I have a hammered Jamssen shotgun with a damascus finish on the barrel. The reason I say finish is it seems to be worn off near the action. What I think are prove marks, 18.0/18.0 are on the bottom of the barrel. My question is can I shot smokeless target rounds in it for grouse....Bob
Janssen & Sons shotgun
- Thread starter Bob
- Start date
Not unless you are willing to potentially risk vital body parts like your hands and eyes.Bob said:
Jamssen was a Belgian maker that produced a wide range of guns. Those that I've seen in Canada were generally on the lower end of the spectrum. Your gun may be damascus finish or it may actually be damascus. It's impossible to say without seeing the gun. The marks on your gun correspond to metric choke marks and are not proof marks.
I'm not against some damascus barrels being fired. But my criteria for firing them would be the presence of nitro proofs, a measurement of the chambers, forcing cones and wall thickness and the nod of approval from a gunsmith who knew something about double shotguns. In the absence of any one of these I'd hang the gun on the wall. Incidentally I have the same criteria for older fluid steel barrels too.
the 18.0 corresponds to the approximate bore dimensions for 12 guage. I would expect to find ELG* (belgian proof mark) on the bottom breach end of the barrels. The damascus finish is simply worn off and not proof of steel barrels. I would expect to find "damascus finish" on the top rib, if the barrels were steel with an etched pattern and possibly (not necessarily) "laminated steel" if damascus.
Damascus proofs were for black powder loads which run around 4000 psi vs 10 - 12000 psi/lup for modern shells, possibly higher for steel loads. If you want to shoot the gun, I would suggest tying it to a tire and pull the trigger with a long string first, using a black powder load and only if the gun is in good condition with no apparent pitting to the barrel or dramatically loose at the breach.
While some smokeless loads can be handloaded down to about 7000 psi, I get the impression that you are not an experienced handloader so would suggest sticking to black powder loads.
cheers mooncoon
Damascus proofs were for black powder loads which run around 4000 psi vs 10 - 12000 psi/lup for modern shells, possibly higher for steel loads. If you want to shoot the gun, I would suggest tying it to a tire and pull the trigger with a long string first, using a black powder load and only if the gun is in good condition with no apparent pitting to the barrel or dramatically loose at the breach.
While some smokeless loads can be handloaded down to about 7000 psi, I get the impression that you are not an experienced handloader so would suggest sticking to black powder loads.
cheers mooncoon
Be sure to have the chamber length measured before firing because a 2 3/4 in shell will fit into a 2 1/2 in chamber, there just isn't enough room for the crimp to go anywhere, so pressures can be high. This is probably why some Damascus barrels can blow up, the excess pressure from long shells being fired in short chambers.
I know about damascus barrels but the wear area's threw me off. Will search out all the proof marks but it will sit on the wall till then. This is the first year that we've had a good grouse count in years and will take out the Tobin 16 gauge instead. Thanks for all the help....Bob
Damascus does not mean that you cannot shoot it, just that you would be wise to use black powder loads, assuming the gun is in reasonable condition. I shoot almost exclusively damascus shotguns not to mention a number of damascus rifles.
Where you may find wear and failure is the internal portions of the locks; they are wrought iron or mild steel that has been case hardened and if the casing rusts or wears through, the hammers will slip. Can usually be fixed by filing the notches sharp and recasing.
cheers mooncoon
Where you may find wear and failure is the internal portions of the locks; they are wrought iron or mild steel that has been case hardened and if the casing rusts or wears through, the hammers will slip. Can usually be fixed by filing the notches sharp and recasing.
cheers mooncoon
You can do good work with damascus barrels and black powder shells...if you are unsure of chamber length cut empties to 2 1/2" before loading, use 70-80 grs. 2fg Goex, card wad, felt wad(preferably treated with B.P. lube) and leave 1/4" or less to roll crimp and also provide some wad pressure! You don't need a shotshell reloading press to do this!! And you'll be the talk of the town!!
