doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Blown Baker

Here's a bit of Greener marketing hyperbole

Greener pinfire with rib stamped "Laminated Steel Indestructible By Gunpowder"

Bad deal. Thats one reason I prefer not to sell non-fliud steel guns. In all my years in business the only fluid steel guns that I have seen blow are from one or two reasons.

1. Obstuctions in the barrel

2. 12/20 bursts

I have been around a number of guns when the reloads were over charged and you know it, but the barrels or gun did not give way.

Sure lots of great guns out there that you can shoot that are non-fliud steel guns but I still do not feel good about it. You have to be extra careful on the loads.

There are always a group of guys that think if it fits in the chamber, then its ok

Just be super careful on these older guns and know you are taking the risk. One of my old friends had one let go, mangled his hand up bad. After that his hand was like a claw. Sad.


John

A few years back, don't recall exactly when, Buck Hamlin reported in the LACA Newsletter a test he had done on a twist bbl. He had taken an old bad condition L C Smith hammer gun with twist bbls & re-chambered it for 3½" shells. As I recall he had to epoxy up the stock so it would hold & the bores were extremely pitted. He started with some max 3½" loads from the manual with Blue Dot powder & worked up from there. I forget now exactly how high he went, but quit when that rotary bolt turned into a self opener & never damaged the bbls.

Dr. Drew --- maybe the inscription meant the rib was safe from damage by gunpowder. (VBG)

Ed's comment about mismarked ammunition deserves further discussion. I have a box of 00 buck 12ga high brass Winchester shells, came to me straight from Winchester. Only thing is, the box is marked "Winchester AA Light Target Load"--and it was one of a flat of AA's, the only difference being all the other boxes really DID have the proper contents. (I called Winchester and told them they might want to check that particular lot.)

I fired one round out of a double from a brand new box of Winchester AA Light Target Loads a few years back and couldn't open the gun. I finally put it across my knee and,while pointed downrange, applied pressure to the barrels and stock and managed to get it open. The fired shell had a pierced primer and clearly showed signs of high pressure. I had pictures of this at one time but can no longer find them. I didn't use the other shells and,after I sent the pictures to Winchester, they sent UPS to my home and picked up the pierced shell and the others. I never did hear anything back from Winchester nor did I have any other problems with this gun.
Jim

Have had exactly the same experience with Westley Richards (Wolfgang Romey) and A-Square factory nitro-express ammunition in very expensive double rifles. I'll never pull the trigger on either brand again. Again though, the liability for such belongs solely to the cartridge manufacturer, and doesn't reflect on the gunmaker or proof house in any way.