Dents can often be lifted and the gun should be safe to shoot again, but this should be done by an expert and he should be able to affirm their safety.
Light pitting isn't much of a problem but they should also be assessed by an expert, preferably a professional, and be given a 'clean bill of health.' Severe pitting is usually something you should steer clear of.

Each gun should stand on its own merit... or fall for lack of it.





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Thanks guys! One step closer to my first hammer gun!!

What gauge and grade are you hoping to find?





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12ga, any grade that is safe and in my price range!! There was a pretty cool 12ga straight stocked Twist barreled grade 0 on doublegunshop, but looks like it might have been sold, but I got my eye open, something will come along.

There are a huge number of them for sale up to $2500 or so - is that in your range?


(Not trying to work up a sale here - I have nothing like this to sell.)






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Consider the following which was posted on this Forum a few years ago:

LAMINATED BARREL COMPARISONS:
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"We have not performed destructive testing to chart specific hardness or steel composition. The gauges that we use are machinability, dent raising, striking, polishing, and contrast at initial etching. Higher grade steel is more difficult to machine and shows less contrast at etch. Softer steel is easily machined and shows bold contrast at etch.
Based on these observations I would rate in descending order: Laminated, Damascus, stub twist, plain twist, Parker twist.

Brad" [Batchelder]
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REC

Amen to Brad's testimonial!
However, each of these barrel steels that Parker Bros. used on their guns are completely safe to shoot, keeping in mind the precautions I mentioned earlier in this thread.





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It may be best to get an opinion that includes decarbonized steel too. Of all the barrel types, this is one we hear the least about.:corn:

Just a quick question, my 12 ga. 1884 hammer gun (top lever) has "Stub Twist" 32" barrels. Can anyone hazard a guess as to grade? In all respects it appears to be a low grade, but looking in the Parker book, Stub Twist was more expensive than plain twist and the book says the name Stub Twist was changed because it didn't sound like a high quality twist, which it was.