Photography by Stickman and Iain Harrison
Shrouded in mystery, Damascus steel has an aura surrounding it like no other material. According to lore, the blade of a Damascus sword can cut cleanly through a gun barrel and will sever a hair falling on it. Because the knowledge needed to produce this ancient material was lost in the early 1800s, it's achieved a mythical status. While we can approximate it in modern times, the ancients took their secret recipes and techniques with them to the grave.
A true Damascus blade utilizes a type of crucible steel originally produced in India from around 200 B.C., comprising a Martensite or Pearlite matrix, within which are micro carbide layers that produce microscopic “teeth” in a cutting edge. In recent years, researchers have also discovered evidence of carbon nanotubes and tungsten micro alloys, adding to the mystique. This Wootz steel features a distinctive pattern, which, depending on the individual sample, can look like waves or flowing water. It was traded across the Near East for almost two millennia, much of it fetching up in the city of Damascus (which had a thriving arms industry), where it was forged into the blades bearing its name.
While original, genuine Damascus steel is no longer available, the Damascus look is still highly sought after and can be visually reproduced by another technique known as pattern welding. In it, different alloys are heated and then forge welded (think BFH) together before being folded over and forge welded again. This produces a laminated material that has an amalgam of the characteristics of the materials that went into its creation.
It is this method that's used to produce the two items here. Be warned, if you admire the flowing, organic lines of either original Damascus steel or its modern, forge welded counterpart, you'll need a healthy bank account if you plan on adding it to the collection.
The Japanese art of Mokume-game was originally applied to sword making, where it would be employed in the creation of eye-catching tsuba or other decorative components. The Mokuti billet used in Nottingham Tactical's suppressor was created in an inert atmosphere under intense heat and pressure by Chad Nichols in Blue Springs, Mississippi. If that sounds like an expensive way to create a chunk of titanium bar stock, you'd be absolutely correct. Before attempting to machine this piece, (and machining it is a royal PITA) the maker was already 10 grand in the hole due to material costs, so the finished price tag of somewhere north of $14,000 seems almost reasonable. There will only be five of these cans ever produced, so take a number and get in line.
Make:
Nottingham Tactical
Model
Mokuti Suppressor
Caliber
30
Length
8 inches
Diameter
1.5 inches
Weight
16 ounces
CNC'd from a billet comprised of 416 layers of carbon steel, the Dahmer Arms lower is for those who want an AR unlike any other. Or, rather, unlike any apart from the other nine units that make up this production run. For those interested in the technical aspects, the alloys used were 203e, 15n20, 52100, and 5160 and the billet was folded by hand on a Nazel 4B power hammer (if you're interested in what one of these mechanical behemoths looks like, check out RECOIL's interview of Jesse James in Issue 11).
Make
Dahmer Arms
Model
Damascus Lower Receiver
Construction
Damascus steel
Weight
28 ounces
Arizona is hot but these suppressors are cool! Check out just some of the fun…
Introduction: Get Ready, Sharpshooters! Here’s your chance to enhance your shooting experience with a top-of-the-line…
Daniel Defense announced an update for the reported keyholing issue that the new Daniel H9…
The SIG P320/P365 is quickly becoming one of the easiest to customize pistols ever made!…
From charitable acts to damn good coffee, DD-214 is in the thick of it. Dark…
Two of the lowest priced 2011s style pistols on the market, the Tisas B9R Carry…