Barrel tubes and ribs are soldered and not welded; and although it is possible to remove the blown barrel and sleeve a new tube into the mono-block, doing so will cost a boat load of cash as this is a labor intensive process that few gunsmiths are willing to perform. Regardless of what is done to the gun at this point it is now a parts or project gun with little real value to anyone but the owner, so find another set of barrels and have them fitted to the frame. And if it makes your brother feel better, the gunsmith can change the serial number on the replacement barrels to match the number on the frame; which is the only number that the feds and dealers use to record gun transactions and sales anyway. And for the record I'm presently shooting an Ideal grade with a replacement barrel set (the originals were cut). These barrels look great and shoot great, and I could not be happier. In fact, unless the barrels are removed and the serial number checked it is impossible to determine that this barrel set is not original to the gun; so find an orphaned set, change out those barrels, and put the old gal back in the field!