Old SXS shotgun with pitting

[Norton]

I was down at the in-laws this weekend and the FIL had picked up a Meriden SXS shotgun that was manufactured sometime between 1905 and 1918. It has beautiful Damascus steel barrels and pretty nice engraving on the receiver. However....it has some fairly pronounced bands of pitting in the barrel, presumably at the point at which the shot is making initial contact with the bore.

Question: Will some Scotch-Brite pads with barrel solvent on a jag and a hand drill solve the problem or will it ruin the barrels for sure?

 

[Scottmkiv]

Sounds like a job for a professional to me.

 

[Jim Watson]

What's the point?
Few of us are willing to shoot damascus shotguns anyhow and the bore condition doesn't matter much on a wall hanger.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Clean it up to prevent rust, and get a sub-gauge device. These come in basically two flavors, one is a complete barrel that goes inside you old barrel, the other is a chamber insert.

 

[Norton]

Jim Watson,

I'm glad that you flagged this idea for me.....I didn't realize that there was an issue with these guns

I did a quick search and came up with a pretty good article:

Shooting Grandpa's Shotgun

You know....this is another reason that these forums are so important....you have to wonder how many people have avoided accidents such as shooting an old gun like this with modern ammunition because they took the time to ask a simple question.......

 

[Jim Watson]

Yes, probably the best bet - if you don't mind the $500 expense - would be a set of Briley "companion" 20 ga tubes which do not require fitting. The last time I suggested that on a board, for a more expensive gun, the poor guy about had apoplexy. Or maybe it was because they would monobloc the barrels to the original gauge for $1500.

I don't know about those short inserts, the makers have great claims but I have never seen them in actual use.

 

[Norton]

Eh....I think he only gave $150 for the gun as a curiosity. That's about what the blue book value is on it according to one of the books I looked at. I doubt that he's really interested in shooting it, but I have this incureable need to clean up every gun I see

 

[MLH]

Norton

Next time you come through Louisville, Ky. stop by and I'll let you clean mine! I hate cleaning guns (or dishes for that matter. )

 

[anapex]

Or come over for dinner some time Norton, I got some here for ya too

 

[Ohen Cepel]

Well if Norton is on a cleaning frenzy...........

You know I'm close! And sadly stuck here for another 2 years :banghead:

The damascus guns are great to look at but a bit much to try to get back into shooting shape as others have mentioned.

Now, if you can find barrels cheap they are a nice source for damascus to make knives and other toys. I always keep an eye out for "orphans" at sales for that reason.

Take Care,

 

[Norton]

You know I'm close! And sadly stuck here for another 2 years

I know that's going to be tough.....so close, yet so far from getting back to the free world. You going to the Friends of the NRA dinner in a few weeks?


I took another look at the shotgun while in VA this weekend.....I think we'll just make her look pretty and put it out on display.