When you do "Try this at home"

[Mike Franzen]

I'm sure probably any of us that shoot antique guns, whether damascus or steel, have a slight feeling of trepidation the first time we pull the trigger on a new acquisition. The dents, the pits, the cracks can all give rise to concern. I was wondering what methods of "proof testing" are being used at your "proof house" and did you ever have a mishap? An older gent working at Home Depot told me he sticks the gun inside a piece of 4" PVC and wears a very heavy glove. How about you?

[Big Friend Ten (BFT)]

Mike,

Buy a Hosford or similar Barrel Wall Thickness Gauge and measure the minimum barrel wall thickness to include that reamining between a pit and the other side of the barrel.

Also invest in an Endoscope to look down the barrels. These are available via e-Bay for $30 and plug into a common computer. There was a thread about them within the last 3 weeks.

Collaborate with other shooters of these fine old guns. If in doubt take your gun to a qualified gunsmith who specializes in vintatge side by sides.

If you buy a quality gun such as Parker, LC Smith, Lefever, Baker or a few others their barrels in good condition with adaquate minimum wall thickness will be fine with appropriate loads. One MUST measure because bores that look perfect may hanve been reamed or honed to a point that they are too thin too safely shoot.

How much pressure is appropriate for you gun? I'd have to measure it before I would tell you what "I" would shoot in it.

This topic has been the subject of many heated debates on this forum. I suggest that you conduct a "search" for pressure.

Mark

[OH Osthaus]

I agree with Mark - inspect the barrels with the proper tools and use the loads designed for them once they check out


OR- you could do what I saw a fellow who builds flintlocks do (I watched this from a distance - a long distance) - double load the gun, hold it around the corner of your barn with one hand and PULL THE TRIGGER

[Bruce Day]

try this:

[Mike Franzen]

Yea Bruce you've got the right idea I take all the above prescribed precautions. I just wanted to know what you've seen or done when it comes to proof testing

[Kevin McCormack]

Relying on a 4" PVC pipe sleeve and a glove to stop shrapnel from a disintegrating shotgun action is like dipping minnows using a crabnet. At critical pressures PVC pipe dismembers like a pane of glass; wicked-sharp shards of plastic with razor-like edges. When we fooled with building & shooting PVC spud cannons years ago, some nimrod charged the screw-cap breech of a 2.5" barreled gun with carbueretor cleaner instead of hairspray or WD-40 (our preferred propellent). The results looked like a hand grenade going off inside a christmas ball. During any of these shenanigans, the operative word on safety should involve the words HANDS and EYES in big, huge, day-glo letters!!!

[Bruce Day]

Its humorous in retrospect, but I had an early G grade, strong as could be, but I had heard all these old clubhouse expert tales of damascus unraveling, all the horror stories only to have some other old timer pull me aside and tell me that was just BS and they were strong, but some of the guys were so adament in their third hand hearsay stories opinions that they knew it all.

So I actually dressed up in a winter coat, motorcycle helmet and face mask, heavy gloves......it was sweltering August......waddled out to the trap line, loaded up with out of the box Rems, held the gun outstretched with one hand, and it just went pop. Did that a few more times, the gun hardly recoiled, took off all the sweaty clothes and shot a round of trap with all the experts standing a significant distance back.

I believe that heavy, like #2 frame damascus barrels resonate less than fluid steel barrels and feel more solid, although that is only subjective.

So provided the barrels are thick enough, I don't worry about it anymore.

Send photos of you dressed like Ralphie.

[Roundsworth]

My technique may raise questions of safety, but it works for me. I set up my portable shooting table, place the gun barrels in a sandbag rest, crouch behind the table, cup the gun butt in my left hand, duck my head down as far as I can, reach up and fire with my right hand. The gun will jump a wee bit, but my left hand takes most of the recoil.

I do this with guns after subjecting them to careful disassembly, cleaning and inspection. I wear magnifying glasses while doing all this to make sure I don't miss anything obvious. I may be throwing caution to the wind with this procedure, but I like to think I approach the whole thing in a serious manner.

[Bill Murphy]

The proof test on any new to me Damascus gun is the fact that it has probably been fired hundreds of times with Super-X loads over the years. My Manson wall thickness gauge is test #2. I would like wall thickness in the mid thirties in the thinnest parts. Usually, the actual thickness is more than that.

[Roundsworth]

Bill,
I certainly do agree with you on the 'Super-X' theory! It would be interesting to know how many 'Super-X', or equivilent, loads have been run through my composite barreled 10s.