Gunman, you live in Britian and see some really nice shotguns on a daily basis, around here the typical SXS is a beat-out old farm impliment. My point is around here, when one runs across a British shotgun, even one with repair issues it still deserves a second look.
jOe, how you can pack so much negativity in so few words is truly a mystery.
Seriously Will, one thing both Gunman and I agree on is having good barrels is key. Have the barrels checked out by a competant gunsmith, one who is familiar with or specializes in SXS's. If he pans the gun simply because it has damascus barrels, without doing further inspection, walk away because he's just proven that he don't know squat. Many of these old guns have had the barrels reamed to remove pitting, what you need is to have the barrel wall thickness measured. If the barrel wall thickness is adequate, then repair the stock. There have been numerous threads on the subject that can be researched right here. If it were my gun and everything checked out and I'd repaired the stock I'd take it out and shoot Winchester AA Low Recoil/Noise or Featherlites through it. There are also shot shell manufacturers that specialize in low pressure loads for these old guns.
Steve
