Loads for damascus shotguns
- Thread starter roba
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antiqueguy
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- windsor ontario
BP loads are the way to go but your gun has to be in good shape if there is any pitting on or in the barrels its a wall hanger also look in the area of the welds make sure you dont see any seperation
good way to check this is pluging the barrel on one end and pouring rubing alcohol down the barrel any leaking will be seen if there is this means the weld is no good somewhere on the barrel
also id stick to real BP like goex or swiss
good way to check this is pluging the barrel on one end and pouring rubing alcohol down the barrel any leaking will be seen if there is this means the weld is no good somewhere on the barrel
also id stick to real BP like goex or swiss
knowing the guage would be a good beginning. one drahm is 27 grains if you are looking at an old table such as the ones in WW Greener, and I would suggest 2F powder. Obviously be sure the gun is in good repair with no major pits inside or outside the barrels
cheers mooncoon
cheers mooncoon
I use the hodgdon data for smokeless and try to pick a load that's under 8000psi: http://data.hodgdon.com/shotshell_load.asp
My favourite for old 12ga guns is: Rem gun club hull, 1 1/8 Oz. shot, Win 209 primer, Windjammer wad, 16.8gr of Clays, book says 7700 psi.
Or black powder: http://www.tbullock.com/bpsg.html
1 1/8 Oz shot to 3 drams of 2F with a fiber wad, sometimes you need to play with the amount of wad you stuff in the shell to make them crimp right. Sometimes I use 1F depending on what the gun likes. Unlike smokeless any old 12ga shell will do but you won't get much more then a couple uses out of them.
My favourite for old 12ga guns is: Rem gun club hull, 1 1/8 Oz. shot, Win 209 primer, Windjammer wad, 16.8gr of Clays, book says 7700 psi.
Or black powder: http://www.tbullock.com/bpsg.html
1 1/8 Oz shot to 3 drams of 2F with a fiber wad, sometimes you need to play with the amount of wad you stuff in the shell to make them crimp right. Sometimes I use 1F depending on what the gun likes. Unlike smokeless any old 12ga shell will do but you won't get much more then a couple uses out of them.
it probably would with smokeless but for black powder, you are looking at much less critical measurements. Certainly measuring your black powder plus or minus say 2 grains will give you some differences relative to accuracy but unlikely to be a safety concern if the gun is sound
cheers mooncoon
antiqueguy
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- windsor ontario
id not use smokeless in a damascus gun or any shotgun made pre smokeless
id use light bp/shot loads in damascus guns
antiqueguy
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- windsor ontario
with real BP extra powder tends to get blown out the muzzle most likely the safest powder around
gunsaholic
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Winnipeg, Manitoba
Actually, in the past few years there have been more of these old guns brought out of hibernation and put back into use providing they are safe. If the gun is deemed safe and proper powder/loads are used, there is no reason not to use them.
Several years ago, The Double Gun Journal ran a series on the pressures generated by smokeless-for-black loads. Two pressure measuring systems were used; piezo strain gauge and a conventional pressure gun. No problem at all producing lower pressure, effective field loads.
It is a myth that black powder always produces lower pressure than smokeless. It is entirely possible for black to produce higher pressure than smokeless.
Chamber length should also be checked.
It is a myth that black powder always produces lower pressure than smokeless. It is entirely possible for black to produce higher pressure than smokeless.
Chamber length should also be checked.
I've got a very old damascus double barrel 10ga that I was thinking about working up a load for. After a lot of thought I will clean it up and mount it on a nice board and use it as a wallhanger.
I will have to come up with some way of disabling it for legal display purposes. Was considering using those small black plastic trigger locks as they won't look too bad. Any other better ideas?
I will have to come up with some way of disabling it for legal display purposes. Was considering using those small black plastic trigger locks as they won't look too bad. Any other better ideas?
antiqueguy
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- windsor ontario
if the bores are good id sell it lots of people looking for a 10ga double myself included
There are some questions you need to find answers for before you proceed to fire it;
First, is it a good quality gun? There are lots of old cheaply made damascus clunkers that probably weren't safe to fire when they were new.
Second, is the condition- no corrosion either inside or out, no DENTS!
Is it still in proof? That is, have the chambers been lengthened ( and you need to find out what the chamber length is: a lot of old British guns have 2 1/2" chambers) or the barrels cut down, or any other modifications.
If it all checks out, and it's a good quality gun with no defects or modifications, then I wouldn't have any qualms about firing it with LOW PRESSURE nitro loads. Ross Seyfried wrote a lengthy article about shooting old damascus guns in Guns & Ammo sometime in the late '80's. If I get a chance I'll dig through my pile of back issues and get the date, but it's worth doing some searching to find it.
I would advise against trying to make your own proof loads: the added strain from a high pressure load may set up a weakness in the action or barrels that may fail sometime down the road under normal usage.
In answer to a couple of replies; If the barrels are bad enough to unsolder and make into walking sticks, they are almost certainly too dark and rusted outside to show the damascus pattern. They would have to be draw filed and sanded down and rerusted to bring out the pattern. Do able but for most people impractical
For a display gun, if it is a hammer gun, I would suggest removing the firing pins and put them under the butt plate. Probably have to drill a shallow hole that is covered by the butt plate
If you are loading a 12 guage with black powder, 80 grains of 2F and 1 1/8 oz of shot is what I use and I use a muzzle loading fiber wad for the cushion wad. I would not use plastic shot cups with black powder because of the risk of the plastic melting and coating the inside of the barrel, over time. Black powder noticeably melts the inside of the shells somewhat and in some cases the front outside portion as well
cheers mooncoon
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antiqueguy
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- windsor ontario
you would have to re etch the barrels not brown them that will not bring out the pattern but etching will
Thanks, that's a great idea. That's exactly what I'll do.
Wonder why I didn't think of that.......
