Wondering ?????

[C.O.B.]

I saw the gun as well and doubt this set of barrels is salvageable. Another member here had a similar experience with a 16ga hammer gun. I don't know if he ever got the barrels repaired.

IMHO the obvious and least costly approach is to look for another set of barrels and would think fluid steel ones would be easier to come by vs Damascus.

[Phil C]

I would be curious if anyone has seen the results of shotgun barrels that have failed proof testing. It would seem to me the opertunity to budge a barrel during the proofing is elevated. The data of guns tested would provide us with results in a controlled situation of what might happen to shotguns fired with proofing shells. My understanding is that these shells are loaded to about double the normal charge. I realize dents, wall thickness, and other variables would effect the results, but still there should be patterns of barrel bulges.

[Dean Romig]

Rich, that was me, as you know, and Brad repaired my barrels and I shoot it all the time now. He told me that if it was anything but Laminated Steel he wouldn't even have attempted it. Something about Lam that makes it more resilient than the other composites...
I wrote about the gun in Parker Pages less than a year ago - "Shot to Destruction" is the article to look for.

I'll bet a dollar that a set of fluid steel barrels of that vintage would have suffered similarly (or blown out) under the same circumstances.





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[Opening Day]

I saw this gun before, and it was a great gun, and no the bores were clean. One of these two people shot this gun and returned it to Steve, and if you have ever dealt with Steve he will always say "go out and shoot it", bring it back set it back on the table. Say yes or no it didn't fit or whatever and he will say fine (I have seen him do it many, many times).
I cannot believe that the person that did this, did not have enough backbone and/or been man enough to say I'm sorry I screwed up your gun what can I do? If I know Steve he probably would have cut him some slack and said that happens and worked something out, but no, the guy just dropped it on the table and went on his merry way. I know Steve has been steaming about this for a few months, the person that did this has no excuse

[edgarspencer]

Originally Posted by Phillip Carr

I would be curious if anyone has seen the results of shotgun barrels that have failed proof testing. It would seem to me the opertunity to budge a barrel during the proofing is elevated. The data of guns tested would provide us with results in a controlled situation of what might happen to shotguns fired with proofing shells. My understanding is that these shells are loaded to about double the normal charge. I realize dents, wall thickness, and other variables would effect the results, but still there should be patterns of barrel bulges.

Phil, In proof testing, they use a shell of the proper length for the chamber.
I think the type of hull has something to do with what happened to Steve's gun. Many, but not all, plastic hulls are skived, and this tapered wall section of the crimp portion may blend with the forcing cones so that the wad doesn't meet with a strong resistance. I don't have to worry about what the chamber length is when I decide to shoot a particular gun that doesn't get much use, because I only load, and only buy 2 1/2" shells.
I think quality Damascus barrels, in good condition can easily tolerate higher than our normal pressures, but maybe not so well when a shell too long for the chamber, is thrown into the mix.

[Dean Romig]

It would be interesting to know ALL of the circumstances involved.






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[John Taddeo]

Just for the sake of asking anyone's non-committed and honest opinion... What would you guess would be the necessary generated pressure (without obstruction) in those barrels to cause them to bulge..
How about a ballpark ???? And would an off the shelf modern factory load generate that pressure ?? I am not trying to nail anything down here I am just trying to get educated on what is really the case here.. I have read of people shooting 2 3/4 hulls and Wal-Mart specials and I am now hearing the extra length may be an issue at the forcing cone.. I will only shoot 2 1/2 hulls because I just don't know and as such stay on the safe side, what say you ??

[Opening Day]

John good question, I don't think even a Promo load could cause that, maybe as was said before a base wad came off and then the gun was fired again.

[John Taddeo]

Allow me to start this off... Would anyone think 15,000 PSI chamber pressure would cause a normal set of 16 bore Damascus barrels to bulge in this manner ?? I would like to get an opinion on a number to get an idea of a how much of a buffer zone I have between my low pressure loads and what would cause a potential situation.. I am not looking for the hairy edge zone....

[GH-16]

I don't believe you would find any factory loads that would approach 15,000 psi. A crazy reload maybe. Possibly one with a double charge? Could 20,000 psi do it? I don't know.

My question is if this shooter bulged these barrels due to hot loads. What condition are the other guns in he was shooting that day? Surely he didn't just have these two hot loads with him. This was at the southern SxS shoot so his loads would have probably been shot in other similar guns as well.

The other question I have is about how common is it to have base wads come loose and cause obstructions? I've been around a lot of guns and shooting & can honestly say I've never seen or experienced it. What are the odds of having two base wads come loose in two different barrels on the same gun & bulge both barrels at approximately the same place in each of them?

Personally I think there's more to this story. I want to believe Steve, it's his gun and he was the one that experienced it in real time. I'm thinking that it's a mystery that will never be solved without more concise information.