Old-time metallurgy

[bob4wd]

Something about old guns has always made me wonder, mainly how did the designers of the time know how much pressure their gun design would stand? I mean, there were no established alloy standards like there are today (I think), nor were the pressures generated by a given cartridge design known with any accuracy, especially given that the cartridge itself was as likely to be totally non-existent at that time. How did Luger know just how thick to make the walls of the barrel or chamber while at the same time how did he know how much powder to put in the cartridge that he had just designed? Or ditto Browning on the 1911 and the .45 cartridge? Or Lee and the .303?
With all the concern that we have about over-loads and excess pressures caused by apparent minor deviations in powder charge when reloading for these old milsurps, how could they have possibly known that the locking lugs,say, would be plenty adequate if .30inches thick but dangerous if only .25 (or whatever the actual numbers might be!)
Orcompare the wall thickness of a 1911 chamber to that of a Webley revolver or an Enfield .38, or a P08 chamber- not that different to the casual look, yet the loads imposed on each are vastly different.
Does anyone have any insight?

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