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Hi, Alex,
FWIW, I don't recommend shooting any of the old Damascus barrel guns even with black powder loads. Even if they were cleaned religiously, corrosion often gets into the microscopic seams in the barrels and corrodes the barrel metal from the inside out, weakening the barrels in an invisible way. I have sectioned Damascus barrels and seen this, so it is not out of some book.
I will probably be flamed by some people who believe that English guns, or Parkers, or high quality guns are immune from this; some even say that Damascus barrels are stronger than modern steel. I know two guys who have stumps where there used to be fingers to prove that is not true, although both used smokeless powder loads.
Jim
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