doublegunshop.com - home Forums Thread Like Summary - Non-corrosive shotgun primer introduction

It took some looking, and this appears to be the best (unverified) information from a Forum post
https://www.mdshooters.com/threads/dating-winchester-western-non-corrosive-primer-boxes.178168/

Reminton acquired the technology for non-corrosive lead styphanate primers from RWS (Rheinisch Westfälische Sprengstoff-Actien-Gesellschaft) in 1926 and introduced the Klean-Bore shells sometime thereafter

This is a 1936 ad specifically mentioning the non-corrosive priming



I found mention of a Winchester 'NF' non-fulminate primer possibly developed c. 23' or 24' but couldn't confirm, or if these were for shotshells.

The Staynless non-mercuric non-corrosive primers were introduced for shotshells c. 28' - 29'

1939 ad mentioning the non-corrosive primers



I've owned 4 pre-1913 Smiths; a 06' No. 00 12g and No. 0E 16g Smith, a 07' No. 2E 16g, and a 08' No. 00E 20g; and c. 1920s Ithaca, Fox and Parker doubles. All were certainly using guns, but not abused and by the bore size and wall thicknesses appeared to have non-modified barrels. They all had "frosting" and superficial pitting, and one gun had to my eye and bore scope significant ragged pits.

Syracuse Arms Co. barrel cleaned but no attempt to polish; breech left and you can see the transition line from the forcing cone



Looking toward the breech of another gun with typical superficial pitting



Worse forcing cone pitting, looking toward the muzzle



Post-1913 Smith chamber pitting




SO it continues to be MHO that any pre-mid-1920s shotgun that had much use is very unlikely to have a 'mirror bore', but I could be wrong. And pics thereof would be great.
Safe queens, and those owned by someone with OCD maybe not

Center fire and rimfire rifle & pistol ammunition got non-corrosive priming several years ahead of shotgun ammunition.

Remington introduced their KLEANBORE priming to their .410-bore shotgun shells by 1930. From the January 1, 1930 jobbers price list --



and a 1930 catalog --

A collection of barrel segments



This is the point. Pretty "mirror" bore, honed to .739" with wall thickness .018"

Thanks Dave.

A neat 1928 Western ad with no mention of the non-corrosive primers



1931 Kleanbore ad

Just like Remington, Western Cartridge Co. introduced non-corrosive priming to their .410-bore cartridges in 1930 and the larger sizes in 1931. The April 1, 1930, Western Ammunition for Rifle, Revolver and Shotgun lists the .410-bore with non-corrosive priming and the March 1, 1931, Western Ammunition for Rifle, Revolver and Shotgun --



There were only a couple of years for non-corrosive primers in the two-piece boxes. A box of Super-X from 1931 or 2 --



By 1933, both Western and Remington went to the one-piece boxes.

Tim: that's what I did with my 1906 L.C. Smith 16g No. 0E with “Good Two Rod” Damascus, which measured .016”, 14” from the breech.
BUT prior to being gifted to me and measured, it had survived 250 2 1/2” 7/8 oz. Polywad Spred-R shells, 100 2 1/2” 7/8 oz. at 1145 fps. (about 8000 psi) loads, and 2 cases (500 shells) of 2 1/2” RST 3/4 oz. at 1100 fps (4,600 psi per RST).



The spring steel and leather handguard fit right over the thin spot. I put cases of 3/4 oz. handloads through the gun.