The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1901-01-12


There is not a r1aEufa cturer of guns
but has from time to time to wrestle
with a customer on the subject of q
burst barrel. and it is a fact that these
bursts usually<,oecur at or very naa,
the muzzle, no matter how fine the
material Or what the style of figure in
the barrel. The usual cause Of these
bursts is an obstruction at or, near the
muzZle, and the source carelessnes: on
the part Of the shooter in not observ-
ing the nuzzle to detect mud, SANE,
snow or other foreign substance that
sometimes finds Judgement during a.
day afield. a. .''> -..~.
TO. Illustrate the great strength of
good gun metal in resisting pressures,
the following experiments are of inter-
est, the conditions being excessive
charges of powder fired through a. bar
rel that had been bored out to such a
degree of lightness that a very little
ia p with file handle would indent the
metal. Indeed, SO thin was the barrel
that it had the appearance of a film.
Beginning with three and ne-half
drs: of black powder measured by Dix
ons No. ,105 assure, the burst did
not occur. until a six and 'one-half drs.
charge was fired. The powder was in
creased half Or. until the bursting
pressure was reached. Another barrel
was burst under other conditions Of
pressure. The barrel yielded to the
force two and one-half inches from the
muZzle and was opened four and one
half inches; the shot charge reached
the target paper intact, resulting in a
pattern quite UP to the standard of the
boring; an ounce and a quarter of No.
I l." shot was used in the experiments
1t is interesting and instructive to
know that the conditions causing such
burst permit the shot to be fired out
Of the gun before the powder gas has
destroyed the power of the barrel.
Some years ago another metal cce-
ated interest among gunnaakers. 1T
was called silver STEEL It is obsolete
now 1t contained scraps of steel of
fine quality and no iron. The rods
from which the tubes were made were
seven eighths of an inch wide. fig
urc was made by the Welding marks of
these seven-eighths strips. At one
time a Birmingham gunmaker adver-
tised metal called silver steel Damas-
Gus. 1t was simply new name for or
binary Damascus and not superior tc
the latter. Figured gun barrels are
not made in America.
During the past twelve years there
has been gradually introduced among
the gunmakers, abroad and at home, the
plain steel barrel, without the ribbon
figure or twist, the vermicelIi curl of
Damascus or the wavy figure Of lam
mated steel. It is absolutely plain,
and is finished up deep black or black
blue. Two gun concerns in America
make their own plain barrels; others
import the barrels in the rough. An
American firm as far back as 1884
used plain steel barrels Of it's own
manufacture, and to-day it employs
|. them in an improved form in it's fine
guns. Other American gun companies
use the imported tubes in good and
very fine guns.
American gunmal.ers are much in
favor of plain steel barrels, and. are
turning out some beautiful guns at
very moderate prices. 1t will be many
years, if ever. before any metal will
entirely supplant Damascus for gun
barrels. The beautiful curled. figure
like lace-work marking the ramifying
fiber of the metal Is dear to the sports
mans heart.
The evolution of the shotgun from
the: wheel lock to~the present hammer
less gun sissremarkable and interesting.
The modern breech-loader, with it's
cartridge made@1up, with one Of the
nitro-eellulose tbulkl smokeless pow
ders, the greatly improved wadding
and chilled shot, is an extremely pow
erful weapon. It is handy and COM
Portable TO use and safe to handle Ac-
cidents have decreased fully so per
cent since the general Introduction OF
the breech-1o ader-and those that do
occur can, as rule, be attributed Ito
carefessness.