The problem I’ve found with hiring a “professional” welding and refitting is invariably the surface contact is only about 10% to 30% on the hook. .................... Pathetic.
Amen, Joe, that has been my experience as well. And also, the lack of contact between the barrel faces and the breech. Several years ago I sent a new set of A H Fox barrels to a highly renowned doublegun 'smith out west to fit to an A grade Fox frame. These barrels were brand new, with never a stone or file having ever been put to the hook. Completely finished in Philly, except for beads and bluing, but never fitted to a gun. He bragged he did the job in under three hours. When I received it I could see why it only took him that long. There was only 30% contact of the left barrel at the breech, and I could read a newspaper through the crack on the right barrel breech. Zero contact on that barrel. I was flabbergasted, but a lesson learned. Everybody that is bragged on as a doublegun 'smith can't fit barrels. In fact, I've come to the conclusion that the ones who can do it absolutely right are as scarce as hen's teeth. The one set I did myself certainly weren't right, but they had way more breech contact than his.
