Jim:
I see absolutely no reason to disbelieve what you have posted.
One can read and hear almost an unlimited number of anecdotal accounts of this matter.
I suppose we, that love the old guns, have often given thought to this and here is what I think.
The chemists and "powers-that-were" had to be aware that their product had,of necessity, to be "better" but not dangerous in the guns that were the shooters of the day. It is folly to think that a man, any man, would simply throw out a useful gun in order to shoot a new powder. I just do not think (logic at play here) that such a powder would have made much an inroad in the market.
When we consider that there were more than a few that held their guns to be sound in design, style and configuration, we can see that any change that generated fear for said gun's being damaged
would have been relegated to the dust bin.
I think that time and much scientific testing has proven that nitro powder shot in a sound old timer is safe. Common sense dictates that the pressure load should not exceed the engineered max for the barrel materials of the time, and one must remember to look to the care of the wood.
If the pressure load is the same, or nearly so, with black powder and nitro powder, coupled with the same mass of the ejected shot, there is no difference as far as the gun goes.
Just some thoughts.
Best,
John
