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Let me 'splain some shotgun physics to you. As the shot wad travels through the barrel it is constantly trying to expand. The barrel is keeping it from doing so. Then, all of a sudden, it hits the choke and gets squeezed down smaller than it started out being. Lead is nice and soft and deforms enough in the shot cup to go through the choke easily. Steel shot doesn't like being squeezed. It takes a much stronger barrel at the choke point to fight back that steel load's resistance to being squeezed.
It isn't the steel shot scratching the barrel that is going to do the damage. It is the extreme pressure just in front of the choke tube. If you ever see an old barrel that has been used for shooting steel shot, wrap your fingers around the barrel and run your hand down to the choke. You'll probably feel the bulge just before the choke.
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