i had a fellow ask if he could put screw in chokes in his ithaca damascus sbs.
how do i answer him?
he wants to hunt quail with it and doesnt like full and full.
please share the right words with me to say.

my kids used to ask "can I do" what ever it was

my response was "you probably can, but you may not"

I'd introduce him to spreader loads.

Polywad 2-1/2" Spred-R loads.

Can you even thread Damascus barrels for screw-ins? I shudder asking that question.

The better choice would be the Polywad Doublewides. They are spreader AND low pressure.

Agree. The regular spreader loads are certainly not low pressure.

thanks, you gave me something more than just shaking my head!

Honestly, you need to know more information regarding the gun before giving this fellow who owns the Ithaca a bunch of regurgitated baloney. What grade is the gun? Which patent action Ithaca is it? NID? Crass? Flues? What's the overall condition? If it's a fairly common gun, a non collectors piece, or something not too special, why not suggest opening the chokes to suit his needs? If it's a rare and highly collectible gun, what's wrong with suggesting selling the gun and buying something more useable? The suggestion of using spreaders is ok...for some guns. In others, they just don't work that great.
Just because the gun is a Ithaca with Damascus barrels doesn't exclude it from simple modifications that can make it more user friendly & practical.

I make my own spreaders using over two shot cards (OSC's) cut in half and joined together to form an X. No need to reduce powder as the light weight cardboard X's do not create additional pressure. Depending on the shot and powder used the OSC spreaders can open up the bores to at least 1 or more choke sizes.

I would be surprised is someone would accept the task of putting tubes in a Damascus barrel. That's the reality, and saying so might be a soft lead-in to a more involved discussion.

Mike Orlen won't do it. He told me that Damascus barrels are not strong enough to hold the threading. I only asked him out of curiosity regarding the possibility so I didn't bother to ask him his thoughts on shooting damascus barrels in general.

Tell him it can be done, but only with damascus choke tubes. Tell him that dissimilar metals can cause serious problems. Keep a straight face, and let us know what he says in reply.

SRH

Agree with LeFusil. If the gun's not collectible, and especially if he's going to use it for quail or other mostly short range shooting, just open the chokes. I have a NID 20ga Field Grade, pretty nice shape, marked 2 and 4 (M/F). Previous owner opened it to C/M. If I were a 100% original only guy, I suppose that would bother me. But I'm not, and while the gun is nice, it's certainly not nice enough to be collectible. And I prefer the chokes as they are to what the factory provided.

The advent of the choke was the beginning of the downfall of shotgunning. Tell him if he can't leave the gun alone, remove them entirely and shoot as nature intended.

Damascus barrels can not be easily turned down on a lathe I have read somewhere. The different types of metal tend to tear out instead of cut or shear well. So I think that getting a good clean thread to cut and hold in the barrels may be very difficult. I guess you can find someone to do the job but the chance for a good outcome does not sound good to me. Easier to open the chokes unless the gun is a real collectors item. They made a hundred thousand Ithaca's so unless it is a rare or high grade gun opening the chokes will just make it more versatile.

Thinking back there was an article in Shooting Sportsman a few issues ago about a barrel striker who was making barrels using old Damascus blanks and all the problems encountered in taking a rough blank and striking it down to size and then finishing it into a set of barrels. He is one of the last people still able to complete the job. He almost become some type of Zen barrel whisperer. His work was beautiful and in much demand to those who have accumulated the few remaining blanks to work with.

So, you really think shotgunning has fallen to a lower level than that which it occupied prior to choke boring?

SRH

I loved your advice about it not being feasible because of problems with corrosion between dissimilar metals Stan. That gave me my chuckle for the day!

For what it's worth, here is a Damascus hammer gun with Briley chokes:

http://www.willoughbymccabe.com/d.php?gid=890

Teague will install chokes on Damascus barrels apparently as well. Probably not worth it on a low grade gun obviously.

"We can even fit multi chokes to Damascus barreled guns."

http://www.teaguechokes.com/teague-multi-chokes

All of these things you "Can't do with Damascus" are likely as Old wife Tale as "If you Shoot it it'll Unwind".

I remember reading the "unwind" thing, something from the early 20th century. The writer was suggesting that was why Damascus was superior to fluid steel, which would "splinter" (I think that was the term) if the barrel failed. Whereas unwind wouldn't hurt the shooter.