ribs

[Kensal Rise]

Scott: First off, a set of barrels doesn't necessarily have to "ring" to be good. You have to know what to listen for. A "buzz" or a dead sound is not good, however. It bears investigation. if they've been cut, all the more so. While you can personally look for a loose rib, the professional needs to assess the situation. This is usually the same fellow who can re-lay a loose rib. Sadly, there are just a handful of these people in the country.

If in doubt, send the barrels to Kirk Merrington:

http://www.merringtongun.com

I'm sure you will get a score of other strong opinions on this. But all will be just that. Trust a pro.

[Gunner]

I don't think you would be guaranteed that after relaying a rib that the barrels would ring. Its an indicator not a certainty that there may be a rib issue. I've had barrels that wouldn't ring but by raising the extractor or cleaning up a gummy extractor the barrels would then ring.
Will be interested to hear from someone who has relaid a number of bbl sets whether or not they always ring afterwards.
Erick

[J. A. EARLY]

If the ribs are tight and it had not been hot blued I would never worry about it. Just my opinion. I rust blued three Sterlingworths last year and they all leaked like a sieve, but the ribs were tight. Just helped me get the moisture out.

The only one I've had the ribs relaid was a Fox A that someone hot blued and when you put air to it, smoke came out everywhere, and it would still ring. I had Keith Kearcher do it for me with the understanding to just relay the ribs and I would take it from there. Which meant I had to get all the excess solder off and then rust blue. I was happy with the work.