The attachment point that goes into the dovetail cut on the bottom of the barrel had most likely bent. My '76 1894 44 mag is this way, it's a stamped steel part and recoil had bent it, I cold bent it back, but after a dozen or less hot rods it bends again, and loosens up. I'm eventually going to replace it with a newer version that is machined out of a solid chunk of steel, but I'm affraid it may start shearing screws off.
