Belle of the ball!!

Here's a little picture showing one type of Damascus barrel manufacturing process.

bblprocess.jpg


Sharptail
 
I notice that the bore of my Damascus barrel is amazingly bright and shiny.
Is that a feature of Damascus? Does being pounded over a mandrel, rather than being machined/bored out, which might leave machining scrapes, leave the barrel smoother?
 
Tootall - no, the age of Damascus was largely the age of black powder. Barrels that were not meticulously cleaned in a prompt fashion were prone to pitting, both major and minor. If the bores of your gun are that clean, it is likely that they have been honed. This is a common practice, as the British proof house will not submit pitted barrels for re-proof.

As for their smoothness after original manufacture, it would depend on the state of the mandrel and the skill of the craftsmen, but I don't think they would be any better than honed and polished fluid steel.

Sharptail
 
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