Posted by SGT on December 6, 2006, 11:52 am, in reply to "Re: Belgium barrels"
As far as we know, all Damascus and Twist barrel tubes used for the construction of LC Smith guns were imported (most likely the vast majority were from Belgium); but lot of the raw/unfinished fluid steel barrel stock was imported also and the suppliers mark still remains on many examples (obviously, Krupp and Whitworth marked barrel tubes were imported). We believe Smith barrels marked Nitro and Crown were made domestically (along with other tubes marked with various monikers). We also believe that imported fluid steel barrel stock was manufactured to certain Hunter Arms supplied specifications, but we do not know those specifications and no one has yet ascertained the alloy content of any of the various Smith gun fluid barrel steels. Remember that all barrel stock, regardless of type, was in the form of raw tubes when received by the gunworks. It was at that point that each tube was profiled, bored, and made into the actual set of barrels; at no time were finished barrel sets imported and then fitted to a Smith gun frame.