Hi, I have a few questions about the barrels on my 1890 L.C. Smith 12ga. How do you tell the difference between Damascus and Twist steel, and which one is better? And is there any source for replacements? Mine are quite intact and have very little pitting or rust but I've been reading a lot about how bad antique Damascus and Twist steel barrels are. My plan was to only use about 50-65% of the standard black powder loads to begin with, but even at that I'm affraid of a barrel blowing up in my face.
Would it be possible to remove the barrel tubes from the main lug piece that attaches to the reciever and put on barrels off say a stevens or american arms, lefever, something like that? Or is there a place that can make replacement barrels at a resonable cost? I'd hate to ruin the old barrels but I don't really want a wall hanger I own guns so I can enjoy shooting them from time to time.