Like Kutter said, it really depends where the .020 measurement is in the bore. If it's in the first 12 inches then no way. I have a factory Beretta 16ga hammergun which I shoot appropriate loads made in 1949 that came from the factory with .017 wall thickness in the right tube 7 inches from the front of the barrels. There is virtually no pressure out there. I also have 2 beautiful English hammerguns that had extensive pitting in the bores. The pits were polished out and one had .017 15 inches from the the breech and the other .018 from at 14" from the breech. I have literally shot thousands of low pressure shells through both guns. I am willing to take that risk, some others may not. The English generally put the minimum at .020. I personally do not believe that .020 is an absolute minimum. Let's be clear, I am not advocating that people do what I do. I know my guns, my ammo, reloading practices, etc. Armed with that info I choose to shoot them at skeet and live birds on a regular basis. Many things in life involve risk. To me, my guns are not one of them.
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