I posted this the other day on the Remington Society of America board, but thought I'd bring it to the broader audience.
Steel barrels were introduced on Remington Hammerless Doubles, in the Remington Arms Co. April 1897 catalogue.
"Remington Steel" which sold for the same price as the ordinary Damascus barrels on A-grade guns was described in the catalogue thusly -- ""Remington" blued steel barrels are manufactured in our own works, and sold at the same price as ordinary Damascus barrels."
""Ordnance Steel" is of the highest grade, and is especially recommended for heavy charges of nitro powder. The tensile strength of this steel is 110,000 lbs., and elastic limit 60,000 lbs., this being greatly in excess of any strain to which shotgun barrels are subjected with reasonable loads of nitro powders."
"Ordnance Steel" barrels were offered at the same price as the fancier Damascus barrels on grades C and above, but cost a $10 premium on A- and B-Grades when introduced in 1897, and climbed to $15 by the 1899 catalogue and remaied so through the 1909 catalogue.
When the John Browning designed Remington Autoloading Gun was introduced in 1905, its barrel was made of "Remington Steel" from the lowest No. 1 Standard Grade to the highest No. 6 Premier Grade.
I just noticed an interesting offer on the "Extras and Repairs" pages of the 1918-19 and 1923 Remington catalogues.
In 1918-19 they offer an Ordnance Steel barrel in place of the regular Remington Steel barrel on the No. 10 pump and No. 11 autoloading gun for an extra $9.75.
In the 1923 catalogue they just offer the Ordnance Steel barrel as an extra cost option on the No. 10. I haven't found such an offering in the 1910 or 1914 Remington catalogues. I wonder if someone doing inventory stumbled on a supply of old "Ordnance Steel" tubes and they decided to use them up.
Anyone ever see or have a No. 10 or No. 11 with an Ordnance Steel barrel?
