doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Barrel dent on end??

Looking a gun that was dropped and the end of the barrel apparently hit concrete and caused a deformation/compression at the end. Doesn't even show on the inside of the barrel and the barrel is still round, just dented in a tad. Is it possible to Micro-weld the end of the barrel to clean it up? Just looks like hell. Doesn't affect the use of the gun just the looks. Thoughts?

PS. Maybe this is why you find old guns that have had 1/4 to 1/2" of barrel cut off.

I would cirtainly consider TIG welding the damage using mild steel filler wire but be careful not to let the heat loosen the ribs. Short sharp welds with plenty of cooling time inbetween and/or damp cloth wrapped round.
Dressing off the end of the tubes to remove the damage should be avoided if possible as it may remove the steel fillet filling the void between rib and barrel ends.

Pictures added. Think this gives a better idea for sure:

Welding is not a good idea , amongst other potential problems burning the edges off ,having to rebore the choke ends ,loosening the ribs , it can can cause hard spots .This is not good on barrels .Plus the fact that when the weld is cleaned off the blacking will have been damaged so it will mean a re black adding to the expense .
I have done dozens of these sort of "touch up " jobs ,frequently when barrels are to be re blacked and the customer is unaware of any damage , so my best advice is to have the muzzle filed up ,you may loose a 1/16" but what the hell . If the filler pieces in the ends between the ribs comes out or is only solder then it is no big deal to make and fit new ones or to re solder the end .
No point in making a simple job complex and expensive .

Or you could just leave it as is, as s reminder yourself that life is not perfect, but so what?
Steve

I'm with gunman on this one. Very common type of damage that I've always treated just as gunman recommends. Dress up with a file to make it less noticable. You may not remove all of the damage, but it is easy to make it look much better. If you mess up the solder and fillers at the end it is simple to repair for anyone familiar with soldering. I assume this is just an average gun and not something on the level of a Best gun. If it were, then Toby's more expensive route might be in order.

-- Agree 100%- when you weld pipe (gun barrels are pipe sections) just as in any other welding in metal jointing or fabrication job, heat always moves from the thicker mass towards the thinner, just as water always runs downhill- Do NOT TIG weld any metal parts on a double gun-- barrels, rib extensions, and on any parts that are case hardened- the results will make you want to puke--

Doesn't look to me like it would affect the pattern or create any danger at all. I'd leave it alone. All a cosmetic correction would accomplish is a better return when you sell it, and even then a botched correction would just make it worse...Geo

Having seen the minimal damage I would agree that welding is unnecessary, dressing it off a little would make it unnoticeable.
However, I have to disagree on some points with both Gunman and RWTF.
Firstly an experienced craftsman with a TIG welder would not do any damage to the chokes and neither would he damage the blacking more than it is worn already.
Secondly, in my ignorance I was unaware that barrels and rib extensions were case hardened. New one on me.
If the case hardening was still apparent on ACTION components, then welding is bound to destroy them. Rarely on a gun needing this kind of quite extreme repair does one find much in the way of case colour.
However, I have had very fine TIG welding done within a few mm of traces of CH and once the weld is dressed off and the immediate area suitably polished (or otherwise) the CH was still there and unchanged.
I would most certainly disagree with RWTF's assertion that one must 'NOT TIG weld any metal parts on a double gun'.
If I followed that rule, many modest guns would be consigned to the scrap heap due to the price of making up new sears, luggers, extractor toes, corroded furniture, damaged casting... the list goes on and on.
TIG welding done by a craftsman with experience in gun parts (parts which then go on to be correctly hardened, tempered and finished) is capable of repairs that I have considered to be miracles at the time but now I accept as almost commonplace.
Technology is a wonderful thing. It should be wielded by people who have a sense of what is and is not possible but the guts to experiment (and admit when it doesn't work!).

FWIW, this is a small gauge Fox Sterlingworth. Thanks for comments thus far.