All I cannot tell you if time alone will have an adverse effect on the strength of barrels. but I recently had an experience with an SxS manufactured in 1905 which had Damascus barrels. I routinely shoot guns of this era on skeet & Sporting Clays. On Dec 17 2013 this gun had a blowout at the chamber of the left barrel. Injuries were minimal but I am still recovering. I have had several different people provide nearly as many reasons for what happened and they were very certain that they knew why it happened. I do not expect to ever know exactly what caused the mishap. My best advise is to have a gunsmith experienced in working with guns of this era examine the gun and make a determination as to its suitability for use. Happy New Year and Safe shooting to all!