Confusing dr.eq. With drams is exactly the reason Damascus, Twist, and other composite barrels got the bad rap that demonizes them even today.
Back when "dram equivalent" first came into use and for quite sometime afterward some ignorant folks were loading their own shells with black powder 'dram' loads of the modern stuff and the consequences were usually catastrophic. But it had nothing to do with what the barrel steel was. I would venture to say that fluid steel barrels may even have suffered the same failures... But at the time there weren't nearly as many fluid steel barreled guns in circulation.





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Anyone have an address for either Precision or Tom Armbuster?

Tom Armbrust
Ballistic Research
1108 W. May Ave.
McHenry, IL 60050
815/385-0037

Rich,

Click on the link from the Precision website for the information you need.

https://precisionreloading.com/view.php?pg=shot_proof

If you ship UPS, be sure to follow these instructions what to write on the box and copy of the label to identify what's in the box. It's best to do this before going to the UPS center. When I went last time I had just the sticker on but I didn't write on the box "cartridges, small arms ORM-D" because the directions from Precision just said put on the label. The clerk warned me he wouldn't be able to ship it. When I asked why he said "I'll tell you but I'm really not supposed to." I was like, "waahhhat???" Didn't make any sense.... In any case, just make sure you have everything what UPS wants per their website...

https://www.ups.com/content/us/en/re...mmunition.html

This could be a whole new thread, but what are the pressures that you use as a guideline when shooting your damascus, twist, laminiate barrels for the different guages.
I try to keep 12 ga under 7500, 16 ga under 8ooo( most are 7000 or less), and 8000 in 20 ga.
Typically shootinf 7/8 oz in 12's, 3/4 and 7/8 in 16's, and 3/4 oz in 20.

Harold, I think those p.s.i.'s are good choices and these guns will probable even take more... but why take chances. I keep most of my 'composite' pressures pretty close to those or even a bit less.





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Would some of you highly knowledgeable folks please publish a book with the specs, pressures, etc. of the known commercially-available shells for those of us who are ignorant of such things (I assume I'm not the only one :eek:!) :)?

i would expect every shell would need to be tested, since companies do not share the info -

and if they change powder suppliers - all bets are off

This might clarify things

Black, Bulk & Dense Smokeless Powders, and Dram Equivalent
http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/view...?f=13&t=455407

Phil: there is a (limited) list of factory published and tested shell pressures at the bottom here
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...UOZEFU/preview

As to "What loads should I use in my Pattern Welded barrel" see toward the bottom
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...vwLYc-kGA/edit

The easy answer is "Loads for which the barrels were designed", and we now know the pressures of those loads.
I believe Pattern Welded barrels without defects and with adequate wall thickness may be used with pressures similar to that which modern loads would generate. That said however, I DO limit shot weight and FPS for lower recoil in light of the now more than 100 year old wood and lock-up.

Rich, if memory serves me correctly, a dram is 27.3grs of BP by volume. If using 2F the weight and volume are just about the same. A 12ga 3 dram 1 1/8oz load should give you 1200fps. I'm not sure but think a 2 1/2 dram 20ga load is also at 1200fps. Oh, received your email about the knife.