I can't believe the length of this entire thread, but I've been watching the convolutions and contortions.
We all know the "PBR" comments were meant in jest. Further, I'll bet that we agree that alcohol and firearms don't mix. But...
If I owned a beautiful old Elcee with damascus-type tubes, and if I just had to shoot that old gun with nitro rounds, and if I knew that proofing was a potentially destructive process, then I might just want to be under the influence of a few more than a few PBR's!
Think about how crazy this is. Here we have a classic antique that can't be replaced. We know that it was never designed for the pressure curve of nitro powder, yet we know the gun (if in good condition) was designed to safely digest black powder loads... And we insist on testing a century old piece to see if it's strong enough to do what was never intended? Insane!
Don't take this wrong, but I can see a quiet summer afternoon with maybe a couple of beers on the table and an old Belgian W. Parkurst safely mounted to an old tire and packed with a nice nitro load. I can see being a safe distance away and touching the clunker off.
This is something a gentleman might do on a hot summer afternoon. Abuse of an old gun, but not an abuse of alcohol. Certainly not a hunting situation, nor a drunken party! Maybe a good laugh among friends if the gun were to destroy itself and maybe awe if it didn't.
What I'm saying is that there are situations where we take things way too seriously and other situations we don't take seriously enough. The potential destruction of a classic shotgun is enough to drive one to drink. The attempted destruction of anything dangerous by a bunch of drunks is both dangerous and stupid. The safe "proofing" of an old clunker by gentlemen with a spot of beer or whiskey (and I mean a SPOT) under safely controlled circumstances doesn't cause me much alarm.
I think it's the definition of "drinking" that makes the difference. PBR tends to lead me the way of thinking that the "drinking" is the serious hobby and the proofing merely the entertainment.
Were proofing to be the serious hobby, then nobody would be foolish enough to be anywhere near under the influence of alcohol. There's not even a fine line between these two situations. Gentlemen don't enjoy a fine beer or whiskey to get drunk.
For those who can't tell or don't know the difference... NEVER MIX THE TWO!