From Part II of Jean Puraye's article in May, 1976 American Rifleman
"Year after year, until 1914, thousands of damascus barrels were made in the Vesdre Valley and supplied to gunsmiths in Liege and throughout the whole world. Considerable consignments of "blank" barrels were also exported, mainly to England and the United States.
In the Liege region, the 1914-1918 War did irreparable damage to the luxury weapons industry and to damascus production in particular. The production of gun barrels ceased; machine tools were destroyed and raw material sources wrecked.
Immediately after the armistice the barrel-makers courageously set to work once more. They encountered serious difficulties..."
The article goes on to state that J. Delcour-Dupont started making damascus barrels again in 1924, but only until 1930.
Last edited by revdocdrew; 12/05/07 12:09 AM.
