doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Help please Ted, Gene or FAB

Argo44, I was referring to the >>ISO<< touchmark on the water-table.

Serbus,

Raimey
rse

Absolutely understood Raimey - I was clarifying Fab's comments. Here are comments by Wildcattle from the original Zavettero Frères - later Zavattero & Cie. line on chrome bores:

Argo44
"bretelle automatique et canons isochromés." Automatic sling; crome-plated bores.... Learned new gun words ....thanks. ....
Wonder how one can differentiate between "canons" for barrels and "canons" for bores...maybe it's just understood that you're not going to have a chrome barrel on the outside...sort of a Harley Davidson option?

Wildcattle
"Chromed barrels" would not semantically distinguish between inside and outside.
However, Pimping a double did not quite exist back then. So, because the only practical use of Chrome is inside the barrels, that's what this is supposed to mean.
A couple of remarks:
- "Isochrome" was a barrel plating company in St Etienne. This is a trade name, and not a scientific one.
- I have seen my fair share of Chromed barrels made by "la Manu". The problem with that process is that it does not age well, probably worse than non chromed barrels.
I don't know what the problem is, but the chrome seems to flake off after some time. I would think that the issue might be that during shooting, the barrel stretches more than the chrome, breaking the bond over time. In any event, I would stay away from chromed barrels, even if they look good today.
Of course, by the time the Chrome is flaking, I don't know the barrels can be recovered.
It could be a process issue, I don't know if other processes work better.

Side note.

In my collection of Darne literature is a catalog from American Imports, who made it perhaps 3 bird seasons as an importer for Darne guns, I’m thinking 1960-1963, in between Don White (the only guns I know for sure that Don imported were his pair of V19s, a 20 and a 12) and Stoeger Arms, who made it about a decade 1964-1974.

In the AI Darne catalog is a tantalizing note that stainless steel barrels were available for “extra cost”. I’ve never, ever seen them, but the guys at the factory in St Etienne knew the process to get them blued when I was there, mid 1990s. They were plated with iron and then blued like any set of barrels. The subject came up because the famous “Charlin in a jar of water” was in the shop at the Bruchet works, a stainless steel Charlin action, fasteners, and stub of barrels that had been immersed in water for about 30 years at that point.

I would think there would be a mark designating stainless barrels, but, I can’t add anything about that.

Best,
Ted

I kind of doubt there would be a stamp on a barrel indicating Stainless Steel ("acier inoxydable" - more commonly "acier inox" or "canon inox") except for the usual advertising logos on the barrel. There isn't a separate stamp for Steel or Damascus.

There are Stainless steel barrel makers in France. Personally I'd prefer a nickel plated barrel for use on salt water.
http://www.armurerie-grand-est.fr/produit.php?id=622
https://armurerie-au-saint-hubert.fr/brand/56-rainier-arms

Late to the conversation, but to add something on the subject of chromed barrels (exterior vs bores): Here in the States, many of us were exposed to chrome finished barrels back in the 1960's. When Ithaca began importing SKB sxs and OUs, the barrels were finished in black chrome. (The bores were also chrome-lined.) The exterior finish of those barrels appeared dull next to standard blued barrels. Later SKB's, however--after Ithaca ceased importing the guns--had blued barrels. Although the black chrome wore relatively well, it was dropped due to concerns from Japan's version of the EPA and a toxic waste disposal problem that resulted from the black chrome process.