You wouldn't blow up a damascus barrel gun with modern loads [ assuming they're safe to shoot ]. And you can't really tell how much pressure a shell has by recoil. In the formula for recoil there's nothing in it about pressure. Pressure is speed [ FPS ] times the weight of the powder, wad, and shot. Most guys like to keep pressure down around 7000psi or less in their old guns out of respect for the stocks and so they won't shoot the gun loose. It took Sherman Bell 32,000psi to blow a damascus barrel gun. Modern shells are usually no more than 11 to 13,000psi at the most. That's why we reload - to keep pressures down. The high pressure does nothing but cycle autos and deform shot.
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Paul Harm
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