Very interesting thread. Which then leads me to the question, why do I see so much talk of strict adhearance to the 3X rule even with modern steel tubes?
There is no reason whats so ever to stick to the standards, as long as you have the skills and knowledge do otherwise.
But why not build to the standard, what really is to be gained by not building to the standard?
Think of the future. We like to say here don't build for how you will shoot the gun, but how the next guy will shoot the gun.
I got slapped in the face with reality this year with the death of my wife. Totally unexpected, no warning, a total shock. If I had been the one to go instead of her what would have happened to the cannons I have. Who would get them and how will they shoot them? I wouldn't have been around to guide them.
I know my cannons are over built. I have a clear conscious, and am not worried about any cannon I ever built failing because of ignoring safety guidelines. Or worse yet someone saying my cannon failed because it wasn't built to standards and suing my family for it..