doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Minimum Wall Thickness 22th?

Looking at a nice boxlock British SxS. Minimum wall thickness is at 22th on one barrel and the other is at 28th.

What's the opinion on the 22th barrel? Is that enough minimum wall thickness?

Thanks!

Where at on the barrel is the MWT ? What gauge are you using to measure with ?

Good questions plumber. The gun is in the UK. I will need to inquire with the dealer.

If the 22/1000th is at the end of the chamber that is too way too thin. If it is at the beginning of the choke it would be no problem for me.

Best,

Mike

If the figures are correct, personally, unless for some reason I really really wanted it...
It'd stay on the shelf. I'm no expert , i just like shotguns and I'm sure there are better guns to spend your money on.
Just my opinion though.

Many fine British shotguns were ORIGINALY made with thin barrels, especially if they were light weight. The ounces have to come from somewhere, after all. Also many American classic doubles were originally made with thin barrels, the makers simply didn't measure them while striking. Generally 22 thou is not out of the ordinary for best barrels on a light gun that have not been honed, polished, or cleaned down on the exterior after dent removal. Check for bore diameter and compare with proof marks as well as factory weight if available.

Best,
Mal

Bore diameter is .729 in both barrels. Gun is advertised as in an "unshot/unused condition."

Personally I think it was just a case of the barrels not being measured while striking as Mal said. If the gun is in unused condition, and it does look that way from the pictures I have seen, and bores are both .729 - then perhaps the barrels just were not measured when striking. Why else would one barrel measure 22 thou. and the other one 28 thou.?

i respect the opinion of ed lander, a general gunsmith with over 60 years of experience. thats right 60 years! old ed started working on guns as an apprentice in 1946...

anyway, old ed says it just aint worth the risk to shoot a 12 ga gun with barrel wall thickness less than .030...

be careful...

here is an interesting link on the subject:

parkerguns.org/pages/faq/BarrelThickness.htm

Many English guns have barrels that thin and they pass proof.

I have a J & W Tolley with Damascus barrels proofed with one barrel at .024 near the muzzle. I have no hesitation to shoot it with my low pressure reloads or RST ammunition. In fact I've shot several thousand rounds through it.

The British have no problem down to .020 provided that it's near the muzzle.

I would have no problem with 2.5" shells in a gun with .022 barrels provided the thin area is near the muzzle.

I'll bet Old Ed doesn't shoot many British guns.