Can I pick your brains please ? Has anyone ever had an old action crack in the area (I believe it's called the root) where the action flat meets the standing breech ?
I seem to recall being told that it can happen when an old style action, originally designed for black powder proofed guns, had in later years either had modern smokless cartridges put through them or ideally, when they'd been successfully nitro proofed.
The reason I ask is that I've been talking to a guy who's thinking of sending a nice R.Robinson boxlock with good damascus barrels off to be nitro proofed so he can safely continue to use it as a walk up gun.
Now, this particular gun is a Birmingham made boxlock, nice and solid so I wouldn't think it's an issue , but are some older sidelock and hammer actions prone to breakage here when shooting larger loads or higher velocity nitro cartridges ?
I realise the proof issue isn't a worldwide thing but since the guns owner told me that he and the original owner had been firing nitro through it for years without any apparent damage to the barrels, I guess it must happen a lot.(not the cracks,but shooting nitro through BP proofed guns)
So, has anyone had problems with cracks ?
Thanks in advance for any replies.
Nick.
Last edited by El Garro; 11/14/12 03:25 PM. Reason: added the bracketed comment after 'this must happen a lot'