Side rib damage on O/U- Can I repair?

WarpedFish · February 24, 2006, 06:16 PM

Hi,
I’ve got at problem maybe you can help me with. I have a ‘70s Miroku O/U shotgun that I have been shooting skeet with for decades. About 2 years ago I sent the barrel out to be reblued without knowing much about how these guns are put together. Anyway, the barrel sat oiled in storage for a year and when I got to it, the side rib joints where corroded and lifting at several points. I cleaned the barrel with gun scrubber and what looks like sand kept coming out of the barrel/rib gap. I’m sure the barrels were soft soldered (now anyway) and I’m wondering what I can do to fix them. Can I heat the rib, remove it, clean out any rust/crud, strip the blue and put the rib back on with good solder? Is this something I can attempt myself, or do I need to find a special gunsmith to do it? I plan to polish and rust blue the barrels when I’m done. Thanks in advance
Brian

auto45 · February 25, 2006, 07:50 AM

They can be repaired.

You can try companies like Midwest Gunworks, Briley, etc to get an idea of cost. There are other places no doubt, but that's who I think of off hand.

I suspect that's a job for someone of fairly high skill and practice.

HSMITH · February 25, 2006, 10:24 AM

Simmons Gun in Kansas does the best rib work I have seen.

Dfariswheel · February 25, 2006, 01:54 PM

You really need to have this done by pros.

The danger with double guns is, when the area is heated to repair the ribs, the solder melts and the barrels and ribs start to separate.

In your case, another definite danger is, the bluing chemicals may have caused further weakening of the barrels you don't see. It's not uncommon to see barrels that split apart when fired after the solder is weakened by bluing.

You often find yourself in an escalating situation where you just get one area fixed only to find something has separated somewhere else.

Pros use special holding and clamping fixtures to hold everything together while repairs are made.

Simmons in Kansas has been doing this work since the 1940's, and can repair the barrels and re-finish the gun.

WarpedFish · February 25, 2006, 02:32 PM

Thank to All,
I had a feeling this was out of my league! I'll try one of the recommended sources for repair. Thanks for all the input........
Regards,
Brian

ribbonstone · February 25, 2006, 02:41 PM

As they stated, does need to be done professionally. Not only for the difficulty, but whatever chemical action causing your problem with the ribs may still be going on...and it does make you wonder what's going on between the barrels.

February 24, 2006, 06:16 PM	#1
WarpedFish Junior Member Join Date: February 22, 2006 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 2	Side rib damage on O/U- Can I repair? Hi, I’ve got at problem maybe you can help me with. I have a ‘70s Miroku O/U shotgun that I have been shooting skeet with for decades. About 2 years ago I sent the barrel out to be reblued without knowing much about how these guns are put together. Anyway, the barrel sat oiled in storage for a year and when I got to it, the side rib joints where corroded and lifting at several points. I cleaned the barrel with gun scrubber and what looks like sand kept coming out of the barrel/rib gap. I’m sure the barrels were soft soldered (now anyway) and I’m wondering what I can do to fix them. Can I heat the rib, remove it, clean out any rust/crud, strip the blue and put the rib back on with good solder? Is this something I can attempt myself, or do I need to find a special gunsmith to do it? I plan to polish and rust blue the barrels when I’m done. Thanks in advance Brian __________________ Brian Storeide Va. Beach, VA [email protected]

February 25, 2006, 02:32 PM	#5
WarpedFish Junior Member Join Date: February 22, 2006 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 2	Thank to All, I had a feeling this was out of my league! I'll try one of the recommended sources for repair. Thanks for all the input........ Regards, Brian __________________ Brian Storeide Va. Beach, VA [email protected]

February 25, 2006, 07:50 AM	#2
auto45 Senior Member Join Date: October 4, 2002 Posts: 427	They can be repaired. You can try companies like Midwest Gunworks, Briley, etc to get an idea of cost. There are other places no doubt, but that's who I think of off hand. I suspect that's a job for someone of fairly high skill and practice.

February 25, 2006, 10:24 AM	#3
HSMITH Senior Member Join Date: June 21, 2002 Posts: 2,019	Simmons Gun in Kansas does the best rib work I have seen.

February 25, 2006, 01:54 PM	#4
Dfariswheel Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Posts: 7,478	You really need to have this done by pros. The danger with double guns is, when the area is heated to repair the ribs, the solder melts and the barrels and ribs start to separate. In your case, another definite danger is, the bluing chemicals may have caused further weakening of the barrels you don't see. It's not uncommon to see barrels that split apart when fired after the solder is weakened by bluing. You often find yourself in an escalating situation where you just get one area fixed only to find something has separated somewhere else. Pros use special holding and clamping fixtures to hold everything together while repairs are made. Simmons in Kansas has been doing this work since the 1940's, and can repair the barrels and re-finish the gun.

February 25, 2006, 02:41 PM	#6
ribbonstone Senior Member Join Date: January 29, 2006 Posts: 179	As they stated, does need to be done professionally. Not only for the difficulty, but whatever chemical action causing your problem with the ribs may still be going on...and it does make you wonder what's going on between the barrels.