I would like to put another perspective on this situation. So here goes the dealer should have paid a little more attention in the first place! Firstly, why did he expect a person off the street to have a pocket full of low pressure or 2 cartridges to try the gun with? Did he give a warning to each of the potential customers that the gun had short chambers 2 inches or a load restriction? And of course there is Murphys Law governing the whole enterprise What cant go wrong will go wrong so act accordingly.
I must say here I am one of those lucky people that owns an 1869 Purdey Bar in wood nitro proof and in sound working condition which takes me sporting clay shooting from time to time. Now after a round of more miss than hit, usually on the way back to the club house to drown my sorrows, invariably there will be someone who will have recognised the gun and its maker.
And after answering the usual questions how old how long have I owned the gun etc. You can start to see the longing in their eyes and soon after the big question would it be possible for them to try the gun on a few clays. Now being a personable individual I inevitably say yes and why not! To give someone something to remember though I always add Purdey it may be but it wont magically make you shoot better. Then I roll out the provisos only use the cartridges I give you! And then the warning if you put a 2 inch heavy load cartridge in the gun it would most probably burst and take half your face and a finger or two with it.
So it is the carrot! Free cartridges and the stick! Bad things may come to you if you do dont do things properly. And over the many years I have had the gun I have lost count how many complete strangers have tried to use 150 year old 12 bore hammer gun with no choke 30 inch barrels with a short length of pull and a low combe, but most go away happy.
So the dealer could have side stepped this now expensive outcome by supplying the correct cartridges for the gun and given a warning use those or nothing. And finally if you test drive a motor vehicle, well over here you are not expected to provide the petrol (gasoline).
