My high tech barrel tapping tools
iv used the crescent wrench many times , didn't have a tap wrench , can't find it now ! LOL ... Just gotta drill to depth on tap drill size , then try to start tap as squarely as possible , take it down to depth then change to bottom tao and take it to depth ....then fit breech plug ....the breeched barrel is one of those short Belgium barrels I breeched and ground flats on it for a short trade gun
Your welcome bud . I didn't know either till Ken Netting told then showed me . I was a machinist so I thought to thread a barrel you needed a lathe , naturally , but lo and behold ...nope . I was a bit surprised to say the least . Do get me wrong , a lathe does a better job , straighter bore , more symmetrical an all but its quite possible by hand . Ive done dozens , Kens done hundreds .
Thats very kind . It may sound different but it's really pretty straight forward stuff . Like the last feller pointed out ...its just your basic work techniques , nuttin fancy but do able , work able , hands on ways of doin stuff.
This is pretty cool ... The narrow boards , well , planks , being easier to find ...but ya gotta be careful ! Picky ! Get em d@mn straight !!Wish I had a better place to post this ... I'm using the old barrel but this pic is about how narrow a plank you can get and build a gun with it . This is all about being s cheap $hit like me , LOL , so bare with me . I font suggest you do this if you can afford a good piece of wood for yur stock . 2" thick for a fowler and 2 1/2" thick for a rifle minimum. But ....poor folks got poor ways so ...here ya go . Ive tried to explain this to folks but have always fallen short in my explanation. I got the barrel exactly in the center of the plank and I'm holding a lock plate with bolster up again it ...look at that tail . Its in there , just barely but its in there not hanging over with a hap between the tail and wood so ....with this plank I'd be good to go for a build ....just barely . and , the neat thing , is is under 1 3/4" thick ! Crazy .... Narrower the board usually easier to find locally . A specialty shop you can find 2" and thicker boards or planks but locally hard to find them . Some times , like a build I had a few builds ago , a was using a barrel that had a lot of flare at the breech , the RE Davis lock end stuck out away from the wood so I though I couldnt use that board BUT I switched and check with an L&R Queen Anne lock and it was just fine soni built the gun with the Quern Anne . Turned out great . Just a trick of the trade from a cheap skate hillbilly.
SHEEW WEE !!! That plank is JUST Barely thick enough !! Wow !! D@mn cheap @$$ hillbilly s !!Wish I had a better place to post this ... I'm using the old barrel but this pic is about how narrow a plank you can get and build a gun with it . This is all about being s cheap $hit like me , LOL , so bare with me . I font suggest you do this if you can afford a good piece of wood for yur stock . 2" thick for a fowler and 2 1/2" thick for a rifle minimum. But ....poor folks got poor ways so ...here ya go . Ive tried to explain this to folks but have always fallen short in my explanation. I got the barrel exactly in the center of the plank and I'm holding a lock plate with bolster up again it ...look at that tail . Its in there , just barely but its in there not hanging over with a hap between the tail and wood so ....with this plank I'd be good to go for a build ....just barely . and , the neat thing , is is under 1 3/4" thick ! Crazy .... Narrower the board usually easier to find locally . A specialty shop you can find 2" and thicker boards or planks but locally hard to find them . Some times , like a build I had a few builds ago , a was using a barrel that had a lot of flare at the breech , the RE Davis lock end stuck out away from the wood so I though I couldnt use that board BUT I switched and check with an L&R Queen Anne lock and it was just fine soni built the gun with the Quern Anne . Turned out great . Just a trick of the trade from a cheap skate hillbilly.
I like how the front sight is inlaid on this barrel .coolWent up to the big city yesterday to visit Ken Netting and get some barrels from him and while there he up and offer me an original barrel out of his stash ! He told me to just pick one ! I was giddy as a school girl !! I picked this sweet oct. to round 20 ga. barrel . Its 36" long , just gorgeous and he// , he even proofed it all ready , showed me the info in his proof folder , the man is WAY too organized ,LOL . So ...thats about as cool as it gets . I'm no expert but I'd guess it to be late 1830s to 1850 period . At the beginning I thought it was much earlier but after calming down I'd say my guesstimate is correct . Its Belgium and , really cool , has the counterfeit " LONDON " stamp on the top flat . The bore looks pretty good but I just got it so I haven't started cleaning the bore out yet . Its gonna make a great short N.W. Trade Gun !!!! Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee !!
Crazy ! Huh ?!!
