Hello all. There has been a lot of discussion about under ribs here lately. I have noticed in museums that there were a lot of halfstock guns made with no under rib. I have an example in my home of a small gauge shotgun where the ramrod pipes were soldered directly to the barrel. I have only seen one contemporary maker do this.
Is the purpose of the under rib simply to neaten up the transition from barrel to rib or does it provide any stability?
Coryjoe