back, fear mongering or common since...
plus, nothing smells quite like burning black powder in the morning...
Ed, whole heartedly agree with you about the smell.
Common sense suggests one examine the barrels, consider what pressures they were proofed for, determine condition, quantify what if any changes have been made (honing, lengthening the chambers etc) and then make a determination about whether the barrels are suitable to be shot and with what powders at what max pressures. Blanket statements don;t reflect common sense.
Blanket statements like DAMASCUS UNSAFE don't reflect common sense, they reflect a many decades long campaign by the gun industry to sell new guns with new (at the time) fluid steel barrels.
