Pete: IMHO, I think it was a matter of evolution and deduction, why produce damascus barrels in the first place ?-I think the answer would be to combine steel and iron to produce a material that can take the stresses required by a gun barrel. The artistry of the different patterns came later-it was not the initial quest. Once a method was discovered to "anneal" steel making it more pliable and workable and knowing that the steel in damascus gave the barrel its "strenght" the next step seems obvious, an all steel "damascus" barrel. It would seem that the "old Boys" were correct by the proof tests where laminated steel proved to be the strongest. --- John Can.
