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I have an old Victorian era Damascus barrelled W.J.Jeffrey hammer gun, that was originally purchased by my great grandfather in the 1920's.

I had it checked by a gunsmith who declared it out of proof due to severe pitting and unsafe to shoot.

The cost of re-barrelling is prohibitive, so I decided to source a pair of .410 inserts so I could at least shoot it occasionally.

My question is, if I purchase from a private seller, do these inserts need to be entered onto my SGC?

ukrifleman

Component parts of a shotgun are not licensable. I also believe that smooth-bore calibre/cartridge conversion kits are also not licensable.

Have you looked at getting the barrels resleeved rather than rebarrelled?

should be cheaper than a new barrel and perform better than just a calibre conversion insert (though it would result in a heavier gun overall)

Found it.
I was looking for law but it is in the Guidance:

HO Guidance wrote:2.57 When considering whether a particular weapon should be regarded as a firearm to which sections 1, 2 or 5 of the 1968 Act applies or which is covered by the 1982 Act,.... In the absence of a decision by a court, the Secretary of State takes the view that the following devices should not be regarded as firearms within the definition of the Act:
.
.
l) smoothbore sleeve type chamber inserts for use in a shotgun or rifle (chamber adaptors which incorporate rifling and chambered for any cartridge are subject to Section 1 control.).

poll007 wrote:Have you looked at getting the barrels resleeved rather than rebarrelled?

should be cheaper than a new barrel and perform better than just a calibre conversion insert (though it would result in a heavier gun overall)

I was quoted well into 4 figures for a re-sleeve which is not an option, .410 inserts are the only way to go.

Mattnall wrote:Found it.
I was looking for law but it is in the Guidance:

HO Guidance wrote:2.57 When considering whether a particular weapon should be regarded as a firearm to which sections 1, 2 or 5 of the 1968 Act applies or which is covered by the 1982 Act,.... In the absence of a decision by a court, the Secretary of State takes the view that the following devices should not be regarded as firearms within the definition of the Act:
.
.
l) smoothbore sleeve type chamber inserts for use in a shotgun or rifle (chamber adaptors which incorporate rifling and chambered for any cartridge are subject to Section 1 control.).

Many thanks for the link, just what I was looking for.

Cheers,

ukrifleman

ukrifleman wrote:

poll007 wrote:Have you looked at getting the barrels resleeved rather than rebarrelled?

should be cheaper than a new barrel and perform better than just a calibre conversion insert (though it would result in a heavier gun overall)

I was quoted well into 4 figures for a re-sleeve which is not an option, .410 inserts are the only way to go.

More than any of my shotguns are worth!

There seem to be a wide variety of inserts on the market some of which are much longer than others. Cheshire gun room seems to have a longer one on their site for £125 at the moment.

Whilst I have no hands on experience I have seen others talk about the fact that some of the inserts are short enough that if you use a 3" shell they poke out of the end of the insert.

It would be interesting to see the effectiveness of the different length inserts as i imagine they will produce comparatively low velocities.

ukrifleman wrote:

poll007 wrote:Have you looked at getting the barrels resleeved rather than rebarrelled?

should be cheaper than a new barrel and perform better than just a calibre conversion insert (though it would result in a heavier gun overall)

I was quoted well into 4 figures for a re-sleeve which is not an option, .410 inserts are the only way to go.

More than any of my shotguns are worth!

There seem to be a wide variety of inserts on the market some of which are much longer than others. Cheshire gun room seems to have a longer one on their site for £125 at the moment.

Whilst I have no hands on experience I have seen others talk about the fact that some of the inserts are short enough that if you use a 3" shell they poke out of the end of the insert.

It would be interesting to see the effectiveness of the different length inserts as i imagine they will produce comparatively low velocities.

Gun is declared unsafe to shot because of the severe pitting of the 100 year old, Damascus barrelled shotgun.

Option being explored is to shoot it with .410…

12 gauge has a SAAMI max chamber pressure of 11500psi. .410 has a maximum SAAMI pressure of 13500psi.

I think I’d be inclined to retire it completely.

Sim G wrote:Gun is declared unsafe to shot because of the severe pitting of the 100 year old, Damascus barrelled shotgun.

Option being explored is to shoot it with .410…

12 gauge has a SAAMI max chamber pressure of 11500psi. .410 has a maximum SAAMI pressure of 13500psi.

I think I’d be inclined to retire it completely.

Have to agree with that.


I do wonder why you (the OP) suggested .410? A conversion to 16g or 20g might have been more appropriate and keep the performance nearer the original - but even that would have given rise to a similar issue.

Either sleeve it or retire it.