doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Myth of unsafe Damascus still alive

Public perception is a difficult thing to change, especially when it�s multi-generational. For years manufacturers told people not to shoot their ammo in old "dangerous" damascus or twist doubles. We also had tons of cheap, poorly built doubles imported into the US which hurt the double perception over the years because of their lack of quality. An example of this - my grandfather in law displayed a few JABC hammer guns on his insurance office walls for the last 50 years. This type of antique display, which occurs all over the US in people�s homes, stores, etc, skews perceptions and has for generations. People have been trained that when they see pattern on barrels or external hammers to automatically assume the gun is an antique/dangerous to shoot. Manufacturers sold a ton of the latest and greatest semi autos and pumps this way.

If you did the math I bet you would find the numbers are just not in our favor. There are probably far more JABCs imports than there are quality made composite barrel guns floating around for the general public, or even shooting public, to see.

The vast majority of gun club clay shooters also aren�t reading double gun forums, DGJ and Shooting Sportsman articles that explain or debunk the old myth. Unless somebody published a number of detailed yet easily understood articles for years in common magazines like Guns & Ammo or Field & Stream, I don�t think we will ever see the myth disappear.

A good answer to give the fellow who wouldn't shoot with a composite gun on the squad would be "No, this one is not Damascus, but I'll go and get the one in the car."

On the bright side as long as this myth is perpetuated the prices of fine old damascus barreled guns will remain depressed and provide the educated buyer great opportunities to enjoy these fine old guns at a more reasonable cost just like the notion that the 16 gauge was dead a few years ago.

I'm not sure how much this is a divide across the Atlantic, but here in the UK I periodically shoot with a Damascus barrelled gun, thin walled, but unaltered since nitro proof in the 1980s. I have never had a negative comment and have always had interest and appreciation from fellow shooters.

I was hunting woodcock with a gentleman and told him I was shooting an LC Smith built in 1897. His first question, "it's not damascus is it."

"Yup."

CHAZ

Drew, great! Dave is correct also. I long ago gave up trying to talk to someone whose attitude is "don't confuse me with the facts, my mind is made up". Sooo...I won't....and by the way, you better sell me that old Purdey you have hanging above the fireplace, those Damascus barrels are dangerous, ya know.

Or you could quote Oliver Cromwell to the damascus doubters:
" I beseech you, in the bowels of Christ, think it possible you may be mistaken."

drew: is it sot or sod?

I still remember as a young boy when you would purchase a box of shells the top flap would have a warning on using "Modern" ammunition in damascus guns

Good point, Mike. And America with it's litigious attitude, or 'sue the bastards, it's good for commerce' attitude, IMO mandated that inscription be placed on those shotgun shell boxes in an effort to prevent lawsuits for the ammunition companies. It's no wonder the myth of dangerous Damascus is still alive and well after all those years where that sentiment was beat in to the consumers head. And as someone mentioned above, wanting high sales of pumps and automatics probably had a lot to do with demonizing Damascus as well.