Indians For Guns

Dear IFG friends
I want to know that are the Damascus barrel steel is the best for Dbbl 12 guage for fired all types of load .
What is the Damascus barrel steel .
is it less powerful than others steel.
Presently I have a Hammerless 12 guage DBBL, I want to purchase the Hammer 12 guage shotgun but I am confuse between Damascus barrel and others . It might be possible that presently all 12 guage Hammer avaliable in India are Damascus barrel .
Kindly help me is the Damascus barrel are most powerful than others or not.How I recognize that the gun is Damascus barrel steel or others.

Jamesbond,

Your post requires a lot of information to be typed. I would restrict myself to a few, what I think, are important aspects. Fluid steel began to replace Damascus barrels by 1880s though guns with Damascus steel were made until 1920s or so as there were plenty left in stock. I would not get into whether Damascus is less reliable than fluid steel/modern steel. There are still many perfectly serviceable nitro-proved Damascus barrelled guns around.

The question is whether Damascus is more "powerful". Model steel barrels could withstand the pressure of the modern nitro powders better and not as labour intensive to produce as the Damascus barrels were. Having said that, if a Damascus barrelled gun passes the proof test, then it is safe for the load it is proved for.

The issues you will face are that most will be quite old and may or may not have been maintained properly. Almost all would be chambered for 2 1/2" cartridges. You will also have to check what they were proved for, black powder or nitro. As steel shot is not sold in India, firing steel shot in a Damascus barrelled gun does not arise. Firing steel shot through Damascus barrels can ruin the barrels.

I can understand the romance with the hammer guns but I do not know how they can be functionally superior to the hammerless guns.


More details from your end would help.