I showed the muzzles of these Damascus barrels in another thread. Thought I would pop the ribs off to see what has transpired in the past 100-150 or more years. The first 2 pics in the top set are what the barrels looked like when the rib was removed. The next 2 show after a light cleaning with a brass brush. The steel is nice and clean including the barrel walls.





This next set of barrels, the first 2 pics are before a light cleaning, the last 2 after a light cleaning. Again, the steel is clean.





Both barrels showed no signs of rust through anywhere and I could poke no holes through anywhere. I cut several pieces off of the barrels and on none of the cuts could I see any signs of rust infiltration with a magnifying glass. I would have had no qualms about shooting either of these barrels with proper loads. Not bad for the age.