Thunks (sorta) Who do you recommend?
 

My new-to-me DH has a ventilated rib, and when you hang the barrels on your finger by the lug and tap them with a wooden screwdriver handle, it 'thunks'. You can hear an underlying ring, but the muzzle rib post is visibly loose at the solder joint.
Also, the forend lug looks to be sloppily re-soldered at one end, but that seems tight.
Who can re-set the rib, and does it involve a total refinish?
What's a ballpark cost? Thanks again for a great site! :)

Having ribs re-soldered or relayed as well as having the lug properly soldered will require a complete refinish of the barrels. Go onto the websites of those experts who do the work to see their prices.

Thanks Dean, How do I find these people? Maybe I've missed something on the site?

I think Brian Dudley does it, and there's Kody Kearcher, Kirk Merrington, Brad Bachelder, Doug Turnbull, and certainly many more. Eand of them has his own website that can be found in a web search by using their names.

Dean, what is an Eand? Just kidding.

John,
It sounds like you have a little bit of an issue there with your barrels. And by the sounds of it someone has already been into them to attempt a repair.
A dull sound is not always a telltale sign that the ribs are loose, but it is a red flag telling you to look closer. I have come accross barrel ribs that were loose and you would swear they were tight by looking at them. And when taken apart, there was about 10" worth of rib that had almost no solder holding them together. Not every factory solder job Is perfect and completely void free.

As a rule of thumb, the only way to properly fox a loose rib is to remove it completely and relay it.

And a tip for checking for loose ribs. Put some oil in the cracks of the ribs and let it sit for a minute. Then wipe it out. Then in the light, push down / squeeze on the rib firmly. If it is loose, you will see oil movement as it pushes out from under the rib in the light.

Looking at the muzzles, you can see it. You can wiggle the front end of the rib independent of the barrels.
And there is a pile of solder at one end of the forend lug.

So, that's how you fox a rib. Dang, learned suttin new.

Edgar, When do you start tapping trees and collecting sap?

Yeah. I go out and catch a fox. And I rub it on the barrels. And all fixed. I just have to wear PPE because live foxes can be nasty.

Hahaha - ya got me! :rotf: