Cracked lug
 

I’m curious if anyone has seen a crack in the lug before. I have a 16 VH and while out hunting I noticed one which had not been there at my last cleaning. It appears to be within the side area not beginning or ending at any edge. I will attempt to attach a photo. Thanks in advance for any advice.

That is a new one for me. Best thing to do is send to a qualified gunsmith to get checked out.

Put a dot with an indelible magic marker at each end of the crack and go out and shoot a round of skeet with normal loads. See if the crack moves. Then shoot as many heavy loads as you feel comfortable with, one at a time, examining the crack after each shell. Others may differ in their opinions about how to handle this. An expensive gunsmith may use a similar tactic.

Odd place for a crack. If it is a crack, it would easily be welded for a repair.

I thank you all for your thoughts. I did a dye penetrant test tonight and no crack was indicated. That’s a relief! So my only explanation at this point is some type of debris caused the scratch when I opened or closed the gun. Just strange how irregular it is and resemble a crack. Thanks again gentlemen.