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Posted By: SXS 40 British gun term? - 08/08/20 05:23 AM

I am not familiar with a term used to describe a couple of lots in the upcoming Holt’s auction.
Referring to barrels as “partially struck off”
Anyone know what that means?
Posted By: Steve Helsley Re: British gun term? - 08/08/20 05:51 AM
Removal of the finish (bluing or browning) by filing, emery paper, etc.
Posted By: Imperdix Re: British gun term? - 08/08/20 07:04 AM
Barrels on hand built guns are `struck off` to achieve optimal handling /balance characteristics also. Sometimes people have poorly weighted barrels improved later also,usually charged by the weight removed.Hth.
Sadly this skill is lost on the modern ,machine made lumps which are produced nowadays!!!!!
Posted By: KY Jon Re: British gun term? - 08/08/20 02:35 PM
Means you are going to have to refinish the barrels.
Posted By: craigd Re: British gun term? - 08/08/20 02:57 PM
I think partially means even bubba gave up. Hopefully, it's a great deal?
Posted By: gunman Re: British gun term? - 08/11/20 07:02 PM
It means be very careful and dont but unless you either know what you are doing or have had it very carefully checked .
Posted By: Daryl Hallquist Re: British gun term? - 08/11/20 09:42 PM
Could mean that they are getting rid of pits, or evidence of barrel damage repair.
Posted By: KY Jon Re: British gun term? - 08/12/20 01:33 PM
My experience has been the barrels either had a dent lifted , then filed and now require finishing or they had external pitting struck off and require finishing. But if it was pitting, be very careful about wall thickness. A thin barreled gun can be sold it the bores are still in proof. If the description also states walls below recommend thickness be very, very cautious.

The question becomes is this gun at the auction because the owner did not feel comfortable shooting it because it was so thin and did he decide sleeving it was not in his budget? Sleeving in the US is a very difficult and expensive option. Don’t buy a money pit if you can avoid it. Been there and still doing that.
Posted By: SKB Re: British gun term? - 08/12/20 01:39 PM
I agree with all of the above. I have at times requested and received information such as BWT and a more thorough description from the auction house.

Steve
Posted By: Toby Barclay Re: British gun term? - 08/12/20 06:47 PM
Having looked at dozens of guns in Holt's auctions with such a description, I can say that the MAJORITY are where bad bents or bulges have been lifted/knocked down and the barrel has been draw filed or abrasive polished to take out all the remaining witness marks.
Yes, the barrels will need refinishing and yes, be very careful about wall thickness.
The usual rational in these cases is that the gun is pretty much un-shootable, and therefore unsaleable, with the dent/bulge but the vendor doesn't want to cough for a complete re-black/brown so a minimum job is done by their resident gunsmith or the gunsmith submitting the gun for auction.
Posted By: craigd Re: British gun term? - 08/13/20 01:23 AM
Interesting comments Toby. I would have thought, if there was some evidence of barrel work that it might have had to be submitted for proof before being sold. I never would have suspected the auction house expediting a gun to the market.
Posted By: KY Jon Re: British gun term? - 08/13/20 12:45 PM
A gun is not out of proof due to wall thickness. It will me if the barrel is enlarged or the chambers are altered from say 2 1/2” to 2 3/4”. Wall thickness does not mean a barrel can not be submitted for rep roof. Just that thin barrels may be more likely to fail proof or easier to dent. Below recommend wall thickness is a warning flag but you can shoot thin barrels. Just do so after a complete evaluation of the risk. I have several thin barreled guns but the only ones I shoot have the thin areas 20+” from the chamber areas
Posted By: craigd Re: British gun term? - 08/13/20 02:40 PM
My only thought is that if proof can be trusted and the gun transfers legally, then the wall thickness can be assumed to be fine. I don’t believe that is true, but laws were followed? I was under the impression that there is a measuring process that has to be passed by a gun before a proof load is fired?
Posted By: Toby Barclay Re: British gun term? - 08/13/20 08:03 PM
As KY Jon says above, wall thickness has no bearing on proof other than if it is thin enough the wall could fail, rivel or bulge which would of course mean it fails the reproof test.
No proof house has ever measured wall thickness as part of the proof test. They have a recommended minimum but that is all it is: recommended. They do not make any comment about the wall thicknesses and no measurement takes place BEFORE the proof test. The tube is 'viewed' for imperfections, pitting, bulges, dent etc and the chamber is checked to ensure that it meets the very exacting dimensions for its nominal chamber length and rim dimensions.
Bore diameter is measured after the successful proof test to establish what bore size is to marked on the flats.
Striking off the outside of the barrel wall does not effect the gun's state of proof.
The auction houses often undertake small amounts of work on guns submitted for sale, including arranging reproof, but at the clients cost and risk.
Posted By: craigd Re: British gun term? - 08/13/20 09:01 PM
Thanks guys.
Posted By: SXS 40 Re: British gun term? - 08/13/20 11:55 PM

Good information. Thanks all.
Posted By: KY Jon Re: British gun term? - 08/14/20 02:17 AM
Thanks Toby. That should clear up a lot of our misconceptions about proof to many in the US. That is a issue many here do not fully understand. It took me a long time to understand it and even longer time to understand proof pressures and standard working pressures.

It is so much simpler over here where all barrels are thick as pump pipe and built to withstand stupid high pressure levels. Why a gun which can not stand 12,000 psi standard loads it is almost not worth shooting over here. BARs, LUPs and PSIs are so confusing to many.
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