Roy: the Birmingham Test is now digitized
As published in
The Fieldhttp://books.google.com/books?id=inQCAAA...lt#PPA11-IA4,M1and is reviewed here
http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dfg2hmx7_242cxhh9hfq Re: the various pattern welded imperfections/flaws
La Chasse Au Fusil An Essay On Shooting Gervis Francois Magne’ de Marolles 1789
"The imperfections to which a barrel is liable in the forging, are of three kinds, viz. the
chink, the
crack, and the
flaw. The chink is a solution of continuity, running lengthwise in the barrel. The crack is a solution of continuity more irregular in it form than the chink, and running in a transverse direction, across the barrel. The flaw differs from both; it is a small plate or scale, which adheres to the barrel, by a narrow base, from which it spreads out as the head of a nail does from it shank, and when separated, leaves a pit or hollow in the metal."
Shooting Simplified James Dalziel Dougall 1865
"There are various kinds of flaws in barrels, such as “
cracks”, “
sand holes”, and what are technically termed “
grays.” They are those little specks in the iron…from rust showing more upon them than upon the smoother surface."
The Gun W.W. Greener 8th Edition 1907
"The numerous twistings and weldings of gun-iron rods and ribands are fully detailed…and it must have occurred to the reader that the Damascus barrel is one mass of welds from breech to muzzle. This is so. Unfortunately a certain amount of burnt metal, or scale, is imbedded within some of the welds, and in the finished barrel this fragment of scale forms a “
grey”…which will not colour in harmony with the other part of the barrel, but is made more apparent by the finishing processes of polishing and browning. These “greys” may appear some time after the gun has been in use, the hard metal composing the barrel being eaten into by rust…They are developed in the inside by the chemical action of powder gases, and are almost ineradicable. The harder the Damascus the greater the liability to “greys”…"
Parker 0 Grade Lifter with tiny rust inclusions (
greys?) in Twist barrels courtesy of Austin Hogan
