THE GUN AT HOME AND ABROAD 
of minute spots of imperfect welding, known as “ grays,” in such barrels 
was minimized by the great skill and experience of the barrel forgers. 
Greener maintains, and rightly, that the twisting and welding of stub 
and Damascus barrels left them weaker than if made of plain iron of high 
quality, and adds that the custom sometimes adopted of brazing together 
double barrels at the breech, greatly detracted from the strength of the 
metal. But the virtue of twisted barrels, besides their attractive appear- 
ance, was to distribute and to limit possible weak places; they proved to 
be of a strength adequate for all purposes, and held the field for many 
years. Barrels were also made from charcoal iron, a good material, from 
” threepenny skelp ” iron; and from the still more despicable materials, 
‘‘ twopenny skelp,” and ” sham damn skelp.” The last, most fittingly 
named, was of the most inferior scrap; it was often painted to imitate fine 
twist, and guns made of it sold for much more than their true value, 
which was not more than 12s. to 20s. Such rubbish was largely used for 
export to uncivilized countries, especially for the American trade. In spite 
of proof -house regulations, these weapons were extremely dangerous. 
Greener advocated the introduction of a larger proportion of steel into 
the material of stub iron barrels, but laid down that steel alone ‘‘ is not 
sufficiently tenacious of itself, from its fineness of grain, to resist the 
sudden explosion of gunpowder.” It was not till the latter years of the 
nineteenth century that the control of the quality and temper of steel 
was well enough understood to overcome such objections finally. Since 
that time, steel as a material for barrels has come into its own, and its use 
is now almost universal. 
From early times attempts had been made to multiply fire by fitting 
several barrels on one carriage for military purposes; and by developing 
breech loading and revolving systems. The hopeless endeavour to fire a 
series of charges loaded one in front of the other in the same barrel 
was often made. Exceptionally we find both guns and pistols made 
with two barrels, one lying below the other, and capable of revolving on 
an axis so that the hammer of either barrel could be brought into position 
to be struck by the flint of a single lock. These guns bore a close outward 
resemblance to the ‘‘ under and over ” breechloading double gun of the 
present day. This system did not come into general vogue. The single 
barrel was heavy and clumsy enough, and until barrels had become short 
and could be made light and yet strong, two barrels in the same weapon 
were out of the question. So the single barrel reigned supreme until nearly 
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