Need advice on salvaging a hack job.
What you see in the pictures actually came to my attention last week. An acquaintance took this BCM 14.5 middy barrel to a LGS to have the flash hider pinned and welded to the barrel. Only the barrel, flash hider and gas block were provided. I think the pics speak for themselves, but in case they don't here is the skinny.
The flash hider was welded or maybe brazed to the barrel. Subsequent to this it was discovered that the gas block should have gone on first. Since they couldn't get the flash hider back off without destroying it, the "smith" elected to split the gas block and weld it back together on the barrel. The work was paid for and the acquaintance took delivery of the barrel.
The owner of the establishment told the owner of the barrel, " that barrel looks fine to me", after being asked wtf happened. So, you can bet there will be a knock down drag out getting any satisfaction from them. Looking at this from the viewpoint of an expensive lesson learned give me some options.
Without stating the obvious that he should never have paid for that work and accepted the hack job; which he has been told repeatedly, what would you recommend be done to salvage the barrel if at all possible?
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