Damascus Twist Barrels

Occasionally I run across a gun of interest that has a damascus barrel. I know a little about the process of producing these barrels.
If the barrel is in good condition are there any safety concerns with shooting them?
All of my muzzleloaders have modern steel barrels as they are all replica guns. I own no original or collectable guns.
I would hate to plunk down a chunk of change on a wall hanger.

Thanks,
Ed

good condition

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That is the issue and mystery with original Damascus barrels. You will need someone far more expert than me to advise on that. They are used successfully quite often. But there can be hidden defects that can cause problems.

If the gun is a muzzleloader and the barrels are in good shape--no rust or deep pitting, I would not hesitate to use it. There has been a series of articles in The Double Gun Journal about destructive testing of damascus barrels that are very interesting reading. BTW, a more proper term for "damascus" barrels would be "pattern welded". True damascus was made from a specific type of ore and a specific heating and forging process. I don't believe any of that ore exists any more it having been depleted.

Search for posts from feltwad. He was a member here until recently when he got mad and left :surrender: I believe he was quite knowledgeable about Damascus and posted a few things about shooting them.

I have quite a few rifles and shotguns that have damascus barrels, I do not own anything that I do not shoot.

My most recent is a 12 bore rifle in .73 cal. I have not shot it yet, but intend to sometime really soon.

There are the good, the bad and the ugly.

It is all about condition. Pitting in the bores, dents, cuts, gouges.

When I am buying one, I will take the barrels assuming it is a sxs and take it off of the gun. Holding the barrels vertically on one finger by the ramrod thimble. I will take my other hand and flick the barrels with a finger nail. I am listing to see if the barrel rings like a bell, or has a twanging sound. You want a bell like sound, it is a better indicator of ribs that are tight and not cracked or broken away from the barrels.

When I first started buy these old guns, I bought a lot I should not have. But I also learned a lot and it was part of my education.

Pits in the barrels are to be expected. Be careful of a barrel that has been honed too much and thin. Looking at pitted barrels will give you an idea on what might be good and what might be bad.

A good tight patch with oil on it in the bore will also tell you a lot.

I am not a fan of Belgium ML. Proof marks will tell you where a gun was made if it is not marked in other methods.

However, there were some good barrels made in Belgium. I used to have a 10 ga Parker, if I am not mistaken, their barrels were made in Belgium.

There are/were a lot of really good, and well known makers that if the barrels looked good, I would not hesitate to shoot with reasonable loads.

Fleener

Now that is odd. I have owned and shot several originals. I always preferred Belgian barrels over London Fine twist and damascus barrels. After a fire took out my shop and several guns waiting for repairs, I found one that had the barrel unwind like metal ribbon that had been wrapped around into a tube and then unraveled. Very depressing. London fine twist barrels could really look excellent in and out and yet have a single fissure in the steel corrode and then destruct on firing, even after many firings. I would put a sharp tack through a narrow dowel ad run the tack up and down the barrel, slowly rotating the barrel so the tack slides over every square millimeter of the bore. That tack will find pits the way a phonograph needle finds scratches. Mild pits can be dealt with and really do not affect use. But the tack will tell you where to look more closely with a camera or other means.