[Big Friend Ten (BFT)]

Ray,

You could send your gun to England to have it proofed to a cetain pressure. I have a 10 ga Damascus Parker proofed at 3.5 tons or about 7800 PSI. I bought it already proofed for that is nothing I would pay for. I also have and shoot 4 LC Smiths, 3 other Parkers, 1 LeFever, and a Baker with un-proofed Damascus or twist barrels. My reloads are limited to 6000 PSI and other than checking to see daylight through the barrels before each shot I never worry about a problem with pressure. I also check for daylight in my modern doubles.

My advice to you is that one must read the information available on shooting Damascus and twist barrels and determine for themself if they will feel safe shooting them. Then, one needs to have the knowledge to inspect their barrels. That knowledge is gained not overnight or by reading a list of factors. The PGCA cannot post an unquestionable list from which one can self inspect their barrels. What if a reader followed the list and afterward blew their barrels? Would that person want to sue the PGCA? Chances are some scammer would intentionally due just that!

If you do not feel comfortable inspecting your barrels send them to a reputable gunsmith who will inspect but NOT guarentee them against factors that they cannot control. Did you read Brad Bachelder's post? As he stated he is both a gunsmith and an expert firearms witness. He also stated that barrels normally blow from obstructions.

Barrels will also blow if one makes a mistake reloading. Load 70 grains of smokeless instead of the called for blackpowder and the barrels will blow. A friend did this but the barrels did not blow on the first shot. They blew on the second or third shot. The pressure was estimated at 25000 psi (if I recall correctly). That was pretty good for a Damascus barrel. There is a photo of his blown barrel in Murdelak's SHOOTING FLYING. Oh, that good friend shot two Damascus guns with me this past Sunday.

Another no no is to shoot modern ammo in Damascus barrels. Why? Modern 12 gauge ammo is optimized to cycle autoloaders. The pressure needed to cycle a dirty autoloader is close to the SAMMI max pressure of 12,500 PSI. If one shoots modern 12,000+ PSI (12 gauge) ammo in Damascus or twist barrels those barrels will probably be okay unless they have some hidden flaw. What is very safe at 6,000 to 8,000 PSI might not hold the pressure of 12,000 PSI. That is why most careful shooters of Damascus barrels keep their loads under 8,000 PSI. My loads are with 7/8 oz of shot at 6,000 PSI with which if I do my part they will break any target on a Sporting Clays or Skeet course. If I shot Trap for money I'd use a modern gun and AA Super Sports! Another consideration is that after a few hundred magnum loads (I include AA Super Sports and the like as magnums for this analogy - The original Win Super X 3" Magnum had but 1 & 3/8 oz of shot!) the action will probably loosen. Those actions and their steel were not designed for as much pressure (over the long term) as were the Damascus barrels!

So if you want to shoot a set of Damascus barrels send them for an inspection. After a reputable smith pronounces them to be in good condition it is your decision if to proceed. If not having a guarentee against your responsibility for checking the barrels each and every shot, and for not making a mistake in reloading, please do not shoot Damascus.

I do hope this helps.
Mark