Originally Posted By: Shotgunjones
So, without original specs no claim that the gun was original can be made. That's the problem, you only know what you see now not what it started out as.

Without knowing the strength of the material AS IS no amount of measuring and pontificating can arrive at a 'safe' value....

Don't iron and low carbon steels have known 'strengths', which are impossible to go below. After that, maybe thicknesses can be plugged into formulas to calculate the strength of the item.

Doesn't matter what it started at, is something wrong with the metal to cause it to be weaker than minimum values, now.