Hey man, you can accomplish a lot with a heat gun and patience. I've used localized steam once on green Osage. I have used dry heat on many types of wood. Get some scraps and get a feel for what is happening. Using the scraps you won't fear breaking them. I broke several testing the limits of different wood. I've noticed a lot of opinions on bending and different people are comfortable with different methods, it seems.
From what I've been able to bend with my heat gun, getting the whole core above the 150 mark is critical as far as minimal spring back. Yesterday I flipped the tips on a green dogwood stave using coconut oil and dry heat. I had cut the dogwood down three days ago. Many people would choose steam for that. The point is, I'm set up for dry heat and I was being lazy. It worked, no cracks or checks at all, but it probably took as much time as steaming n the end. I had to heat it up while giving it as much oil as it wanted. Many times I would turn the heat Gun off for 30-60 seconds and rub in some oil, let it cool slightly and then turn the gun back on and keep going, as to not scorch anything. Once I reached my target it bent like rubber, it just took time and patience getting there. I've done this with several staves now, green or dry. So yes you can bend a lot with a heat gun. You don't have to pick one or the other, you can use both methods.
With steam you have to work quick and calm once tyour ready to bend on the form, because once the core temp drops it won't work. That's the main thing. Whether dry heat or steam, getting that core temp up is the key. With dry heat it's much easier to scorch the wood, so both methods take patience.
Get your heat gun and some practice pieces and try out your new form. It will build your confidence and you will get a much better handle on bending wood. This is only my experience.
