Karl, I'd use it as is, as long as it lasts. You will soon learn that it "works" with less effort than your other guns, and it won't even require thinking about.

BTW, I know a man who, when his eyesight was 100%, could weld aluminum foil together. Thinness is not a death knell for welding.

SRH

Bill, I was hoping that I could find "AF" stamped somewhere on the flats but no luck... but it's still a very nice petite 28" 410 weighing 4 lb 8 oz.

If it's functioning as is I'd say use it as long as it lasts. Before I learned to ignore most of them I used to take my MG to a local mechanic whenever there was a minor clunk or something I couldn't identify and he'd usually say, "Just drive it, it'll either get worse or it won't."

a skilled and experienced British car mechanic :corn:

Why do the Brits drink warm beer? Lucas refrigerators

I spent the large part of my working life as a welder with the first half dozen learning my skills on a TIG welder.

I feel a competent gunsmith with a TIG welder could do a good job of putting that back together for you without over heat stressing the metal. A quick quench in oil afterwards to preserve some of the springyness of the steel. That's not a high stress or pressure part.. Don

I can make you a new spring. Welding springs is not a good idea since the heat involved tends to destroy the heat treat which makes it a spring

UPDATE : Thank you to David Penland for taking the time to go thru his parts bin and find me a safety spring that he thought might work... Got it installed today and works great.

What a great bunch of gentleman here on the forum ! !

For future reference, YouTube has 3 or 4 excellent videos dealing with making, rehardening and retempering small flat springs identical to the type shown by the OP. I just yesterday rehardened and retempered the original small flat spring which holds tension on the "snap on" type forend latch of a 1909 Fox Sterlingworth. Pay close attention to the different color hues as the work is heated; the color changes signify the proper time for quenching as well as retempering. It is not at all complicated if you follow these rules.