Essexsussex
Well-Known Member
This thread brings together my hi jacking of Pine Martin’s thread on a similar matter and also the one where I looked for a good gunsmith.
i have an old gye and moncrieff 16b hammer gun. It was my grandfathers, I doubt he used for much other than scaring pigeons but it may go back a generation or two behind that. If so there is a chance it actually shot something when owned by my family!
it is a Damascus black powder proofed gun. It is very loose and the barrels I thought were not too bad on the inside.
My intention is only to get it up and running for black powder use, maybe treat it to a day of walked up grouse a year or something.
So not much use anticipated.
off I went to a gunsmith - not one of the ones recommended on here I hasten to add and I shan’t name him for obvious reasons. This is a proper gunsmith in a workshop with no shop front and a large and blacking bath out the back etc.
Apparently this shooter has had a lot of use over its 150 year life! It is very loose but apparently on the face (I think this means it is fairly square). So that can be done without too much difficulty I gather.
next question, barrels. He gave them a good old clean, it looked shiny to me but then he pointed out a load of small dents that I am still sure I couldn’t quite see - but I don’t doubt they are there. No doubt due to me banging it in the gun cupboard and such like.
On measuring the barrels at 9 inches they are out from original proof, and the tolerance allowed, which caused some sucking of teeth (understandably). I could see how much it must hurt him everytime a nice enough old shooter is destroyed. Not much good to say about the proof house at the moment when we discussed sleeving (now very expensive apparently not least because of the attitude of the proof house).
Then we talked about potential use and how it was not going to do a lot and only with black powder. He measured the barrel thickness. Prognosis - well thick enough.
so he is going to take it to the barrel people he uses. They have been going since 1830 or so and I gather a family firm. They are going to give a second opinion on safety.
It may live again...
i have an old gye and moncrieff 16b hammer gun. It was my grandfathers, I doubt he used for much other than scaring pigeons but it may go back a generation or two behind that. If so there is a chance it actually shot something when owned by my family!
it is a Damascus black powder proofed gun. It is very loose and the barrels I thought were not too bad on the inside.
My intention is only to get it up and running for black powder use, maybe treat it to a day of walked up grouse a year or something.
So not much use anticipated.
off I went to a gunsmith - not one of the ones recommended on here I hasten to add and I shan’t name him for obvious reasons. This is a proper gunsmith in a workshop with no shop front and a large and blacking bath out the back etc.
Apparently this shooter has had a lot of use over its 150 year life! It is very loose but apparently on the face (I think this means it is fairly square). So that can be done without too much difficulty I gather.
next question, barrels. He gave them a good old clean, it looked shiny to me but then he pointed out a load of small dents that I am still sure I couldn’t quite see - but I don’t doubt they are there. No doubt due to me banging it in the gun cupboard and such like.
On measuring the barrels at 9 inches they are out from original proof, and the tolerance allowed, which caused some sucking of teeth (understandably). I could see how much it must hurt him everytime a nice enough old shooter is destroyed. Not much good to say about the proof house at the moment when we discussed sleeving (now very expensive apparently not least because of the attitude of the proof house).
Then we talked about potential use and how it was not going to do a lot and only with black powder. He measured the barrel thickness. Prognosis - well thick enough.
so he is going to take it to the barrel people he uses. They have been going since 1830 or so and I gather a family firm. They are going to give a second opinion on safety.
It may live again...
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