doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Nitro Proof Damascus 2-1/2 inch

I wouldn't worry about that at all for RST or equivalents.

Googled that, and now I know more than I did yesterday. Thank you!

Bro. Fudd. This is a helpful thread regarding measuring wall thickness
https://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=615160

Vol423 - you have confirmed that the chambers are still 2 1/2"? If so, I am in agreement regarding the safety of those numbers. I would not however use even low pressure 2 3/4" shells.

Yes, chambers are still 2-1/2". I will only use RST and B&P 2-1/2" factory ammo until I find a reliable low pressure handload.

Nothing has been mentioned about the condition of the bores, today, or, if a good ‘Smith has had a look at the condition of the gun, overall, and the condition of the barrels in particular. Damascus is not my cup of tea, but, many use such guns every day. I believe that a good gunsmith, one familiar with English guns, proof, reproof and Damascus barrels should probably have a look at it. Kirk Merrington is retired, but, takes on projects that interest him, and this would be right up his alley.

I’m guessing that a gun that checks out OK for low pressure ammunition of the 2 1/2” variety will actually be OK with low pressure 2 3/4” ammunition. The difference in pressure is slight, and it is easy to use off the shelf components to produce what you need, which, can be used in doubles that do not have a low pressure requirement.

But, take the gunsmith’s advice.

Good luck.

Best,
Ted

I thought that I mentioned the bore are as perfect as I can see. I think they were honed before they were nitro proofed in 1954.

Calling the bores “bright and shiny” is not the same as a qualified gunsmith putting a bore scope into them and looking at the condition under magnification, doing an inspection to the exterior condition, and examining the gun for any other issues.

No free lunch, dude.

Best,
Ted

Ted's comment reminds me of a visit I made in 1990 to a Swiss expatriate gunsmith Alfred Galifant, who lived near Philadelphia. I visited him regarding a Holland Royal I had purchased for the princely sum of $900. (As an aside I bought it from john Wayne's doctor. It had been given to him by another patient, a Hollywood actress. The barrel was bulged by a left- behind base wad. ) This gun too was nitro proved Damascus. It had a bulge in the left barrel about 8 inches from the breech. I wanted to know if it could be repaired. Alfred said that sleeving was the only solution. To me except for the bulge, the bores looked perfect. But he went to great lengths to detail all of the flaws he could see from his inspection. I don't know if he saw anything at all, or if this was his way of getting the price down because he tried hard to buy it. I later sold it because the stock had 3/4" cast off and I'm a lefty. A man named Holland bought it with a plan to hammer out the bulge. I hope he didn't hurt himself.

By the way Kirk has a young assistant. He used to work for Griffin and Howe. I've forgotten his name. I just talked to him about this gun. He told me he thought it would be fine to shoot but he also suggested an inspection.

Thank you, sir. I'm an erstwhile quality control dimensional inspector, and that thread is a deep dive.

My opinion is not better than other's, but .090" at the end of the chamber is the lower limit, for me, for damascus. No concern with 4140.
We know using long for short chamber shells will raise the pressure an average of 700 psi. Bell's study is 1/2 way down here, and note we have NO modern data regarding 16g and 20g
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZIo0y746UsSRZIgRuuxwAbZjSBHitO_EanvwLYc-kGA/edit

And max. pressures are at 1-2" with today's powders.



SO I would not use a 2 3/4" shell in this gun.

That said, B&P Comp One 7/8 oz. is only 5,800 psi, and some nominal 2 3/4" 12g shells measure shorter after firing. Things obvious change, but I've done some dumpster diving at the club and measured a bunch of empties.