doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Rib Solder / Corrosion Problem

many thanks for your replies, Jim and dogon, I am positive that is the problem - flux bleeding out.

Question is now what to do about it? The rib is solid and doesn't move. Do I live with it, or get it fixed?? Wouild the whole rib need stripping off to fix it??

I would send it back to Browning, but after owning 8 new Superposed's, I have extensive experience of Brownings warranty repairs and their Belgium Gunsmiths, guns disappear into a black hole for 3 to 4 months and frequently come back damaged, screws stripped and in a worse state than when they went back to Belgium for warranty repair.

If a repair is necessary, I would far rather pay for a repair than let those butchers get their hands on it!

Isn't a Super's top rib silver brazed?

Jonty,
Sounds like a job for John Wiseman

Peter, yes thats probably where she will end up,

every experience I have had with FN gunsmiths has totally piXXed me off. The gun design is fantastic - hence I keep buying them - its the idiots that assemble them thats the problem! any problems you are better paying for and sorting independently with a good brit gunsmith.

Even one of Browning's very very senior bosses (no names mentioned to safeguard his future!) said FN were 10% of Brownings production but 90% of the problem!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just wondering whether its better to leave the gun as is until the rib might come loose or get it fixed now.

regards Jonty

Chuck, the narrow ribbed game guns are soft soldered, the clay guns with wider ribs are silver soldered. Thats what I was told when I went over to Liege... so this may not apply to older guns

J

Presumably, hopefully, FN would have used a non-corrosive rosin flux to solder ribs so it will probably never be more than an annoyance. Maybe take some of the weeping residue and put it on bare steel in a damp place and see if it rusts more or less than a part of the steel that is not coated with the residue. If you can prove to yourself that it is not something that is eating into your barrels between the ribs, then you can weigh the cost of a relaying job against a little extra cleaning.

boil the barrels.and blow dry.and lightly oil.if it is flux it should boil out with out hurting the finish.MC

I had a set of damascus barrels, which had a rib relayed and were then refinished, that exhibited that tendency as soon as they were returned to me from well known gunsmith. I suspect he used corrosive flux.

After a few months of constant attention they were sent out to another smith who took them apart and found the area between the ribs beginning to corrode and had to do the job over again correctly. Glad I caught it in time. I'd have your retailer send the gun back for another if it's still new. That repair isn't cheap.