THE GUNSMITH’S ART

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19786, 9 March 1927, Page 15

THE GUNSMITH’S ART

MAKING OF BARRELS SKILL OF THE CRAFTSMAN Now and again correspondents profess to be at a loss to account for the high cost of modern shot guns, and sometimes there appears to be scant recognition of the fact that in the building of a gun innumerable processes and many trades are involvca’ (writes Mr Henry Sharp, a noted gun expert, in the London "Daily Telegraph’’). Possibly, however, the best refutation of the charge of dearness may be found in those guns which are constantly pointed out as being still sound and tight after hard work extending over thirty or forty years, or even occasionally to the half century. Each discharge delivers a lightning blow upon the breech of a gun—a blow such as a pressure of 21 to three tons, or even more in some cases, per square inch is able to exert. Surely the height of perfection in manufacture fs attained when a gun can bear this throughout forty or fifty seasons of hard shooting. A correspondent puts a query as to the population of steel versus Damascus barrels. The weight of gun-mak-ing and of public opinion now greatly favours plain steel barrels. This is proved by the present-day output oi* British guns, where, probably, twenty or more pairs of steel barrels may bo found as against one pair of the figured variety of iron and steel known as “ Damascus. ’ ’ In fact, the latter are now so little called for that considerable difficulty might be exporf--1 encod in finding any out-of-the-way sizes, such, for example, as those suitable for making up into 8-bores, or even those of tho 32-inch length sometimes used on the heavy-weight wildfowling 12-bores. Making a “Damascus.” Tho process of making these “Damascus” tubes involves several operations. A square rod of iron is first twisted by a hand machine so as to impart thereon an external screw or spiral; this assists in giving that characteristic curl or figure to the rneinr which has been responsible for its naming. In the Damascus barrels known as “two stripe,” two of these twisted rods are used, and three pieces go to form the barrel known as “three stripe.” These three rods, screwed or spiralled alternately to left and to right, are placed together and are heated and hammered flat. Tho flattened pieces are then welded around a mandrel of suitable shape, and by repeated heating and hammering are forged into a compact tube, something near to the exact size being insured by the shape of the mandrel. The formation of the flats at the breech ends are obtained under the application of the hammer, on the tubes being placed in dies of corresponding form upon the anvil. The Damascus barrel, under the skilful and repeated hammering of the barrel-welder, receives a toughness which no machine process is able to give. Boring and Setting The manufacture of the steel barrel is much simpler. Generally, the barrel is produced by drilling out short pieces of steel rod. rolling and drawing them under heat to the required length, size, and shape, and theft boring them up to the required diameter—a size that admits of the further necessary enlargement for final finishing. In this state the product is known as a rough tube, and is ready for the barrel-filer proper. Much skill is requisite to produce' so important an adjunct as the gun-barrel, in which, to be perfect, the metal is distributed in proportions duly calculated to bear the strain set up at the various points by tho explosion of the cartridge. The perfect gun-btirrel roust be absolutely straight, and be bored true. The setting of the barrel is a very important part of the barrelmaker’s calling. By the shadow thrown by a teftse wire or other straight edge, on to the interior of the bore, whim held up to the light, the trained eye can detect any crook, however slight, and by a skilful manipulation of the hammer the defect can be removed. In some gun shops the tubes are 1 set by the aid of machinery; but even in tftis case tho trained eye is required. “Tinedug” the Tube. One of the foremost gun makers of the day told me that important though tube-making may be, as forming the foundation of a sound and reliable barrel, it is somewhat less important in the matter of skill compared with the number qf processes which are involved in the" art of barrel-filing. The best tubes in the world, tubes made of the finest material possible, unless prope'rly treated by the barrel-filer might be worse than useless. In this craftsman’s hands their fundamental qualities must be maintained under all conditions, but he further has to build up on them work which goes to form j the chief characteristics of the gun. Without barrels that will successfully stand repeated firing for many years, and do this with consistent and reliable accuracy of shooting, tho very best gun mechanism would be valueless. After certain other processes the are joined side by side to a gauge insuring the' proper width at each end, so that both throw their shot to the same mark. The lumps and ribs having been attached to them by soldering or brazing, tho barrels are advanced another stage by boring up' towards the finishing size, and are then ready to go to the action-filer to have the' breechaction fitted.