Shooting Sportsman Article

[Ed Blake]

Do our modern propellants behave the same as smokeless powder from the late 19th century? Roster pays little attention to Sherman Bells work but is a believer in having individual guns proofed before shooting.

[OH Osthaus]

Originally Posted by Ed Blake

Do our modern propellants behave the same as smokeless powder from the late 19th century?

which powder when -

there were and are different powders - many have a pressure curve quite similar to black powder. that is the key point. the gun doesn't know or care if the same PSI at the same distance from the breach is created by black powder, smokeless powder or for that matter compressed air

[GH-16]

Originally Posted by Rick Losey

The gun doesn't know or care if the same PSI at the same distance from the breach is created by black powder, smokeless powder or for that matter compressed air

Bingo- We have a winner!!

It's all about the physics involving pressure. It doesn't matter if it's Damascus barrels, fluid steel barrels or a piece of PVC pipe. When you boil it down shotgun barrels are nothing more than a piece of pipe, either they will be able to safely hold a given pressure or they will yield & fail if they have been exposed to pressures over their yield strength. It only makes sense to keep the pressures as low as possible no matter what kind of material the barrels are made from. It all comes down to any given set of barrels, their individual condition and what they can handle for pressure. IMO a good rule of thumb is to inspect each barrel closely for condition with the emphasis on safety and then keep the pressures the lowest you can to get the job done safely & effectively.

Tom Roster is for the most part is correct about not confusing pressure with recoil. Recoil is affected by a different set of physics and the two shouldn't be confused with each other.