting (esp. in the form of pitting) and you can economically justify relaying the ribs, I'd say they could be repaired from a metalurgical viewpoint.

DDA

My parkers are soft soldered rather than silver soldered. That means 320 degrees or more to separate the ribs.

Sure wish I could,for a change,find all the parts for something together and usable. Being a "scrounger" means you get to see a lot of stuff that once was part of something else that might have been grand at one time.Maybe there should be a clearing house for all the parts of good guns that have gotten themselves dismembered and cast to the winds.

If the ribs are loose, the temp exceeded 360f to melt the lead/tin solder or the rust failed the joint. If the breach is still solid the temp did not exceed silver solder melt temp. Without looking at them I think you assume more than 360 and less than 1200f if the breach is solid. I see no reason to believe the temp weakened the steel.


For those concerned about heat affected barrels, consider the heat used to make the barrel assembly originally. A torch was likely used to turn the barrels red to silver braze them at the chambers. Even a new modern double today gets this heating to assemble them.

"Steel barrels"? Fluid steel ten gauge Parker barrels are quite scarce. Let us know when you identify the serial number and frame size. Stamps on the flats will give you added information.

Steel 10 bore Parker barrels are worth fooling with. I would do some heavy inspection to determine if they could be salvaged. I just fixed a set of L C Smith 410 barrels that required extra work. Now I need an action or a new home for them.

bill

Yes, All informaiton above is good stuff to listen to. First thing is to see if the ribs are still hanging on. Even if they are, if the outside is rusty, you don't know what might be going on between the tubes. Might be best to have the ribs stripped and relayed to ensure all is sound.

And of course a chceking of the wall thickness would be in order. If the rust on the outside has caused a lot of pitting, you have to consider the amount og mateiral that will have to come off in getting that out.

Gave the barrels to a guy who does high end car restoration and has the know how to de rust without ruining good metal. We'll see what develops.