Jump to content

Removing a dent from a Damascus barrel


Windswept
 Share

Recommended Posts

A friend has an old Boss 12 bore hammer gun. Sadly there's rather a big dent in one of the barrels so it cannot be sold on.

The dent is about the size of a small pea and clearly visible when you look down the barrels. The gun is also not nitro proofed.

Can anyone advise if such a dent could be repaired and what sort of cost it would be? To my untrained eye the barrels otherwise look very good and seem to be fairly thick (they've not been measured).

Also, can anyone recommend someone who may want to take on such a project as it would be a shame to scrap such a gun. Ideally in the south west but anywhere else would be considered.

This is not a sales thread, I'm hopefully after a few contacts I can pass on. Thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually the removal of a small dent in those old barrels is remarkably easy. A brass plug of the right diameter is tapped down the bore with lots or oil. As long as it is just a dent and not a crease the metal is soft and thin and the dent just pops out. Big dent or any sort of crease that has stretched the metal and its not going to work.

As its only BP proofed but a good name I would advertise it with the dent in the classified ads of the MLAGB magazine

Link to comment
Share on other sites

48 minutes ago, Windswept said:

Thanks for the replies. The owner wants to pass the gun on, would any of the suggestions consider buy such a gun with the view to repair and sell on? The West Midlands would be too far to take it there but I would assume it could be RFDed.

You can post the barrels at a post office,

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, Vince Green said:

Actually the removal of a small dent in those old barrels is remarkably easy. A brass plug of the right diameter is tapped down the bore with lots or oil. As long as it is just a dent and not a crease the metal is soft and thin and the dent just pops out. Big dent or any sort of crease that has stretched the metal and its not going to work.

As its only BP proofed but a good name I would advertise it with the dent in the classified ads of the MLAGB magazine

I did this to fix a dent in my AYA, I used a 1/4" socket wrapped in foil to the correct diameter and lots of oil.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have an Army & Navy 16 gauge with damascus barrels and fell and put a dent in one tube.  It was tapped out as descibed above and then re browned. My gun is nitroproofed but was originally BP.    Has seen a fair bit of shooting since then with no further trouble.  Wiseman's certainly would be able, but I'm certain there are a air few other gunsmiths more than capable.   Hope you manage to get it sorted. Sounds like a nice old gun and a shame to have it scrapped.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have lifted a lot of  dents out barrels  ,from those you can hardly see to some that you dont think will ever come out  . Some  lift with little trouble , some wont . It will depend on the size and the way the dent is formed , was it a blunt or sharp object that caused it . The thickness as well as the make up of the barrel steel , not all "damascus " is the same . 

I read some comments as to how others have done this ,and thats OK if you want to do it yourself and the risk is down to you , but if its someone else's gun then take care . 

Where are you located ?

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for all the replies. I'm in Devon.

If it was a fairly cheap gun then a DIY job would be worth a go but as the gun in good working order is worth a fair bit, and it would be great if someone could use it rather than keep it as a wall hanger, then it's something a suitable gunsmith should look at IMO.

I'm aware that the dent may not be easy to remove, and of course the gun could fail proof, but even then it would be nice if someone could make use of the parts. I think some of the local RFDs may just scrap it, which would be a shame.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Windswept said:

Thanks for all the replies. I'm in Devon.

If it was a fairly cheap gun then a DIY job would be worth a go but as the gun in good working order is worth a fair bit, and it would be great if someone could use it rather than keep it as a wall hanger, then it's something a suitable gunsmith should look at IMO.

I'm aware that the dent may not be easy to remove, and of course the gun could fail proof, but even then it would be nice if someone could make use of the parts. I think some of the local RFDs may just scrap it, which would be a shame.

 

Got to be worth a phone call or two then and a bit of postage. I am not sure if the gun would need to go through proof again as metal is not being removed.

Ring Wisemans first, they are a good old fashioned company and dealt with them many times when they had the pemises in Price Street Birmingham.  I'm sure shipping is not a problem as Parcel Force have just collected and returned a gun for me.  As you say, a great shame to scrap it as too many beautiful old guns have been through ignorance. That is how I came into my Army & Navy 16g which with a litle care and moderate expense it has enjoyed another 50years of use which it would not have had.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

46 minutes ago, Windswept said:

Thanks for all the replies. I'm in Devon.

If it was a fairly cheap gun then a DIY job would be worth a go but as the gun in good working order is worth a fair bit, and it would be great if someone could use it rather than keep it as a wall hanger, then it's something a suitable gunsmith should look at IMO.

I'm aware that the dent may not be easy to remove, and of course the gun could fail proof, but even then it would be nice if someone could make use of the parts. I think some of the local RFDs may just scrap it, which would be a shame.

 

At the moment I don't realistically think any RFD would be interested  in it. The market is as slow as its possible to be,  Its going to get a lot worse too as furlough comes to an end in a few months and the councll tax and mortgage holidays finish even  sooner. Business support loans have to start being repaid too

Its appeared to be relatively calm through the pandemic but its a false calm, as we come out the true extent of the financial damage that's been building up will start to be revealed. Lots of people will be in trouble.

Luxury goods will be the first thing people try to sell and the last thing they will be considering buying. My friend always says that about boats, as soon as there is a recession for sale boards go up all over the marina

Edited by Vince Green
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/05/2021 at 12:02, London Best said:

Beware of taking it to an RFD.

Many (most) of them are just that....RF Dealers.

The gun needs to be seen by a gunmaker.

Will my experience of an unproofed gun going into an RFD was that they handed it to the police for destruction.

I'd taken it to them ONLY to be mailed to the Proof House!

 

Best gunsmith I know for shotguns is in Jedburgh. Coach House Gunroom or some such trading name. He used to be my FEO at one point, and back in happier times built custom race guns....(very high spec. competition pistols)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The main RFD I use are actually quite good, they would only scrap a gun themselves and with the owners permission. Still sad to see a pile of shotguns waiting to be scrapped.

Anyway, thank you for all the replies and messages. I've passed the messages on and it looks like UK Gun Repairs would be the simplest option so I've suggest that.

Edited by Windswept
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
On 12/05/2021 at 08:21, Windswept said:

The main RFD I use are actually quite good, they would only scrap a gun themselves and with the owners permission. Still sad to see a pile of shotguns waiting to be scrapped.

Anyway, thank you for all the replies and messages. I've passed the messages on and it looks like UK Gun Repairs would be the simplest option so I've suggest that.

👍

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a Charles Lancaster with 30" damascus barrels.I have put two dents in one of the tubes over the past 30 years.Once I slipped off my bedroom window sill while trying to shoot a magpie out the window ( I was young and didn't think it through) and the second time I was shooting woodcock and came to a fence so unloaded the gun and put it over the fence to prop it up against s bush while I climbed over.Sadly the gun slipped out of my hand on the other side of the fence and hit a stone on landing putting a decent dinge in the right barrel.

Both these issues were fixed by my local rfd who has a tool that you fit down the barrel with a round/oval end (like a large cigar) until you get to the dent. There is a wheel at the back of this tool which, when turned, then expands the round end and this slowly pushed out the dent.I know that is a terrible description but not sure how else to describe it.The whole process took about 10 minutes and once browned you would never see the area where the dent was.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, gmm243 said:

I have a Charles Lancaster with 30" damascus barrels.I have put two dents in one of the tubes over the past 30 years.Once I slipped off my bedroom window sill while trying to shoot a magpie out the window ( I was young and didn't think it through) and the second time I was shooting woodcock and came to a fence so unloaded the gun and put it over the fence to prop it up against s bush while I climbed over.Sadly the gun slipped out of my hand on the other side of the fence and hit a stone on landing putting a decent dinge in the right barrel.

Both these issues were fixed by my local rfd who has a tool that you fit down the barrel with a round/oval end (like a large cigar) until you get to the dent. There is a wheel at the back of this tool which, when turned, then expands the round end and this slowly pushed out the dent.I know that is a terrible description but not sure how else to describe it.The whole process took about 10 minutes and once browned you would never see the area where the dent was.

 

These tools were known in the trade a  fxxxers up of gun barrels . Yes if and I say if used correctly they could be OK but so many did not and ended up putting bulges in the barrel .They are OK for small pimple dents but not for anything bigger IMO 

There were two types one used a mechanical screw , the other hydraulic . But neither was as good a plugs .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Send it to someone who does this sort of work all the time Dan Bromley ,send barrells Parcelforce 48 he will give you a proper professional opinion as reasonable as anyone else.

A lot of the firms mentioned will just send it on to a specialist anyway (and take a cut of your money)

check out Barrell blackers , Bromley and son on Facebook to see

 examples of there work ,barrels is what they do !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...