Barrel wall thickness at chokes
Hello all,
Last night I received a DH 12-gauge with damascus barrels. I purchased it based on three photos from a dealer with hopes that it would be a worthwhile restoration candidate to become a usable shooter. Fairly banged up but a nice ball grip, good wood under the grunge of over 100 years of abuse, and reasonably good engraving.
This morning I pulled out my bore gauge and my Hosford wall thickness gauge and found the following:
Bores were consistently .733" with both left and right chokes at .710", well within what I would have expected although the chambers have been deepened to 2 3/4" (strike one).
Wall thickness through the majority of the barrels was very consistently .034-.040 or more so that, in spite of the scattered pits, seemed okay. However, when checking the wall thickness across the area of the chokes I found that wall thickness only increased perhaps by .010" instead of the .023" suggested by the choke amount (bore of .733" down to choke of .710").
What this makes me guess is that the external barrel walls, especially near the chokes, have been struck a bit, although it absolutely does not show under a magnifying glass when studied closely.
Here's my question for those with insight: can a choke wall thickness of only .040" withstand the forces exerted by the process of constricting a shot column as it is forcibly expelled through the constriction? Or should I send the shotgun back and get my money back?
Thanks in advance for all insights and input.
John
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