Jubal, I would recommend Dr. Bill to glass bed your gun to prevent any further cracking. This should take care of the problem although like Drew said, you need to be careful what shells you put thru her. I would also lenghthen the chambers so that you could shoot 23/4 shells. I know Dr. Bill is looking at surgery in the next week and is overwhelmed with work right now, but you would need to talk to him about doing some work for you down the road. I also live in central Va. Regards, Mike H.