I worry more about the wood than the bbls, especially, as Bruce says, on those pesky Reproductions. Trigg had a Repro20 that broke a stock. He sent it off and had a new stock made and on the first test shot it broke clean in half again. Some bad juju going on there somehow. I tailor my loads to the gun and shoot light loads in light guns with thinner stocks and bbls and heavier loads in heavier guns with stout wood and bbls. It's a matter of "it's supposed to be fun" and not an exercise in shoulder punishment. My stout 32" 1883 twist bbl 12ga hammer gun doesn't even burp when digesting old paper 1-1/2oz magnums and the recoil isn't bad at all. My wand-like 26" 6#10oz GHE 12 never gets anything heavier than a lightly loaded 1oz load and we're both much the happier for it and that puppy is deadly on woodcock and ruffies... and chukars...... and pheasants.... and sharptails.
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