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Dented rib


rimfire4969
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Somehow on Saturday at our little syndicate I managed to dent the rib of my gun. I don’t have time to get to a gunsmith and I am shooting a couple of times this week and all next week till the season ends. 

I am thinking a screwdriver under it to ease it up, then get it properly sorted after the season. Anyone had a go at it any other way with success? 

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4 minutes ago, rimfire4969 said:

Somehow on Saturday at our little syndicate I managed to dent the rib of my gun. I don’t have time to get to a gunsmith and I am shooting a couple of times this week and all next week till the season ends. 

I am thinking a screwdriver under it to ease it up, then get it properly sorted after the season. Anyone had a go at it any other way with success? 

Be VERY careful if you try this.  The rib 'pillars' can become detached (not sure if they are spot welded, brazed or soldered), but I have one that needs these repairing - possibly because someone in the past has raised rib dents this way?  It isn't cheap as re-blacking is going to be needed afterwards.  Barrel blacking specialists can carry out these repairs.  For obvious reasons you also don't want to risk denting the barrel - and I'm not sure if you would have enough room to use a wooden or similar piece to shield the barrel from the screwdriver.  I would be inclined to live with it until the end of the season.  I doubt you will notice it when the action starts.

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You can get neat little device specially made for this but I made up a small pair of folding wedges from hardwood, inserted from each side and used a clamp to squeeze them together gradually. These apply expansion pressure between the barrel and the rib, but unlike a single wedge or lever such as a screwdriver, these chaps apply balanced pressure so there's no risk of distorting or twisting the rib.

I'm sure there's a ton of stuff about folding wedges on t'internet.

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I assume that you have an O/U ? One very good reason why side by sides or O/U's with solid top ribs , should be used for game , but thats another topic 🙄 Screw drivers with a very long taper can be used but with great caution .

Problem is that dependent on the rib construction and the fact that may guns have the rib fitted and then machined , that it can "stretch" when dented . The result is that when the dent is lifted it ends up with a"hump". 

I have lifted many dented vent ribs with varying degrees success and you can never guarantee the out come .

I had a set of very thin tapered wedges which used from both sides a bit at a time had a fair degree of success but that came with long practice . 

As it will not affect your shooting I would leave it to some one with experience , as it it is often better on jobs like these to start from scratch than to fix something that has been worked on before  .

 

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All done, I expect I was maybe lucky, I used two wedges of wood and slowly brought them together. It looks fine, not quite perfect but I did not want to push my luck. 

After the season I will drop it in for a well deserved service and get it professionally finished. 

Thank you all for the help. 

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19 minutes ago, Gordon R said:

I have a dent lifter, which a couple of people on this Forum have successfully used. I am at the other end of the country from the OP, but if it isn't sorted by August, I will be in Cornwall for the 40th time and would happily take the tool with me.

Thanks for that. Fingers crossed it will be sorted by then. 

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