doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Ribs - integral and soldered

To what extent did American pre-war custom makers use integral ribs on their barrels? What about British and European makers? I know there is a thread from 2-3 years ago asking about soldered on ribs and it's mentioned that lots of German barrels had soldered ribs. I know I've read descriptions of integral ribs on G&H rifles. But the description was from the person selling the rifle, and if well done and blued, a properly soldered rib is very hard to distinguish. Plus I also think that "integral rib" is becoming a generic term - even when it's probably soldered on. I've seen at least one auction where a very early rifle is said to have an integral rib, which I doubt was done much before WWI.

FWIW in the middle '60s one of my Trinidad classmates had been entrusted to restock an early G&H 1903 sporter having an integral rib (HAH, grin). The barrel was a Poldi AntiCorro half-octagon with full-length integral rib, and the original stock had a bag grip and schnabel forend tip with the usual Lyman 48 receiver sight cut. The rig appeared to be an early one.

I used the discarded original G&H stock on one of my own rifles and unfortunately immediately traded it off. Young and dumb.

No I don't remember the barrel number or other specific marking, sorry. It was a 30-06 with caterpillar front bead in the integral front ramp. After all, it was only one rifle and it was also 45 years ago so....

Also FWIW most of the soldered ribs I've seen have been used on converted military barrels with their steps turned smooth, or on other round-barrel applications. Full-length soldered ribs on the military barrels and quarter-rib soldered on the commercial round ones, integral on the 1/2 octagon ones. Just one man's experience though.
Regards, Joe

I have seen several integral ribs on G&H rifles and have one in my collection No. 119. All that I have seen on G&H are true integral and not soldered on.

A Barney Worthen turned up a short while back with a ventilated rib. I believe it was attached to the barrel but I have not seen it.

I remember a G&H with a ventilated rib, the particulars are lost to memory.

So...OK - more common than I thought. Thanks very much. Michael, what about the quarter rib on your R.G. Owen - the 30-06 with the reddish stock? I expect it's also integral.

The Griffin and Howe with ventilated rib was a short barrel, medium caliber, fairly modern rifle. I don't remember the particulars, either, but it came out of Virginia and was in David Condon's shop for awhile. I don't know who ended up with it. I spent some time looking at it, but I don't believe I ever had it in my hands.

In my experience they are rare on British guns, but not unheard of by any means. I own the Westley falling block on the cover of Winfer's book and it is 3 pieces soldered on and very well fit. A customer has a lovely Jeffery PD Farq with an integral rib. It is pictured here.

http://forums.nitroexpress.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=188952&an=0&page=0#Post188952

I think I understand you to mean that integral ribs are rare? I don't know which is the bigger job - fitting a separate rib, with all the fuss and mess, or having the equipment and skills to machine an integral rib. I suppose much would depend on your shop's capabilities. Lots of small one and two man German shops, handy with files and comfortable with traditional methods, might make soldering a better fit for them. Rigby/Holland or Niedner or G&H with more space, money, expertise and modern equipment, integral might be the way to go.

Ribs in any fashion are not common in my experience on British guns, but integral ones seem even more rare.

I think it was an add on.

Thanks - interesting.

SKB: I was including quarter ribs in there too, although once you actually start really looking at British rifles (bolt rifles) you start to see that large numbers of them had "island" rear sights and not quarter ribs.