I think I have read all of Bell's work and I trust him. He has shot BP loads that register 8,000 psi.
I have tied a gun to an old tire and touched it off with a string. But I was shooting a Ross Straight Pull MK II. Works fine. So did the rifle.
In one of Bell's studies he took a damascus Elsie and honed the barrels paper thin, and then he fired off the proof loads. No problem with the barrels. I think after a few shots the wood suffered cracks. Proof loads are heavy 18,000 psi shots.
While we are all concerned about shooting damascus barrels, after all we've all been warned a hundred times not to, but still; I trust Bell's work, and he says that when using standard loads they are safe to shoot. He even shoots heavy loads with little or no effect. I don't think that 8,000 psi should be a problem...just be careful of obstructions in the tube.
In the old days damascus barrels were considered better. Parker did proof their barrels.
I have always wondered if proofing a barrel also weakens it so that it will let go later on. Apparently this is not an issue, but it doesn't seem logical to me.
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