Re: Ser# 174184 Ext Hammer/Top Break/20 ga Archived Message
Posted by SGT on August 21, 2008, 11:33 pm, in reply to "Re: Ser# 174184 Ext Hammer/Top Break/20 ga"
Joe Steel Smith hammer gun barrels can be distinguished very easily from Damascus, as the steel type/name will be roll stamped on the barrels themselves. With hammer guns, steel barrels are usually marked "Royal Steel", but could be marked Armor, or London. As to bore size, measuring tube diameter is a waste of time and will tell you nothing. Your gun is recorded as a 16 gauge, and the simplest method to determine that fact is to drop an unfired shell into the chamber; if it is indeed a 16-bore, the shell will fit snugly, whereas a 20 gauge shell will be loose inside a 16-bore chamber. Your gun appears to remain in very good original condition, so be very careful who you let work on this gun and what you have done to it so that you don't screw up value. It is most likely safe to shoot with proper loads; but be sure to have chamber length checked, as 16-bore shells from that era were shorter than today's standard 2 3/4" loads.
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