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 Enfield1917 |
My upcoming shotgun restoration project |
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Posts: 990 (05/24/09 1:05 PM) |
This is the latest acquisition and was just purchased this shotgun off of gunbroker. It is a Remington Model 1900 KD and has the Damascus barrel. Would anyone in here have experience restoring such metal surfaces be able to give some advice on how to do so and what to look for and avoid? 
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dirty jim |
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Posts: 1500 (05/24/09 2:50 PM) MODERATOR |
are you trying to do a full on restore or just clean it up as much as possible?
i would start out will 0000 steel wool with a light oil then go more abrasive if it was necessary. i've heard some of the pot scrubbers are made from bronze or brass & will remove surface rust without damaging the finish. i haven't tried any of them yet. nice looking shotgun. keep in mind that a damascus barrel is only safe with black powder loads.
proud member of the Hillbilly Gunsmithing Guild
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AlleyOop007 |
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Posts: 1267 (05/24/09 2:56 PM) Contributing Member |
Yikes! My first suggestion of what you should avoid is trying to shoot it. I don't know if recommendations have changed, but years ago, most sources
indicated that it was unsafe to shoot any loads - smokeless or blackpowder - in old Damascus barreled shotguns. As I recall, the recommendation was based on
the fact that it was found that the welds between the twisted ribbons of steel used to form the barrels tend to rust and weaken with age. In any case you
certainly shouldn't shoot modern field loads with smokeless powder.
I have an old Lefever 12 ga double gun with damascus barrels that belonged to my father. It hasn't been shot since before WWII when the county where Dad lived passed out blackpowder loads for crow or blackbird control. They issued the blackpowder loads to be able to see if folks were illegally using the free ammo to hunt game birds. 
Last Edited By: AlleyOop007
05/24/09 3:05 PM.
Edited 2 times.
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Enfield1917 |
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Posts: 997 (05/24/09 2:57 PM) |
Hey, thanks for the tip. I also read using chalk and oil to remove rust.
As for the Damascus barrel, I have read very contradictory information regarding it. From what I read, it seems as this isn't a "twisted wire" Damascus and is most likely very safe with modern smokeless. I will have a gunsmith look at it before blowing up myself up. |
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AlleyOop007 |
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Posts: 1268 (05/24/09 3:16 PM) Contributing Member |
Enfield1917 wrote:Good luck with the gunsmith. I'd be really surprised if he would accept the liability of passing on the safety of a true Damascus barrel without testing it in a metallurgy lab. I don't know if Remington did it, but I read somewhere that back in the early 20th century gunmakers sometimes finished solid steel shotgun barrels to look like damascus because up until that time damascus barrels were considered a sign of high quality. You might have on of those. Please let us know what you find out.
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AlleyOop007 |
Remington codes for identifiying barrel types on 1900 Shotguns | ||
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Posts: 1269 (05/24/09 3:38 PM) Contributing Member |
I did a google search and found the following under Wiki Answers:
Grades Offered: K - Remington steel barrels
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Thor96 |
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Posts: 7207 (05/25/09 6:42 AM) MODERATOR |
AlleyOop007 wrote:Ah yes, Alley, you answered my question. I was thinking a Damascus barrel was a twist barrel. I had a chance to buy one at a live auction several years ago, and couldn't understand why it was going so cheap. Then a buddy standing next to me explained. Enfield, if it's a Damascus barrel, you have a wallhanger. Good collector but not a safe shooter. When all else fails, BLAME BUSH! |
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procrastinator43 |
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Posts: 5791 (05/25/09 7:38 AM) MODERATOR |
How about one of these?
http://www.gunbroker.com and search for SAVAGE FOUR - TENNER http://www.mcace.com/shotguninserts.htm
NRA LIFE MEMBER
We don't change the message, the message changes us.
Last Edited By: procrastinator43
05/25/09 7:42 AM.
Edited 1 times.
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AlleyOop007 |
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Posts: 1275 (05/25/09 10:24 AM) Contributing Member |
procrastinator43 wrote: Those might make the old gun safe to shoot but Enfield would have to be a real marksman to hunt ducks with any of them, even the .410 insert.
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procrastinator43 |
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Posts: 5792 (05/25/09 10:53 AM) MODERATOR |
Very true but at least the old girl will be more than a wall hanger.
NRA LIFE MEMBER
We don't change the message, the message changes us. |
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dirty jim |
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Posts: 1502 (05/25/09 12:20 PM) MODERATOR |
black powder loads are a lot easier to find now that they are used in cowboy shooting.
these should be safe in your shotgun if its in good condition. if you do have it inspected by a gunsmith find one who's main line of work is shotguns. midway carries two brands of black powder 12 ga ammo goex black powder ammo Ten-X Ammunition i'm sure you could find more by searching
proud member of the Hillbilly Gunsmithing Guild
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Enfield1917 |
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Posts: 1099 (05/25/09 12:23 PM) |
I could have the barrels lined by a firm in England. But it just isn't worth the price ($2000 roughly). I am going to ask the seller if we could work
something out. Perhaps he would be willing to just have me reimburse me for the listing fees, etc. I feel kind of cheated that they didn't make it clear
the issues with a damascus barrel. I am dissappointed in myself that I didn't research it a bit before I bid.
Great nations are never impoverished by private, though they sometimes are by public prodigality and misconduct. The whole, or almost the whole public revenue,
is in most countries employed in maintaining unproductive hands... Such people, as they them-selves produce nothing, are all maintained by the produce of other
men's labour... Those unproductive hands, who should be maintained by a part only of the spare revenue of the people, may consume so great a share of their
whole revenue, and thereby oblige so great a number to encroach upon their capitals, upon the funds destined for the maintenance of productive labour, that all
the frugality and good conduct of individuals may not be able to compensate the waste and degradation of produce occasioned by this violent and forced
encroachment.
The Wealth of Nations, Book II, Chapter III |
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Thor96 |
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Posts: 7215 (05/25/09 3:57 PM) MODERATOR |
Enfield1917 wrote:If he advertised it as Damascus, he didn't cheat you. He expects a buyer to know what he's buying. But it doesn't hurt to ask, explaining to him that you are a newby. When all else fails, BLAME BUSH! |
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sully |
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Posts: 588 (05/25/09 7:53 PM) |
DJ is correct. It is safe to shoot black powder in Damascus barrels. And, it isn't hard to find blackpowder loads either. I would have a gunsmith check it
out though if you end up with it.
"Well, the trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant, it's just that they know so much that isn't so!"
Ronald Reagan |
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Enfield1917 |
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Posts: 1102 (05/25/09 8:13 PM) |
The guy I bought it from was really cool. I am sad to give it up, because I really like it and ideally would love to restore it and put barrel liners in.
Perhaps that is a future project. I did buy another shotgun, but more modern:
It is a Felix Sarasquenta 12 guage. I like pointer dogs and we may be buying one in July.
Great nations are never impoverished by private, though they sometimes are by public prodigality and misconduct. The whole, or almost the whole public revenue,
is in most countries employed in maintaining unproductive hands... Such people, as they them-selves produce nothing, are all maintained by the produce of other
men's labour... Those unproductive hands, who should be maintained by a part only of the spare revenue of the people, may consume so great a share of their
whole revenue, and thereby oblige so great a number to encroach upon their capitals, upon the funds destined for the maintenance of productive labour, that all
the frugality and good conduct of individuals may not be able to compensate the waste and degradation of produce occasioned by this violent and forced
encroachment.
The Wealth of Nations, Book II, Chapter III |
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AlleyOop007 |
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Posts: 1278 (05/25/09 8:40 PM) Contributing Member |
That's a nice looking shotgun. Were you planning on using your dog to hunt ducks? If so, you might want to consider a retriever since pointers are normally used for hunting upland game birds - quail, pheasants, grouse, etc.
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Enfield1917 |
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Posts: 1103 (05/25/09 8:46 PM) |
Thanks. The dog we are looking at is half German Shorthair Pointer and half "English" Pointer and should be able to do both retrieve and point. I
want to both hunt ducks and upland.
Great nations are never impoverished by private, though they sometimes are by public prodigality and misconduct. The whole, or almost the whole public revenue,
is in most countries employed in maintaining unproductive hands... Such people, as they them-selves produce nothing, are all maintained by the produce of other
men's labour... Those unproductive hands, who should be maintained by a part only of the spare revenue of the people, may consume so great a share of their
whole revenue, and thereby oblige so great a number to encroach upon their capitals, upon the funds destined for the maintenance of productive labour, that all
the frugality and good conduct of individuals may not be able to compensate the waste and degradation of produce occasioned by this violent and forced
encroachment.
The Wealth of Nations, Book II, Chapter III |
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AlleyOop007
