doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com BP in damascus barrel sxs

What's a JABC? What kind of wall thickness should I be looking for? Chambers and tubes?

OK. It seems that many of the Belgian made guns may lack initial quality. I have quite a few options on old SXS guns. How about a couple of pointers? And how to tell a knock-off brand from the real quality ones?

The Belgian gun below has steel (fluid?) barrels and not damascus. It is a 98% gun inside and out. What do the proofs on it tell those in the know? Steep learning curve for me here. Thanks.

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/rudybolla/sass/belgian12proofs.jpg

JABC = Just Another Belgium Clunker, a testament to the junk that the Belgiums flooded the market with 100 years ago, probably cost less then $10 new.
Steve

So how about Parker Bros.? I will just give the auction link. Pitted bores. Can they be polished w/o compromising strength? Stock would need attention, but not a problem for me. Remember, I am thinking mild BP CAS loads only, no hefty hunter loads.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=84014589

You are going to have to forget about 99 dollar guns.

Here's yOu a nice cowbOy gun

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=83876571

Do not shoot either gun until it has been vetted by a double smith. Spend the money and save your fingers. He will look at wall thickness and the general condition of the barrels and make sure it is on face.

Nitro and black both do the same thing. There is a myth that black powder is safer. The only thing that you need to do is keep th pressure down to safe levels. Metal can not tell which you are shooting only if they are too great pressure. Keep the loads to 5,000-6,000psi and you should be fine. Higher pressure loads are more likely to make th stock fail than the barrels. 75-100 years old wood can be fairly easy to crack. A basic 1100 fps load with one ounce of shot will take care of almost all your shooting needs and is very comfortable to shoot and easy on older guns.

If you shoot a 1oz load @ 1100 fps the "Stock" could care less what the chamber presure is. Max Chamber Pressure affects mainly "The Chamber". By proper powder selection a heavier shot charge can be given a higher velocity without increasing chamber pressure or sometimes even lower it. The stock will be given more strain from the increased combination of shot wt::velocity irregardless of the chamber pressure.