D4 Damascus barrels?
 

What exactly does the “D4” designation mean on a D-grade gun? I thought D3 is the standard designation for D-grades.

Thank you,

JDG

http://parkerguns.org/forums/showthread.php?t=25776

lots of info here!

D4 indicates 4-iron crolle Damascus. At the breech end of the flats you should see a 3 stamped indicating the grade of the gun.

D3 and D4 barrels were used almost interchangably on grade 2,3 and 4 guns though fewer D4 were seen on Grade 2 guns and fewer D3 barrels were seen on Grade 4 guns.





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That’s what I thought. Was it up to the customer if D4 was to be used?

Probobly not. Most folks wouldn’t have known the difference.

However, I believe, in addition to a specific grade coming with a specific description of the Damascus barrel steel, e.g. Fine Damascus, Extea Fine Damascus, and Finest Damascus, the customer may have been able to choose to upgrade the barrel steel but there are probably no records to support this.





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