Damascus Steel Barrels

[Hammergun]

Re: my posting regarding barrel construction.  Here are the photos I promised showing the appearance of Damascus steel barrels.

 

Description:

 

The main type of barrels on early breech loading shotguns is called Damascus steel.  This was made by beating thin strips of metal into a swirly pattern, then making this into ribbons which were beaten in a spiral to form tubes to make the barrels.  This is sometimes referred to as rose petal pattern due to the figuring.

 

Damascus steel barrels are usually "browned" - immersed in baths of different salts which bring out the pattern in varying tones of brown.  This gives an extremely attractive effect.  (the brown is really fine rust).  When this is finished, the barrels are often lacquered to make the finish resistant to fingermarks.  Sometimes it is finished with beeswax instead.

 

Damascus steel barrels were made until the early years of the 20th Century when high quality single piece steel barrels became standard.

[Hammergun]

Hers's another barrel made from bigger strips to give a larger pattern.

[Yorkshire Pudding]

Hammergun

 

They really are lovely.Do u still use them ?

 

 

all the best

[Hammergun]

The gun in the first picture is a hammerless which has had the stock replaced in some time in its history.  This gets used a bit from time to time.  The other gun is the hammergun in my Guns topic posting, and this gets used only occasionally on game shoots.