It has been my understanding that the reason for the phony Damascus finishes on the early solid barrels was because some shooters didn't trust the "new" barrels to be as strong as the Damascus they were used to. And indeed, there was some truth to the fear as some of the early solid barrels were in fact, inferior to the better-made Damascus and twist barrels of the day. (That might be the same thing Joe said. Not sure)

> Jim Legg <