Pissin' contests go on here from time to time. Folks do get wet, but I don't think anyone has actually drowned.
Back to your original questions... Well designed doubles of that era typically digest 8500-9000 psi loads with little problem. 8000 or even a bit less might be better for many such as your H&A. There are some handloads that produce reasonable velocities at even lower pressures, but there are reports of squib loads with some very low pressure loads, especially at very cold temperatures. Breech pressure is only one component of the forces that contribute to wear and failure. A 7/8 oz. load at 1100 fps will recoil far less than a 1 1/4 oz. load at the same velocity. It's recoil (plus abuse, poor inletting, oil soaking, etc.) that damages wood... not breech pressure. I'm not sure if your Bullseye load is/was appropriate for your old Damascus Baker. But once it is loose, every shot give the parts a running start at each other, and the damage is accelerated. Even mild loads will do more damage at that point. It's probably a gunsmith fix to do properly, but the cost might exceed the value of your gun. There are temporary fixes such as shimming the hook that are less costly, or free if you do it yourself, and may buy you some time for further use. Depends how bad it is now.
A hell of a lot of these old doubles digested heavy factory loads over the years. I used them myself before I knew better. Tight, well designed makes withstood occasional use with little or no damage. Some makes were crap right out of the box and would still be crap if they spent the last century in a closet. But hundreds of thousands of fine old doubles were ruined because their owners abused and neglected them and shot them with inappropriate ammo. Some people are OK with that and until I become dictator of the world, I can't change that. But I can try to help guys like you who care enough to ask.
