Charlie: I may have given that advice and it turns out I was wrong. Don't want to give away too much since an article is forthcoming but Bessemer/Plain Steel is stronger than Damascus, which averages 54,000 psi on actual tensile testing:
Siemens (Open Hearth): 58,000 - 62,700 psi
Bessemer or Decarbonized Steel: 63,000 psi.
AISI 1018 Low Carbon (Mild) Steel: 64,000 psi
Whitworth's Fluid-compressed Steel: 66,000 - 67,200 psi
Marlin Model 1898 Slide Action Shotgun “Special Rolled Steel”: 66,000 psi
That of course is not to say YOUR barrels are safe, and should only be used with loads for which they were originally intended after careful measurements of wall thickness.
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