Shooting a jezail rifle

[ariel]

I do not like guns and do not use them.
In short, I am a complete gun ignoramus. Therefore, a naive question.

Should not damascus barrels present higher risk of blowing up after a certain period of active shooting? After all, they are composed of multiple layers of steel forged together. There must be some areas of poor contact between the layers. Afghan gunsmiths likely did nor employ the same degree of accuracy and quality control as their Belgian and British colleagues. I have quite a few Indian and Afghani swords, and some of them have areas of poor forging and delamination.
On top of that, depositions of some material within the barrel must increase pressure of the gases there.
We all get old and frail with age, and barrels, like all mechanical thingies , are not an exception.
In short, it is better to be a coward for one minute than a corpse for the rest of your life.

[Will M]

Originally Posted by ariel

Should not damascus barrels present higher risk of blowing up after a certain period of active shooting? After all, they are composed of multiple layers of steel forged together.
In short, it is better to be a coward for one minute than a corpse for the rest of your life.

Ariel we all become corpses sooner or later! Shooting damascus barrels represents no risk when they are in good condition and loads do not exceed the intended pressures. Use does not hurt them, abuse does.

[Battara]

I'm of 2 opposing opinions:

1. I am fascinated by scientific exploration of the shooting of these weapons

2. I am highly cautious because of the aging of metals. I will never shoot off my Moro lantaka cannon because it might be anywhere from 150 - 400 years old and blow up in my face. (not unknown for some owners of old lantakas who shot off their cannons).

[SchildaBrit]

"1. I am fascinated by scientific exploration of the shooting of these weapons

2. I am highly cautious because of the aging of metals. "

I agree with both points, but they are not in opposition. They interact - experimental interest must be tempered by feasibility.

However, before I progress to the (literally!) vital question of safety,may I suggest that those still in doubt about the feasibility of firing old guns acquaint themselves with the worldwide activities of the MLAIC.

I would particularly like to draw your attention to the numerous YouTube contributions of

Balázs Németh

who is the MLAIC Member for Hungary. He has seriously tested a greater variety of old guns than the rest of us are ever likely to see, let alone handle. His contributions can be found via

capandball.com

or a direct search.

[Richard G]

This has nothing to do with the physical practicalities of firing old guns, but here, in the UK, we have a bureaucratic problem. Paraphrasing somewhat -
To own and fire a firearm you will have to possess a firearms certificate that entitles you to own firearms and lists the firearms you own. There are hoops to be jumped through and they are not that easy to obtain.
Antique firearms are exempt from this requirement providing they are obsolete and held as curios only.
If you decide to fire it, it is no longer a curio, becomes a working firearm and has to be licensed.
So if you want to sell it you can now only sell to someone who holds a firearms certificate, i,e. licensed to own a firearm.
Of course, you can apply for it to be de-licensed but the authorities are not keen on this flip-flopping. They want an antique firearm to be either an antique or a firearm, not both.
Regards
Richard