I have posted on this before, but has been awhile so will run it again. Some yrs back i purchased a "Parts Gun" at appropriate price, a Lefever H with twist bbls. Stock was cracked & wrpped with electrical tape, forend had apparently been damaged & tip dubbed off losing the metal tip. Gun would not cock, but all parts seemed to be present. Discovered the trigger plate screw was a "replacement" & too long not allowing the cocking hook to bottom out in the frame. Shortening this a thread or so & "Re-Adjustment" of the ball screw put it back in working order. However 14" down the left bbl was a "Crack". Appearance was it had been struck on something with a sharp corner, denting it in & then fired in that condition. What seems to have happened was this dent was deep enough to create an obstruction just enough to blow the Dent partially out & cracking the wall in the process. Part of it was still dented in & part was sticking out. Crack was about ¼" long circumferential around side of bbl. I could shine a light down the bore & look at opposite bore wall through the crack. Out of curriosity I put a dent plug under it & raised the part dented in & hammered the flap down. When finished it was very hard to see. I then proceded to put in in the ol "Firestone" with a string to the trigger & from behind a large tre fired first several factory 3¼de-1 1/8oz "Field" loads through it. Next I fired several factory "Express" 3 3/4de-1¼oz loads. I then fired a few 1 3/8oz low-velocity handloads I had loaded with Unique powder. Throughout all of this, the flap did not raise, the crack did not widen, no "Smudges" appeared as if were leaking gas etc, etc. Today it still sits in my cabinet, just in case I do "Ever" actually need a part for a Lefever. I have "Never" fired it from my shoulder. I do however think that the danger from "Flaws" in welded bbls , slag etc, have been highly "Over-Exagerated". I personally expect that "Seams" in steel bbls are more apt to burst as are bls, either welded or steel, which have been honed too thin, too near the chambers. note also this "14"" from breech is where many try to tell us "Smokeless Powder" exerts it's maximum pressure, totally an Old Wives Tale.
