Damascus Pattern & Marketing

[Bruce P Bruner]

I'm curious about the interesting marketing of various Damascus patterns. For one example, I have never seen a Parker with the "Chain" pattern. Hunter Arms lists the chain pattern as an available option around the turn of the Century for their LC Smith shotguns. I'm wondering if some manufacturers had exclusive rights to specific Damascus patterns or if management made the decision to use certain patterns because of quality, demand and the availability of adequate inventory.
Another question I have pondered is; are the various quality levels of Damascus determined only by the intricacies of the pattern and difficulty of manufacture or are there other considerations perhaps, such as differing strength of various patterns?
Some of my favorite Damascus patterns are the "Washington" stars and stripes, "Chain" and the "Benard" Rose pattern.
I find the different variations of Damascus patterns simply amazing!
I was saddened to learn when Parker abandoned the use of patterned barrels after WWI they destroyed all of their remaining inventories.

[Jim DiSpagno]

Look in my albums. I sold a GH 2 barrel set , one set were factory chain Damascus.

[Dean Romig]

Here's a set of Parker barrels called "American Flag Bunting" tho some folks call the pattern "Stars and Stripes".

I copied this picture from years ago when someone posted it on the forum.


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[Drew Hause]

Bruce: please see
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...WMIMkdKr0/edit
and
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...sIjmr8uy8/edit

Makers could call their patterns whatever they desired, always with an eye on marketing. Some just said "Fine" or "Finest". Remington offered the greatest variety of patterns and names.

BTW "American Flag" (Ithaca's name) or "Stars and Stripes" is an Etoile' variant; stars within the scrolls



"Washington" had tiny rectangles; not stars

[Dean Romig]

Regarding Damascus barrels on Parker Bros. guns -

Very early hammer guns (Lifters) may have had D2 - Two iron crolle
Then there was D3 - Three iron crolle, D4 - four iron crolle, (I don't recall ever seeing D5) then there's D6 - six iron crolle and that's where it stops.
The higher the crolle count, the finer the pattern and as far as I know they were priced accordingly.
The sales brochures of these barrels were "Damascus", "Fine Damascus", "Very Fine Damascus" and "Finest Damascus". Finest Damascus was D6 or six iron crolle and these were usually stamped DD on the barrel flat of the right barrel. The others were stamped D3 and D4. We see D3 and D4 stamped on Parker grades 2, 3, 4 and rarely 5 but Grade 5 or B guns more often had DD six iron crolle.

Incidentally, DD barrels are sometimes seen on lower grade Parkers but it has been my experience that such barrels were added later or were replacements for originals.

Drew can and should edit what I have written here as he is the authority on this topic.





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[Drew Hause]

I've certainly not seen them all, but I'm not aware of an early Lifter with 2 Iron, and would very much appreciate an image of one, along with grade and DOM
More here
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...YvzD18i3c/edit

[Dean Romig]

I'll see if I have a picture in my photo folder. This may take some time.





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[Researcher]

Any more pictures of this barrel?

American Flag Bunting.jpg

Like the rest of the rib legend to see what the Brothers P called them, the barrel flats to see the marking and the serial number to see what is in the records?

The Chain J sample is on the Remington salesman's Damascus samples, but so far the only Remington with Chain J barrels I've recorded is my early BE-Grade --

101315 BE-Grade 12-ga 05.jpg

[Drew Hause]

Took some looking Dave. The images were sent to me by the "gold towel guy" quite some time ago and I don't have the SN.
It is a 1888 Grade 2 Top Lever hammer gun

[Dean Romig]

Interesting, it has the D stamp for Damascus. My guess is that the rib is marked Damascus Steel. For a different pattern the rib legend would have been engraved rather than roll stamped.





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