Be careful the more heat you apply the greater the chances of loosening the ribs even more. If you want to ,although I'm not a great fan of this you can vent the barrels,this is drilling a small hole in the bottom rib under the forend ,it is usually done at the back of the tail piece as far back as possible . If you look at anAyA [and others ]you will see they do this on all their guns and then plug the hole after blacking.This will allow water to drain out . Use a tapered wooden plug to prevent as much water getting in when the barrel is immersed.There are other places you could also drill a vent hole but I strongly advise caution,as will depend a lot on the way the barrel was made.
