I have faith...I shot a damascus barreled gun today.

In a "standardized proof test" as you call it the barrels don't have to blow to fail proof. After those guns were subjected to those high pressures would you make one of them your shooter ?

The fact that those old barrels held together in Bell's test only proves those particular barrels didn't blow "that time" that's all...should a Damascus barrel blow up in some guys face I suspect Bell could be facing some Democrat lawyer because of his published "tests".