From what I can tell by this conversation, replacing the hinge pin is the correct way to do the work, but some feel that welding, soldering or gluing to be easier. As the military says, if it is the easy way, it probibly is not the right way.
Thomas Bland makes their guns with removeable hinge pins, so that the pin can be replaced when wear occurs.They do not have a removeable dovetail in the barrel hinge point, or equip the gun with a bottle of BlackMax. I do use shims, to find out what size to make my hinge pins. My guns fire like new,I do not change the temper of the metal in the hinge point, and I do not worry about the glue coming loose at a bad moment.
If I had a customer that I repaired his gun, he went to Argentina to shoot dove, and the glue came loose, he would probibly use the gun on me.
