I guess after reading the warning on the side of boxes of shotgun shells asking not to shoot these shells in Damascus or twist steel barrels will scare you when you 1st hear of someone thinking about doing so. After you research Damascus barrels and these old SXS guns it brings a diffrent opinion about still shooting them. As David mentioned the older Damascus barrels are rather thick and if they are in good shape and have been checked out by a compladent gunsmith or someone who knows Damascus and you shot the right ammo you won't have any issues.