doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Shooting Damascus SxS's

What 2 Piper said.

I would add that there are those who feel that 7625 if kept toward the light side can ignite late, partly down the barrel and do damage.

I have switched to PB and keep my loads at 5K PSI and use it year round. One ounce and around 1125 fps. Check the book and I think you might be happier.

No argument hOjO, but his mistake fortuitously provided a clear example of the difference between 'Oxford' and 'Boston' patterns, for the 2 or 3 of us that care

I use a lot of 7625 for clays and dove, etc. However, for my upland hunting I always switch to PB since it seems to burn much better in colder weather. Here's my favorite all around load which is taken straight from the IMR reloading data ( http://www.imrpowder.com/HomePage.html ):

Federal Gold Metal Hull
Federal 209A primer
Claybuster 1100-12 wad
21.5 grains IMR PB
5,100 psi and 1150fps

Actually I have switched to the CB2118 wad, which gives a little more space for a good crimp. Everything else remains the same.

So with all the care and the barrels being the primary selling point on the old damascus guns, I can't believe that quality control would pass such thing through, would an employee get a gun at a discount price?? Put it this way, If I were to spend my hard earn money, I don't know that I'd want a barrel that looked like crapola.

This was no accident or cheap maneuver. The barrels are very nicely made and matched. The maker had a reason for doing it--we'll probably never know for sure what it was. Perhaps he felt the characteristics of one was better suited at the breech, etc. than the other. Or, he just wanted to make something distinctive. Regardless, I like 'em.

Joe is probably correct, and I wonder if they were not demonstration tubes by the (unknown as yet) Belgian maker.
We've seen these Charles Lancaster barrels refinished by Craig Smith with a 3 Rod Damas Anglais or Crolle' right barrel, and 3 Rod 'Finest' Oxford left. Can't imagine this was an accident.



Sure hope Jerry can get a pic up of his barrels.

I wouldn't mind one bit having that Ch. Lancaster with what can be perfectly called
a composed pair of barrels.

JC

We can all speculate why the maker did what he did and we could question if the original maker actually did it or if one tube was relaced later by someone else.

The bottom line is better guns had better damascus barrels.

Doc I'm still not convinced that you can define the different Damascus barrels when the makers called them by different names.

No argument again hOjO. Remington's 'Oxford 2 S.J.' could be called Damas Anglais, English Two Rod, English Two Stripe, Hufnagel, Damas fer de clous, Oxford, Fine Damascus, Good Damascus, London, and Damas Crolle'
Other patterns, like Horse-shoe, Etoile, Herring-bone, and Bernard are more consistent.