Damascus Barrels

[Fritz Dornan]

Good Morning Gents,

I have a question or two about Damascus Barrels on Parker Shotguns. How many different grades or styles of Damascus were available? Could the different grades be put on any gun , or were the grades of barrels specific to a particular grade of gun? I have seen what appeared to me to be higher grade barrels on like grade guns. Possibly the pattern just came out better on some sets than others? The sets that I would deem as higher grade had a very uniform pattern and a small “star” between the Iron and steel laminations. I have also seen some sets that show an obvious splice where there is an abrupt change in the flow of the pattern. Is this something that should have been rejected prior to assembling the barrels .What is the latest Damascus barreled gun recorded? Lastly who made the barrel blanks for Parker?
Thanks in advance to your reply,
Fritz