I did a search on Meriden Firearms, and I know that they were owned by Sears Roebuck from around 1905-1918. I have a 12 Ga. side by side with exposed hammers that I inherited from my grandfather. It is in superb condition, and was used by him to go coon, rabbit, and squirrel hunting. How can I tell if the barrels are "Damascus"? I always thought damascus gave metal the layered look like the damascus knives. I have heard that these barrels are damascus, but they look just like any other shotgun I have seen. I bought some Winchester Low noise, low recoil No. 8 shot loads to shoot in it. I placed a heavy Army field jacket over it the first time I fired it to contain anything in case it blew apart, then fired it from a safe distance with protective gear on. It fired fine, and gave a "low recoil, low noise" report. The gun is really very tight and in great shape. I would like to be able to continue to shoot it with low power loads. Would that be ok? Is there anything I should check on it? I feel like Jed Clampit with it.