A gentleman on the PGCA spoke with Steve who stated that the barrels and chambers were "to the original specs" regarding wall thickness and chamber length, and had not been honed. The gun is unavailable, but he has asked if he might measure the wall thickness at the end of the chambers, at the forcing cones, and just before and at the point of the bulges, and the bore.
The problem is that there are no "original specs" for wall thickness in The Parker Story, any L.C. Smith related book, nor have I seen specifications for wall thickness by any other vintage double U.S. maker. That information would be invaluable to those of us measuring wall thickness and providing an opinion regarding originality, and safety.
The issue is not to dispute Steve's statement, nor to assign blame, but to reach some conclusion as to the cause of the barrel failure.
It is my sincere hope that this will not end as most posts regarding barrel/gun failures have ended; with no definitive, or at least learned, explanation. Modern guns sent to the maker for a failure analysis and metallurgical study disappear, and when litigation is involved, details of any settlement are made confidential.
