.

Right down to that screwhead. Sweet.

Have to ask about the lighting. One candle flame below the camera's lens? I like the way that one line of light follows the cock all the way up.

How about this one? My patched ball rifle: note tha damascus pattern on the barrel.
Fred

Very handsome, Fred.   

What caliber?  Swiss? Austrian? German?


     Joe. 

That's a very good question, Fred. I'm a fan of Damascus barrels. The only thing that I know about how they are form is what I've read in Greeners book "The Gun" and a couple of other articles I've read over the years.

A lot of people look down on Damascus barrels but, they were THEE quality barrel of their day and if made well stronger than many other forms of barrel making.

I'm sure that there was a lot of artistry involved with the manufacture of them and probably a lot a secrets kept in how the patterns were developed.

Frank

I've never owned a shotgun-I like accuracy- but it is true that there are many in use in Britain and Europe with damascus barrels. To say that they are not safe is rubbish: structures such as damascus twist are really the only kind for which proof is really valid and the proof houses re-test and pass for nitro hundreds of them every year.
Fred

I'm not sure exactly how damascus got the bad rap that exist today but, I'll assume it is because the barrels of that day were shot with BP and not taken good care of. Some people think they are made of spaghetti and a sneeze with unravel them. It may be true that barrels that we're rusted through failed, just as a fluid steel would but, in good condition they are just as strong as a fluid steel, as they are forged.

I have a Bonehill SXS 12 Ga external hammer, Damascus barreled shot gun that I regularly shoot both 1 & 1 1/8 field and target cartridges out of. It and my 20 ga RB shot gun are my digger squirrel guns.

Lets not turn this into a Damascus strength thread and take away from these beautiful rifles.

Frank

Damascus barrels are works of art. And you can still purchase a new shot gun made in Italy with a damascus barrel, but boy will you pay. The thing that gave Damascus barrels a bad name was that unscrupulous gun makers making a really cheap gun would use iron/steel pipe that had a seam in it. In the manufacturing process they used something like acid to etch a damascus pattern onto the plain steel barrel. These were the barrels that blew up/out. Old damascus barrels are safe to shot as long as you check them very thoroughly. I had mine magnafluxed and then x ray ed to make sure. Ask Dick Binger about shooting old barrels though, Dick lost a few fingers with a barrel just loaded with a noisemaker load and a wad, it came apart on him during a reenactment. So if you do shoot these old barrels you may have a problem even with a below normal load. You just never know. 
Mike