There are damaged and blown-up L.C. Smith barrels out there. How large of a piece would one need to have analyzed by a metallurgist to determine the type of steel? I have a blown OO grade barrel, but that may be too old to say it's the same as this 20 ga.
I'm conflicted about this type of query. I really hate to see vintage collectible doubles destroyed or parted out. If this was my Grandfathers' gun and it had sentimental value, I would want to try to save it, and I would be thrilled if I could TIG it and reblue and have a near undetectable repair that allowed me to use it with the usual low pressure loads.
On the other hand, If I bought it at a poorly lit gun show and paid anywhere close to book value, I would be pretty pissed if I later examined it in bright sunlight and noticed that my new baby had a weld repair on the barrels. So while I feel that this may be do-able and probably safe (remember all those Damascus barrels with about a hundred miles of hammer welds fluxed by borax), even someone with the best of intentions may not have any control when it is sold at some point in the future.
