Question

I have a Winchester 1300 pump in my shop and it has a broken vented rib sight. It moves forward every time you shoot the gun. The diagnosis was simple. There are three of the vent studs that have pins in them to keep the rib from sliding forward that are broken. They are broken at the top where they are pinned, not loose on the barrel. Should I:

1. drill a small hole vertically down into a couple of good studs and tap it for a plug or screw
2. drill a couple of small holes horizontally through the rail and studs and pin them ( just like the factory did)
3. remove the rail completely, weld the broken studs back together and reinstall
4. replace the rib with a new one (If they can even be purchased) This would require re-blueing the barrel which I am not set up for yet.
5. Tell him that he needs to replace the barrel

I do believe that the right move would be to completely replace the vented rib or barrel but I don’t think he wants to spend that kind of money on this gun. This isn’t a money making job. Right now I am just doing things for family or buddies at no charge in order to get my feet wet.

I did unpin and begin removing the rib but quit because the rail is so thin and fragile that I wasn’t even sure if I could remove it without bending and snapping it. Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated