Copper plated lead in old guns?
 

With the big bird I killed last weekend with my gdads nearly 100yr old Stevens 520 pump, I've been wondering would it be potentially harmful to the gun to shoot any hard lead/copper plated loads in it? My gdad always bragged about how tight this gun shot, how many turkeys he killed with it in his younger days and how many turkey shoots he "mopped the floor" with it at. :wink: I just mic'd the old 30" barrel and got .684" so that's in the "extra full" range of most modern guns/industry standards. Saturday it HAMMERED that old bird at 37 steps with simple SuperX 1.25oz 6s High Brass Game Loads but I'm just curious what it'd do with 1.38oz or even 1.5oz copper plated 2.75" loads? (I'd certainly NEVER try anything like Hevi-shot, Tungsten etc... in it) The gun itself is a John Browning design and were known for being tough as nails so I'm not worried about the action failing but I certainly don't want a bulged (or worse) barrel but this is the only old shotgun I've ever messed with.

Anybody know?

if its not a damasscis barrel it should be ok, by todays standards .684isn't that tight, my mark bansner worked valmet 412 mics .632 and it handles 2 oz loads just fine, it has had the forcing cone removed though
RR

For several years I hunted turkeys with a Winchester mod. 97. It was made in 1911 according to the serial number. I used it precisely because it had an incredibly tight choke. When shotgun shells had just wads, no shot cups, these old guns had to have a tight choke to pattern well. In any case, I put maybe 100 turkey loads through that old gun with no ill effects at all. Lead is lead, the copper coating isn't thick enough to damage the chokes or barrels.

Thanks gents, I figured itd be ok but just wanted extra reassurance! These old Stevens 520s were known for their TOUGHNESS and the old ads I've seen of them have Stevens as touting their "high pressure steel" construction! :biggrin: I just went today and looked for a few loads I had in mind. It's already 2 weeks into turkey season here and 2.75" loads are hard to find anyway. But I found one on the list, the Win Super X Turkey 2.75" 1.5oz 5shot (buffered and copper plated). MANY MANY years ago before the advent of 3.5" guns, aftermarket chokes, hevimetal loads & red dots, 3" 1.5-2oz of copperplated lead 5s is what I preferred and killed ALOT of turkeys with in the Ozarks of southern MO with an ol 1300 Featherweight ext. full tube.

I still have plenty of scatter guns including my 835 and 870SM with Nitro loads and Rhino tubes but honestly, carrying my gdads ol Stevens down in the swamp is outright FUN. I likewise have his ol 1968 Marlin 336RC 35Rem that I deerhunt with down there when the weather is nice. Both of them are just awfully danged tough to beat for "swampin with Gpaw"! :s4:

Supposed to be 80 Fri, I just might greet the daylight again down in my swamp with the ol Stevens! :fighting0007:
HL

First thing that came to my mind was;

".....if its not a damasscis barrel it should be ok,....." RR

What RR already said.

Naw it's certainly no Damascus barrel. I think those were mainly pre-late1800s, black powder animals.

This is my ol Stevens & the embossed leather case my Gdad kept it in for many years:

I shoot upon occassion the Win. Supreme 2-3/4" 1-1/2oz of 6's for Buddy shoots or meat shoots when I dont grab one of my reloads and they shoot GREAT!!!! That and the Green Wieenies Nitro Mag 1-1/2oz of 6's or 4's. Cant go wrong with them. More than likely easier to find than the "Turkey" loads and don't recoil nearly as much either!!!