A couple guys have noted the rough chambers in the most recent pics that Drew posted. But there are a couple other little details seen especially in the 2nd and 3rd pics that caught my eye when I blew them up. Most interesting is the band of RUST color from the extractor, running forward an inch or so. This rust colored band is approximately half the thickness of the barrels at the rear of the chamber. Could this be an old crack that went unnoticed for years until someone fired an inappropriate load?
Add to that the dark spot about 1/4" from the extractor that appears to be a deep pit or inclusion extending from inside the rough chamber down to that rust colored band that looks so suspicious.
I mentioned earlier that the pics of the Parker barrels blown up in Bell's tests appeared to peel open starting near the top. Both tubes appeared similar, and the rupture opened at the top, but did not tear loose on the bottom as this hammergun did. It seems like the water table supported the bottom of the barrels in Bell's test. That makes me think that the rupture in this case originated at the bottom of the barrels in that rust colored area, and peeled upward until the section broke off at the thinnest point around the extractor guide pin. If there was a pre-existing crack at the bottom of the chamber, further compromised by a pit or inclusion, that could explain why this particular barrel failed at a far lower pressure than Sherman Bell ended with. If Bell had used this particular set of barrels in his experiment, he might have concluded that Damascus was far weaker.
Naturally, I'd like to see these barrels end up in the hands of someone who was qualified to make a conclusion from a very close examination, rather than conjecture based on pictures. But I will continue to use my Damascus guns with appropriate lower pressure loads... same as I'll use in my 100 year old fluid steel guns.
