Loose rib on SxS

[rthook]

I have a chance to pick up a percussion SxS 12 ga the rib appears to be coming loose at the rear of the barrel, is this something that can be fixed easily or should I shy away from the purchase.

 

[GrayBear]

Hard to judge if you don't tell us how much is being asked for the gun. A gunsmith should be consulted but anyone worth his salt won't comment on it without seeing it.

Depending on the asking price and the extent of the damage, I might be interested if you aren't.

GrayBear

 

[CoyoteJoe]

Resoldering barrel ribs is not a kitchen table sort of job. It is generally necessary to remove the rib to get a clean surface for solder to adhere. You might try working some JB Weld in under the rig and clamping it down while the JB sets up. That might be an easy fix but if it fails you'll never get solder to hold untill the JB is totally removed down to bare metal. :shake:

 

[Mike Brooks]

Can be fixed, not easy to find somebody who won't botch the job. When you find a gun whith the rib lifted you need to have the rib removed the barrels cleaned up and the rib resoldered. Whilst in the middle of all of this the barrels need to be inspected carefully to check for severe rust problems, That's why the rib is usually lifted, the corrosion is actually lifting the rib off.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Does it have a solid center rib, or separate ones for top and bottom? I have seen both variations on SxS, also have seen them where in addition to barrels being soldered,they are dovetailed together near the breech, then dovetail was tack welded in place to prevent separation.

Without seeing and inspecting, hard to venture a recommendation on what I would do. But with that said, (and speaking for myself only) if the loose rib did not affect safety integrity of the gun and did not wish to risk resoldering? I would look at roughing up separated area with a coarse grit of abrasive paper, do a very thorough cleaning to remove all oil, grease, wax & etc. (Gun Scrubber works well and leaves no residue) Liberally apply standard JB Weld, (JB Weld is a great high strength, high heat resistant epoxy adhesive) clamp rib in place, wipe and clean off excess JB Weld outside joined area, and let it cure.