Posted by Lloyd on December 31, 2006, 6:15 pm, in reply to "Re: Damascus Barrels"
Greg:
Like you, I had to do a fair amount of research before I was comfortable with shooting damascus-barreled shotguns. For me, the bedrock of the issue was proof. It a firearm is in proof, then the point is largely moot for me; it is safe to shoot with the appropriate loads (I am talking about recent proof-testing here, within the last 20 to 30-years, and on a gun in excellant condition). If the weapon is American (alas, dear Elsie!), then you either send it to be proved (a somewhat cost-prohibitive option) or...you do it yourself. A very critical examination of the tubes is a must (as I understand it, the english will simply not tolerate less than 20-thou of barrel thickness, & 25 is much better)and any damage or pitting should quickly dissuade you. A basic knowledege of the pressure of the loads being used is critical, as well as knowing how to use a micrometer to look for any dimension change in the barrels.
Remember, even the slightest dimension change indicates an exceedance of a barrel's elastic limit (you must also be completely comfortable with the technical definition of this term!!!)and the probability of an imminent catastrophic failure.
I'm guessing that you're already well past this point and have already shot your damascus gun(s) many times. If I've missed anything here, please do let me know.