Bill your example of "inescapable fact" is not inescapable or necessarily factual. Metal composition, hardness, tempering, and force applied are all part of the equation. I do not know or care enough about this equation to do the math. I do know that after thousands of dry fires on multiple handguns I have not had a failure to fire or any other failure, or observed any damage as a result. My data is empirical in the handguns I have owned. Your rationale based on hammers and anvils or metals in general does not seem to apply.