If a new joint pin cannot be made….
I use laser welding. I can specify exactly how much material that needs to be added into a specific area, it seriously cuts down on the time it takes to get the barrels back down onto the action. I have not had any issues with the laser welding material not holding up. I have a Lancaster that was put back on the face 13 years ago by laser welding. It’s had thousands of rounds through it since then (it was used for a decade as my main hunting & clays gun). It’s still smack on the face.
I recently rejointed a Churchill by using the same method and am sure it’ll wear exactly like the Lancaster. The difference between laser welding and Tig welding is the amount of heat subjected to the lump. Laser welding is a much cooler, much more precise process IMO. My laser welding guy goes about this in a scientific way to include his knowledge of specific metallurgy.
I would not take a set of barrels to a jewelry store (jewelry stores often have a laser welder) and ask them to laser weld a hook. I don’t think they are quite as precise as a laser welder who welds for the aerospace & nuclear industries.
One of the things I’ve noticed about the old technique of spray welding is that the material used is so damn hard, you HAVE to use diamond coated files to work the barrels down. I think that’s why some fixed joint pins would start to concave, because the spray weld material is so damn hard. I have no proof of that, just a theory.
