How many different barrels are there?

[Bill Murphy]

Which ones are safe and which ones are unsafe? I can't get my arms around that newfangled fluid steel yet.

[Drew Hause]

Just a reminder.
Double Gun Journal Vol. 10, Issue 4, Winter, 1999, “Finding Out For Myself” Part II and Vol. 16, Issue 2, Summer 2005, Part IX, Sherman Bell's destructive testing of Parker GH Dam3 and VH Vulcan Steel. Both guns were subjected to sequentially higher pressure loads at about 2,000 pounds/square inch (psi) increments. The GH testing started at 11,900 psi and one chamber ruptured at 29,620 psi. The VH started with a Proof Load of 18,560 psi. Both chambers bulged at 29,620 psi and ruptured at 31,620 psi.

[Kurt Sauers]

Originally Posted by Drew Hause

Just a reminder.
Double Gun Journal Vol. 10, Issue 4, Winter, 1999, “Finding Out For Myself” Part II and Vol. 16, Issue 2, Summer 2005, Part IX, Sherman Bell's destructive testing of Parker GH Dam3 and VH Vulcan Steel. Both guns were subjected to sequentially higher pressure loads at about 2,000 pounds/square inch (psi) increments. The GH testing started at 11,900 psi and one chamber ruptured at 29,620 psi. The VH started with a Proof Load of 18,560 psi. Both chambers bulged at 29,620 psi and ruptured at 31,620 psi.

So what's the pressure of your typical 1 1/4 pheasant load or steel shot waterfowl load?

[Drew Hause]

Probably less than the loads for which a 12g turn-of-the-century double was designed, and certainly less than the SAAMI max.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...UOZEFU/preview

1 1/4 oz. 3 1/2 Dr. Eq. BULK Smokeless was about 11,750 psi
1 1/4 oz. 3 1/2 Dr. Eq. DENSE Smokeless was 12,600 psi
Pressure is beyond the modern SAAMI recommendation of 11,500 psi

NONE of the turn-of-the-century barrel steels were designed for steel shot Kurt