Will It Blow?

[Bruce Day]

A fellow we met at the Pheasant Fest had wanted me to look at his Parkers, and we met for an hour this afternoon at the local club. He inheirited from his grandfather a couple Parkers, a DH 16 and a GH 10, both damascus. The 16 had been neglected but not abused, had a pad but was a nice gun under the grime and surface rust. The barrels looked good, so I grabbed a couple shells. So many believe that damascus barrels were for black powder only and fear the stories about damascus barrels exploding, unraveling and all such things that people here know as nonsense. So he had never shot the gun, we loaded it, he held it at arms length and pulled the triggers. The gun went pop, pop, and I was priviledged to be there to see a grown man as happy as a kid that he could shoot his forebears gun. He will take some pheasants with it this fall then send the gun off for some cosmetic work. We then shot two rounds of skeet with it and he had fun breaking clays from the first shot on.

And then I get an email from another acquaintance with photos of the test arrangement he made to shoot a 12ga P with twist barrels. Again, pop, pop and nothing happens except a big smile comes.

We all know these matters but so many do not and I know we will have a couple new PGCA members out of these experiences. You can shoot these old guns and not have to dress like Ralphie in the snow suit in A Christmas Story ( like I did the first time with damascus barrels) .