13/16" barrel. skinny wrist

[Hierarkie]

https://ibb.co/mTkXdb

I thought I needed a .36 caliber so my barrel is 13/16. Obviously, this is going to make the wrist super skinny if I finish the side panel for the lock and sideplate normally. Before I go any further, I was wondering if there are any things I can do. I'd thought of making and welding or brazing on a small extension for the pan and bolster, but then the frizzen wouldn't fit. Other than minimize the relief on the panels, I can't think of anything. Nature of the beast I guess.

 

[Larry Akers]

File a slight taper on the lock bolster from back to front to set the tail of the lock out a bit. You don't need much 1-2/64". Did this a lot back when no one made swamped/tapered barrels.

 

[B.Habermehl]

Careful slight tapering of the bolster will help a lot. Then carefully dress the frizzen where it would rub against the barrel. BJH

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

My first made flint (70's) is a 13/16" and I had the same problem. I chose to solder a tapered shim next to the lock plate. I did nothing about the frizzen as the gap is slight. Not correcting the gap in the frizzen is one of my rifle's shortcomings, but I am still shooting this 45 today.
Flintlocklar :wink:

 

[Hierarkie]

It's obvious now . The face of the lock is now 1/32 or so below wood surface. That will help a lot when I file the bolster and put some fill under the rear of the lock. Thanks

 

[Vaino]

My 1st build has a tapered shim soldered to the bolster and that kicked the lock tail out and both the lock and side plate panels are tapered and the wrist became reasonably wider. The edge of the frizzen was welded while the striking surface was in a heat sink....a big, split in half delicious apple held together w/ a rubber band.

My bbl was 7/8" and is slightly muzzle heavy, but has shot 100s of squirrels. That's the last straight bbl used......all swamps after that...Fred

 

[54ball]

https://ibb.co/mTkXdb

I thought I needed a .36 caliber so my barrel is 13/16. Obviously, this is going to make the wrist super skinny if I finish the side panel for the lock and sideplate normally. Before I go any further, I was wondering if there are any things I can do. I'd thought of making and welding or brazing on a small extension for the pan and bolster, but then the frizzen wouldn't fit. Other than minimize the relief on the panels, I can't think of anything. Nature of the beast I guess.

Another option for you....

Do not finish/shape the area behind the lock like you would a wide breeched gun.
Many later period rifles will have what I call "fade away lock panels".
With this, at the nose of the lock panel is well defined but at the tail, the panel just fades away into the wrist.
On other later period guns, there will be a defined panel behind the tail of the lock .....just slightly above the wrist, not near the transition of a larger breeched rifle.
This results in a wider wrist.
If you can, take a look at 1810"and later Longrifles to see this feature.

 

[Eric Krewson]

This is a 13/16" barrel and a late Ketland lock. I used a Track Tennessee rifle full sized drawing to get the dimensions for the wrist.

It looks OK to me but I know little about "proper" architecture.

 

[don hepler]

I'm not sure if I'm following this completely.

On small wrist rifles, such as SMR, the tang extends down the wrist. Also the back of the trigger guard extends to the rear, creating a lot of strength, on a small wrist rifle. Very similar to the way the original Hawkens were done.

Look at a Kibler rifle and you can see the effect.

With all that said, I prefer the swamped barrel, like the Kibler. That way the barrel is a little larger, by the time it gets to the lock.

Eric's posted before I got finished. That rifle look's really nice.

 

[Col. Batguano]

With smallish wrists like this it's even more important to pick a blank with minimal to no grain runout in the wrist and lock area. That said, a longer tang and trigger plate can add some stiffness to the area too.

My current build has a Charles Burton (FCI) A-weight barrel with a breach that's 0.900". You're substantially smaller than that at 13/16". If you get your web thin in the rear down to 1/16", and a thin web in the nose of 1/8" the lock panels are going to look very "puffy" indeed with standard thickness bolsters (0.30").

You will probably have to take that whole bolster (and inside edge of the frizzen) down, AND kick out the tail some. In doing so, you will probably break through to the barrel channel for the main spring. You might have to both taper the RR, AND file a little chamfer on the front of the main spring.

If you're still worried about the thickness / strength of the wrist, you can mortise and tenon in a cross-grain piece of hardwood under the rear foot and trigger plate area, or, put a metal bolt (or even small diameter metal pipe) running down the wrist.

 

[BigBoreBLR]

One lock issue I had was the pan and the barrel. My lock is a touch higher than half of the side flat. I had to move it up a touch because the cutout for the pan to flash hole opening was below the edge of the side flat. It would of exposed a bit of wood or have a gap allowing powder to get under. So, I cleaned the barrel inlet a touch to get the pan to ride a touch higher. I am real tight maybe 1/16th from the bottom of the side flat.

I'm too new to building to comment on the lock panel to wrist transition on my gun. It's a TVM builder special early virginia.

The lock is an L&R left handed large siler. After initial layout of the lock, I was real tempted to buy a Manton lock, but didnt. It's a big frizzen on a little barrel....

 

[Hierarkie]

"If you get your web thin in the rear down to 1/16", and a thin web in the nose of 1/8" the lock panels are going to look very "puffy" indeed with standard thickness bolsters (0.30")."

Col. Bat, this is my first pre-carved build and I don't know enough to picture what you are saying here. I do understand the grain issue and am pretty good there and also the reinforcing options. Here is where I'm at now

 

[Hierarkie]

Ok, just read the thread about the forestock question and believe you're saying the wood alongside of the barrel, but not sure the nose and rear part. 1/16 seems slightly more that a thin film of sawdust. A fly's backside stretched over a rain barrel also comes to mind :hmm:

 

[Rifleman1776]

It looks OK to me

That is wat is most important. And, really, all that matters. :applause:
Very nice rifle.

 

[Hierarkie]

This is my old thread, but I put the project on the back burner and just now getting back to it. To summarize, my small 13/16" barrel requires a very deep lock mortise, which in turn will make the wrist too thin, especially if I plan on any shape to the rear of the lock panel. See the visual about three posts back. I am thinking of another option and could use some expect advice or some "why nots". How about I install a bit longer touch hole liner than needed so it sticks out about 1/16" or so on the barrel flat. Then solder or otherwise affix a bolster shim to the lock with the proper divot for that touch hole extension. I could file off the exposed thread of the liner to dress it up a bit.

 

[Col. Batguano]

File a slight taper on the lock bolster from back to front to set the tail of the lock out a bit. You don't need much 1-2/64". Did this a lot back when no one made swamped/tapered barrels.

Plus one on that.

If you do all that stuff you mentioned to make it fatter in the breech it will look weird.

With the thin barrel you want your lock panels to be proportional. Most locks' bolster thicknesses are made for B or C weight barrels, or 1.00" to 1 .125" thick breeches. The Chambers bolsters are .25" thick. You can easily file that down to .20", and make the nose of it a little thinner so as to kick out the tail a little bit. 0.05" doesn't sound like a lot, but it is, particularly on something that isn't that thick to begin with.

Don't take any more wood off the lock side yet. until you get the lock inletted deeper. If you bring the nose in the effect of it will be that you need more wood at the tail, and the wood margin behind it. The amount of taper you put in there will be limited by how much wood you have to work with.

 

[PathfinderNC]

It's a good challenge. I am currently undertaking that right now with a 13/16" barrel. The option I am going with, as mentioned above, is to keep a simpler lock mortise area at the wrist (though the pan end certainly be carved more). It seems the best way to keep the wrist thicker.