Old single shot
I have in my collection a Texas Ranger single shot 12ga. It has a 36" round barrel. I got it from my great grandpa years ago. What I was wondering, is "Texas Ranger" an actual gun manufacturer? How old can this gun possibly be.
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This morning I was given an old single shot 10-gauge shotgun that is marked Wilson's Welded Steel. The 1902 Sears catalog lists several guns made the same way. I have been unable to find out if it refers to Damascus or twist barrels. Does anyone know for sure? 0 -
Good Afternoon Walley.
I have lists of American made and Belgian made shotguns totaling over 1,000 names and this one isn't among them. I do have a listing for a WILSON'S BEST STEEL which was use on double barrels made by Henri Pieper of Belgium and singles made by the W.H. Davenport Arms Company. No mention of who the seller was. It is possible that the same makers used the name you give. How did you determine the seller was Sears Roebuck? Take a look at the bottom of the barrel under the forearm for proof marks. If the gun was made in Belgium, you will find the letters "ELG" in an oval with a crown over that. If the gun was made in the United States, there will be no marks. To answer your question, I strongly suspect that the barrel is damascus.0 -
According to this website http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=227254:
Q: "Does anyone have info on double barrel shotgun 12 ga. with Wilson's Welded Steel on the top center rib. I am trying to find a forearm. Any help and info would be appreciated."
A: "Welded steel is another name for Damascus, a way of making a barrel by wrapping iron and steel around a mandrel (rod) and welding the pieces together. In the old days, it was an acceptable and even liked way of making barrels, but it obviously is weaker than solid steel. I strongly recommend not shooting those guns."0 -
Alot of people still shoot there old damascus guns, just not with modern loads. I personally have no desire to fire off a gun with damascus barrels. 0 -
Agree with spider those old "Damascus" type barrels were made for black powder. Should not be shot for safety sake.
Good luck with the new wall banger.0 -
Thanks for the information. I haven't found any proof marks on it and the Wilson's identification is under the forearm. The man who gave me the gun told me that his grandfather bought it from Sears sometime around 1900 and paid $3.95 for it mail order. I do have a Damascus barreled double 12 gauge that I have been reloading shells with Pyrodex RS for it for the last several years. I plan to have my gunsmith check the single out and if he says it is ok a friend of mine reloads 10 gauge shells and I will have him make up a few light loads of RS just for the hell of it. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by wpage
Agree with spider those old "Damascus" type barrels were made for black powder. Should not be shot for safety sake.
Horse manure[xx(], and I detest repeated ignorance[V].
A number of American made damascus barreled shotguns were proofed for smokeless powder, and the Europeans have done it continuously for more than a full century now. One should really not paint everything with the same brush!
What should be avoided, is shooting high-pressure (Magnum) shells in a damascus barreled shotgun. As long as you keep the pressure below 8K psi, none of the "quality" made shotguns with damascus barrels will pose any problem as long as the bore is in decent condition.
As a testament to that, I have my great grandfather's 1902 vintage Ithaca Hammerless that was shot with smokeless powder shells on a regular basis up until 1951, then infrequently up until 1980, and I shoot it occasionally to this day (with Skeet loads). Years ago, tests were conducted using a Parker Brothers shotgun to see what pressure it would take to blow the barrels... the end result was the gun did not fail until the pressure exceeded 34K psi... essentially 300% of what a hot magnum load generates.0
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