DrBob,
Get out your CD of back issues of the LACA newsletters and read Buck Hamlin's articles in the February, May, and September 1999 issues. What he did with a heavily pitted set of Damascus L.C. Smith barrels that already had the right tube blown from an obstruction is pretty amazing. I think, after reading this, that you will be able to shoot those RST loads without flinching after your barrels are determined to have adequate wall thickness.
Probably the best thing we all can do to save our digits and eyeballs is to visually check for stuck wads or other bore obstructions every time we reload. This is a lot easier for us than those who shoot pumps and semi-autos. Check and double-check if you fall in mud or snow. Even storage can cause problems. Several years ago, I grabbed my "garage gun", a cheap Stevens break open single shot, and quickly loaded and ran outside to dispatch a garden raiding groundhog. Fortunately, Mr. Groundhog had already suspected something and retired to his hole. I took the gun back into the garage and decided to check for rust in the bore since it hadn't been cleaned in a while. Mud dauber wasps had built a nest about half way down the bore that was about 6 inches long and as hard as a brick. I think that may have been more problematic than a few pits in the bore.
