AmarilloMike,
I wouldn't give up so quickly! --LOL.
I did quite a bit of research on this topic for another forum and learned that there is a lot of misinformation in the shotgun world on this topic. I called shops all around the country and asked those individuals that sell guns, make guns, and repair guns about the differences between soft and hard soldering, low temperature and high temperature, the kinds of solders used, and as one might expect I received all kinds of answers from the so-called experts --even when just concentrating on "one" manufacturer.
What I surmised is that because barrels brazed at higher temperatures (i.e. "silver soldered") are "considered" stronger (and this may be debatable), many companies that soft solder barrels at lower temperatures use solders with a small percentage of silver in them and then advertise their barrels as "silver soldered". I heard this story time and time again. Their customers in turn believe that the guns they are buying are "stronger" because they are "silver soldered", confusing the process with higher temperature brazing.
Ironically, in regards to craftsmanship and quality of work, barrels soldered at lower temperatures allow for ribs and barrels to be laid and adjusted more precisely. The process is more labor intensive and usually results in an ascetically more appealing product. Most high end guns to this day still use this process.
On the other hand, barrels brazed at higher temperatures (by true definition "silver soldered") are assembled with wire and wedges, and then heated in ovens. This process is less labor intensive and does not allow the barrel makers to make adjustments during the brazing process, but in theory this process makes for a stronger barrel (again, perhaps debatable) in addition to lowering the cost of production.
Last edited by David Dabaco; 01/21/09 04:11 PM.
