Damascus / Laminated steel shotguns

[theunrulychef]

I've got an old Manton side by side hammered 12 gauge - laminated steel. I've mainly shot light cowboy black powder loads out of it, but today I decided to see if it could take some modern game loads (3.75 dram, 1.24 oz #4 shot). I wedged it in some tires so that it couldn't move & shot it from a safe distance with a string. I put 6 shells through each side & it seems fine. From my web research, people say that they can look ok & give it up unexpectedly in a very violent way. Of course, these aren't "proof" loads or anything, & I would never recommend anyone else shooting this thing, but I'm curious what others have done or would do.

[JenniferG]

As far as I know you have but one life to live. You might as well live it being non disfigured from an exploding shotgun. I'd hanger' on up.

[scruff]

You answered your own question when you shot it from a distance.

[pennlineman]

I'd either hang it up or reload some black powder loads for it. Why risk destroying the gun or injuring yourself?

[MOUNTAINORACLE]

Hang it over the fire place or use for decoration at hunting camp

[Urban_Redneck]

I'd hang up a laminated steel barreled JABC (just another Belgian clunker). As for Damascus, if the barrels pass qualified inspection, I've shot several of them using low pressure 2 1/2" shells.

YMMV

[cdi]

Modern ammo is not "low pressure"... even if the brass portion of the round is shorter than normal. Modern ammo uses smokeless NITRO based powder and the pressure curve is different than black powder.

Those old guns, especially the Belgian and Spanish knock-offs are made of unknown mystery metal. Even if the barrels are sound, they were not designed, made or tested with anything other than black powder in mind. If you simply can not resist shooting it, use black powder ammo.

Just because it held under a couple rounds of nitro, does not mean it is safe. As my doctor friend says, "suture self..."

[Pete D.]

Unless I could have the barrels checked by a competent gunsmith, I'd not shoot the gun. I would definitely shoot BP shells if the barrels passed inspection.
Pete

[LisaA]

You answered your own question when you shot it from a distance.

^^^^ This.

Modern ammo is not "low pressure"... even if the brass portion of the round is shorter than normal. Modern ammo uses smokeless NITRO based powder and the pressure curve is different than black powder.

Those old guns, especially the Belgian and Spanish knock-offs are made of unknown mystery metal. Even if the barrels are sound, they were not designed, made or tested with anything other than black powder in mind. If you simply can not resist shooting it, use black powder ammo.

Just because it held under a couple rounds of nitro, does not mean it is safe. As my doctor friend says, "suture self..."

^^^^ This, too.

[Bib]

I'd slip my old Savage "Four-Tenner" tubes into it and go shoot some .410 shells