Back in 'Ye Olden Days' the ammo makers used Copper Crusher pressure measuring devices...as they were state of the art and pretty much the only thing available.
It consisted of a copper slug of known density that was compressed by a piston that was forced against it by the pressure formed in the case during firing. The piston cylinder was pressurised when the cartridge brass blew out into the hole holding the piston.
Depending on how much the copper slug was compressed (crushed) it could be determined how much pressure was needed to accomplish the task.
The resulting pressures were referred to as CUP (copper units of pressure). When more modern piezo-electric strain gauges came into being, they found pressure spikes that the CUP method couldn't see as it really only sort of showed an 'average' pressure.
While a very brief over-pressure spike normally won't destroy a gun, it CAN cause damage over time. Modern loads will not over-pressure the cartridge rating...even briefly, and so some are not quite as hot as they used to be.