Posted by SGT on December 21, 2006, 10:33 am, in reply to "Re: Long Barrels"
Phil: The fact that you may not agree with my theory certainly doesn't give ne any heartburn, as yours likely has as much chance in being correct. That said, with what we know of Hunter Arms production, it is highly unlikely that a set of barrels would have sat idle for 15-20 years prior to use; the company seemed always strapped for cash and simply could not afford idle inventory. Regrding barrel tubes, these were furnished by suppliers; and, since gun sales are hightly seasonal and most companies ordered their inventory prior to the Fall hunting seasons, gun makers would calculate their projected production capability and sales in each bore size and place their barrel stock orders as much as 12 months in advance (remember that these steel producers don't just make barrel tubes; so they set their equipment up to run specific products at specific times). There were also a number of gun makers going out of business between 1910 and 1930; I have seen one example of inventories of one such company being advertised in a bankruptcy sale. These situations presented cost-saving opportunities to other gun makers; were actively sought and often yielded some high-grde tubes at bargain prices. I suspect these tubes were the result of one of two happenstances; a supplier included an odd set or two to fill/complete an order, or they were obtained thru a distress sale (again, just my theory based on personal research). Again, Hunter NEVER needed Krupp or Whitworth steels to make lightweight and strong barrel tubes. If your Krupp tubes are light, they were ordered that way.I recently featured an extremely lightweight 16-bore ejector gun in the newsletter with Armour steel barrels. Regarding standard weights of 20-bore Smith guns, my period catalog advertises 20-bore Ideal guns produced in weights ranging from 5 3/4 - 6 1/2 pounds; but there are 20-bore examples heavier than 6 1/2 pounds out there. Thanks again for your input, and I wish you good collecting.