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Silver Soldering shotgun barrel to receiver

3K views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  dustydog 
#1 ·
I am working on an antique with the intent of using it for a wallhanger. The gun is a Hopkins & Allen falling block, single shot 12 ga. It is in "fair" condition, but I am concerned that the barrel screw is not the original and appears to have been replaced by one of a slightly larger size. Currently, the screw does not catch the barrel's threads, but only butts into the hole and provides some minimal attachment. I see no reason why the barrel could not be silver soldered into the receiver. There are no moving parts, thus no reason to ever need to take it apart. It can be easily cleaned while permanently attached. I would then plug and re-thread the original barrel screw hole such that a better fit using a proper size screw could be attained to provide some additional strength. I believe the gun would be safe to fire using low velocity shells such as "target loads", however, this is not the main goal, but then I will not always own the gun so I want it to be safe in case someone does fire it. What do the experts think of this idea...be kind, now.
 
#2 ·
Try retapping first,go up a thread size or two.would look/work better than soft solder,and cheaper to do than a silversolder job.
 
#3 ·
There is not enough metal left in the receiver to go up..it is too thin as it is.
I am thinking of a sleeve and then smaller size thread. I don't know what the current bolt is, but it is about the diameter of a common pencil, maybe a bit larger. I'm reading some about low temp flow solders from Brownell. Perhaps the combination of these two 'fixes' would do the job. I'll get my brother in law to test fire it.
 
#4 ·
In some circumstances were the breech block or bolt locks to the barrel, soldering the barrel in place is ok yet extream caution must be taken to not change the temper of the steel. My concern is that since this is a falling bock the pressures from the shell are placed directly between the barrel and receiver therefor the pressures are greatest were your solder joints are. There may be a reason this gun has damaged barrel threads. I would be very reluctant to silver solder and rely on it. Silver solder comes in many different harnesses. Low temp solders tend to be very soft and can tear. In your case not doing it right or using the wrong solder can result in separation of the two parts. I dont know what your relationship is with your brother in law but using him as a guinea pig to try to shoot is probably not the best choice. If you dont trust it, then why should he.
 
#5 ·
I'm probably going to regret this,but post a few pictures of the trouble area.Been doing machining/metalworking/gunsmithing for around 35 years,and would like to see if I can figure a fix based on the photos.
 
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