doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Barrel Lining

Kensal & Chuck,
Spot on observations, but as we all know many projects are often a labour of love.
When commercialism rears it's head that's when things get ugly.
I think that very often the phrase 'can't be done' should be replaced with 'of course it can be done, but are you willing to pay the cost'
On the lighter side I remember going up to North Wales one winter's morning to see Owen Gwynn Owen who dug up Parry Thomas's Land Speed record car 'Babs' out of Pendine Sands and restored it.
On hearing of my obsession with Grouse he offered to let me out onto his Moor with his Purdey which he produced from under the couch cushions, I noticed that the left barrel had a hole in it and declined it's use.
"Ooo not much of a shot then are you if you need both barrels, I never use the left" he said.

Now THAT is a funny tale!!

(did you get to sit in the car??)

a good laugh

Sit in it?
I drove the bloody thing down the A5 (which for those that don't know it is a bloody dangerous road).
Mr Owen is a larger than life character (he may well have passed on now)a University Lecturer at Bangor University he was fascinated with the Land Speed Record.
Parry Thomas a Welsh Garage owner built 'Babs' using a monsterous aircraft engine, whilst attempting to break the record at Pendine he rolled the car and was killed. The car was buried where it lay wrecked on the sand as a memorial. Owen searched the sands and found it's resting place and recovered it with permission from the South Wales Council, took it home to North Wales and restored it to it's former glory. Once this was done the South Wales council asked for it back, thus started years of legal wrangling.
Read about it via Google.

I corresponded with Nigel Teague today. I had contacted him earlier about lining a gun, and he said he would.

But, as of now, He is no longer doing the lining.

Sam Ogle, Lincoln, NE

Thank you for the update from Nigel.

Is Nigel Teague or anyone else doing damascus barrel lining now? Any news in this area?

Barrel lining as a great idea to give an old gun an extended lease of life ,whilst retaining the out side appearance . You had to have good barrels to start with ,that is no great pits or bulges . Main problem as I saw it was that people went out and shot the damn things . Not just the odd day out but used them like they were new barrels . If you wanted to do that then sleeving was the only alternative that stood up to real use .
I have great respect for Nigel and he achieved what many had tried to do and had failed and I am sorry that in the long run for various reasons it was not the success that we all hoped it would be . Having seen several guns that had been done I do not agree that it made the barrels heavy and ungainly .As with sleeving I have heard complaints that it makes the barrel heavy ,but what was the original weight when new ? Not the weight of a bored out thin walled gun that it was before and that's for certain.

Thanks, Gunman. Teague lined a 120 year old Lefever side by side for me a number of years ago. Their work was outstanding. I came across another gun that would be a candidate for lining and am very sorry to hear that Teague is not doing it any more. Am I right? Is anyone doing that kind of quality lining work now?