Damascus,
Your "facts" are so erroneous, and your presumptions so ill-informed, I suspect you could run for office here as a Democrat with rousing success, Old Bean.
1. Only a small percentage of gun owners hand load in America.
2. Your 'omniscient' knowledge of how barrel reaming is done here prompts me to inquire about winning lottery numbers.
3. Bursted barrels are similarly rare here, as on your small gray island. When one does happen it moves the "news needle" on this forum, but never the broader news. Think "anti's" wouldn't seize on that to "save us all" with more regulation?
Besides, even when overloaded, Damascus barrels of varying quality hold up about equal to steel of their era. I would refer you to Sherman Bell's old series in the Double Gun Journal called "Finding Out For Myself...but...I'm not sure if it's of any help to a man in England, as that publication was never printed in Farsi, to my knowledge.
NDG
I don't know Nudge. Lots of professional and back yard smiths have reaming tools but no barrel wall thickness gauge. I don't think Damascus is out of line when he assesses the general quality of the average smith dealing with pits and an old gun. Anyone who is an active member of this site is not part of the ordinary crowd.
I would say, however, that it is my belief the vast majority of burst barrels come from obstruction, not poor hand loads nor faulty and/or weakened barrels.
