doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Jones action 10 gauge

The Bell article c. 2004 on the short tens was what struck my fancy to own one, and what made me increasingly dissatisfied with the 3 1/2" I was shooting at the time. This gun is every bit as heavy as my Eibar ten, but I am expecting handling characteristics much improved.

Thanks again. Can't quite make out the proof shot load. I believe 1 5/8 ounce was standard for 2 7/8" chambers and 1 3/8 ounce for 2 5/8. This gun's chambered for 2 7/8".

No matter, really once I have it rechambered to 3 1/2" (just kidding).

Waiting for the Belmont Stakes post time I thought I would pass on a few observations on my recent acquisition:

Upon very close examination and with the aid of indirect sunlight, I noticed what appeared to be very small spots of light corrosion underneath the finish on the barrels, mostly near the breech and forend area. As I cannot stand the presence of corrosion anywhere on my firearms, I went about trying to buff these spots out with 000 steel wool with some WD-40, which proved to be more of a struggle than I had imagined. I then decided to remove whatever substance the barrels were coated (lacquer thinner) which came off easily enough but I was surprised how heavy it had been applied and that it came off in a dark color. Stripped of this material the barrels are much less "brown" in appearance. The rust spots mostly cleared off easily with that stuff out of the way.

I've researched the process of refinishing damascus or twist and know it is a common practice to apply some type of finish at the end, but other than keeping it pretty what is the purpose of this finish? What value does it have if corrosion can occur underneath? Is it really good for the gun?

This shotgun has the appearance of having been "freshened" I think is the term in UK (it was imported to the U.S. in 2021). Obviously, they either missed the corrosion completely and decided to leave 100 year old varnish on the barrels, or (as the more sinister side of me) thinks, some addtional finish was applied which masked some defects.

All that aside, any opinions on what, if anything I might wish to coat the barrels with? It will see the field next season and I don't wish to want to leave it home because the weather isn't perfect.

Some sort of clear finish is often applied to blued or browned Damascus barrels to add gloss to the final finish, and to protect them from oxidation and corrosion. It maintains the contrast better than allowing them to age naturally and unprotected. Some of these clear finishes are better than others at doing this job. Boiled Linseed Oil is often used, and BLO is a very poor moisture barrier compared to say, clear lacquer. Things like Tru-Oil and varnish are also used, but while they reduce transmission of oxygen and moisture, they are not impervious.

Any clear-coat can eventually fail or wear thin, so they may need to be removed and replaced at some point to continue to preserve and protect the finish. It is necessary to strip the old clear coat for best results, but some guys might simply spray or brush on another coat and call it a day.

I personally like to use clear lacquer for this purpose because it goes on easy, remains clear, and dries fast. But I have been wanting to try spraying a 2 part catalyzed automotive urethane clear coat like the DuPont 7900S I've used on vehicles.