Thank You Buzz!!
When one comes to understand the word monoblock is not actually describing the method of joining the tubes, but the process of building the breech section of the bbls then it becomed obvious this is a totally mis carriage of the term.
Over the life of the monob;lock several methods of joining thr tubes have been used.
In Henri Pieper's original patent he bored a slight taper through the block from the breech & inserted a tube having a mating taper from the breech end, seating it in the taper. This produces the bbls sometimes seen referred to as "Fretted" which have a decided step at the end of the block.
Some later models of his guns have the front of the block bored out & threaded. The tube has a short section at the breech turned & threaded & is screwed into the block from the front.
Other makers of monoblocks have bored the block with a straight hole all the way through & inserted the tubes with a turned tenon into the block from the front & soldered it in.
These all shared the trait that the block itself including the lugs was machined from one piece of steel, having no joints. The high tempertures of brazing were thus not needed & was a major claim of the patent.
The tide will likely never be stemmed, but every once in a while I take a shot at it, hoping that the true meaning of the term will not be totally lost to posterity.
