I took my newly purchased vintage English 12 gauge to a gunsmith, who advertises specializing in shotguns. When I explained that I wanted to have my gun checked for safety, his response was “don’t shoot it, it has Damascus barrels.” He said that without touching the barrels from about 6 feet across the room, and my barrels have no Damascus pattern, and in fact I do not believe are Damascus. Now, the shop owner was a fine fellow, and will probably do some work on my rifles, but it seems to me as if he may be out of his depth on vintage double shotguns.
I have since made an appointment with another shop, and when asking about their safety inspection they shared with me that they do not measure wall thickness, and typically recommended lighter loads for older shotguns.
Everyone on this board recommends having your firearm examined by a competent gunsmith. What do you do when the gunsmiths aren’t providing the appropriately detailed service?
