[bladesmith 1]

I just put paragraphs in. Hope that measures up to your expectations.

I'm sorry some of us can't read a post longer than a sentence or two. My bad.
To answer both jmr and sarge, there's no way to be certain any gun won't blow up. I've seen post on the internet of modern guns blowing up. Does that mean they're unsafe to shoot ? No, just that old Damascus.

Sarge, no where in your post was it stated that the chambers or bores were checked with a barrel thickness gauge. Maybe there was a big gouge out of the barrel where it blew. Or maybe an obstruction. There's just not enough info to make a sound judgement.

I did not read 44AMPs post. Damascus barrels are NOT likely to have voids in them. That has never been shown, only people repeating what they've read. Corrosion needs oxygen and moisture to shall we say "grow". That can't happen in an enclosed void within the barrel.

Any barrel when manufactured is polished so it shins. You don't see " cracks" because there aren't any. So just how does the BP corrosion get " forced " into the barrels ? Somethings have been stated without anyway to back them up.

I just started this post to try and show where Damascus barrel [ 20 rusted, pitted, loose ribs, and loose on the action ] guns were tested with proper test equipment and didn't blow up. Does that say any Damascus gun is safe ? NO. But it does show maybe we shouldn't put a general blanket on Damascus as being unsafe. If it looks fine and the measurement check out it's as safe to fire as any modern gun.

I do use my own handloads of 8500psi or less with 7/8 or 3/4oz of shot more out of respect for 100+ year old stocks.than worrying about the barrels. My shoulder and wallet also like it.