Also do not fail to realise that many gunmakers from both the USA & the UK, sourced their barrel tubes from Belgium. This was particularly true prior to WWI.
These makers must not have felt their barrels were entirely Junk as they put them on some fine guns indeed.
Belgian makers did turn out a lot of low priced/Cheap guns for the "Hardware & Mail-order" trade. I have over the years seen a good number of these which had seen some fairly heavy use with loads well beyond what they were proofed for, as in modern off the shelf, SAAMI spec shells. Some of these were in rough condition with pitted bore & off face/loose as a goose.
I am unaware of any of these which "Disintegrated" or "Maimed" anyone. They just sorta seemed like a Timex Watch, took a licking & kept on ticking.
Understand I am not recommending or encouraging anyone to shoot a gun of this type, just saying I have seen it done time & again.
