Attaching the trigger guard with screws

[oldarmy]

Have my Poor boy ready for the trigger guard installation.
I want to use screws to hold it on, But for the life of me can't seem to figure out how a front screw is going to work.
There just isn't enough wood there to get a good bite on a wood screw and if you make it long, it's going to jut into the ramrod hole.
My though was to hard solder or dove tail a block of metal under the barrel, near where the vent hole/liner is going to be.
Then drill and tap it.
What am I missing here
Nomally,
I leave the lug on it and just pin the darn thing.

 

[Birddog6]

The screw goes right up almost against the bow of the guard, and out there on the front of the guard is a nub or lug. If you measure with a RR or range rod, you can tell if your screw will hit wood or hole. Some of them are drilled a tad deep, or you have the guard forward or something. I had them back off 1 inch less on the RR hole on the stocks I have the barrels inlet & RR hole drilled.

Take your RR or a range rod & put it down the bore all the way to the breech. Mark the part sticking out even with the muzzle.

Now stick same rod in the RR hole & see how deep it is. If you have more depth than the bore, (as this one does) you can glue in a plug to take up that space & thus have something to screw into. (IF you need that plug in there. I don't add the plug til I am sure I am going to need it for the screw.

Mark on the outside of the stock where the triggerguard inlet it, where the end of the RR hole is.

At this point if you have the trigger in you can lay the guard up there in position & see if you need to add the plug.

Should you want to do add a plug, I inlet the triggerguard & in the middle of that inlet I drill a lil hhole down into the RR hole. Cut the
plug the length I want & I squirt some stainable Elmers glue in the hole. Put the plug in the RR hole & push it down in the hole with a RR or cleaning rod & this forces the glue around the plug & the excess out the hole I drilled. I then put a piece of Saran Wrap over the hole, then a small piece of wood over that, then a rubber band around it to plug the glue from seeping. Set the stock aside in a vertical position.
Let that set up & then you have wood to screw in to.

If I remember correctly, I glued a 3/4" long plug in the RR hole on this walnut stock as it was deeper than I wanted it.

Keith

 

[Zonie]

Some of the big hardware stores sell slotted, flat head "sheet metal screws".

To see these, look down a ways in this link http://www.boltdepot.com/Sheet-Metal-Screws.aspx

These screws are basically the same as a wood screw except the threads run all of the way to the head or the start of the cone on a flat head screw.

By using a screw of this type the screw doesn't have to be very long to get a good hold in the wood.

 

[Birddog6]

Yes, that would be another way of doing it, if you wanted flathead screws on the rifle. But even at that I usually only have about 3/16" of wood there & I am not comfortable with that, so gluing in the piece gives me plenty of wood to retain the screw & make the guard stable.

 

[oldarmy]

Birddog6,
Thanks for the advise, especially the pics :thumbsup:
If I put the screw up close to the guard as shown. I will have enough wood to get a good solid bite. Might need a plug,
Have seen allot of rifles with the screw at least an inch or two forward of the guard where the wood is, or should be very thin.
Not going to make "slab-sided" weapons anymore.
Thanks
Mike

 

[Birddog6]

Mike,

It all depends on allot of things, however, even on a Lancaster, the lug under the triggerguard that is usually pinned is just about at the same place & going right up into the lock inlet & a pin thru it. Many times I have cut that hole for the triggerguard front lug & nicked the RR hole. If ya do you just glue in a plug, re-inlet & go on. :idunno: or that is what I have always done.

I always want my Ramrod at least 1/4" longer than the bore is..... Prefer it to be 1/2" to 3/4" but anything that I can get a hole on will work.

:thumbsup:

 

[Onojutta]

I'm just curious: why use screws instead of pins, especially if screws are problematic?

 

[gene mosier]

i like to drill my rr hole as deep as possible so my rr is as long as i can get it. i inlet my trigger gaurd then a thinned nut in 6-48 size. i use glass bedding compound to hold it fast. those little screws that hold your light switch covers on work nicely. you can put the screw in the middle of the fore guard were it holds better too. if you mortice all the way into the rr hole, all you need to do is insert an old piece of rr thats waxed real good into the channel, then epoxy the nut in. i know its not traditional, but it works.

 

[Birddog6]

Because most old Southern & Tennessee rifles had the triggerguards retained by screws.

 

[SR James]

I epoxy a short section of copper tubing of the proper inside diameter for the guard screw into the forearm where the screw will go. The wood screw will easily tap the soft copper tubing and give a much stronger hold than the wood will.

 

[oldarmy]

I confess to using epoxy to fasten a trigger guard with a screw, :redface: however,
This time, would much rather use more traditional techniques to do the job.
Plugs,wood glue, and an old fashioned round faced wood screw work for me.
Always liked the idea of a longer ram/rd also.
Thanks for the advise.
Working on it in the morning.
Regards
Mike

 

[Onojutta]

Because most old Southern & Tennessee rifles had the triggerguards retained by screws.

Well that shows ya what I know about old southern and Tennessee rifles. :wink:

 

[oldarmy]

It's also a "poorboy" so it's made in a very simple way.
Not sure if the trigger guards were even inletted, however this one is going to be. Then it's going to be filed flush with the wood.
Have to decide whether to brown the metal, or polish it bright.

 

[Birddog6]

I have seen them all 3 ways. On the wood, 1/2 way inletted, & inletted flush to the wood.

 

[oldarmy]

Well,
I guess I can't mess it up then :rotf:
The guard is so simple,with square ends, in-letted it just a little past flush and will file it flush with the wood. Depending on how much wood I remove, it might show some metal.

 

[Birddog6]

Well, yes, there is still room for error here. :grin:

Before ya do that inletting, I suggest ya measure the thickness of the wood at the front part of the t/guard before ya inlet it. As you may go right into the RR hole or have it so weak there it damages easily. If that happens ya have a real problem to deal with. :hmm:

Mark what you are going to inlet & then take a 1/8" drill bit & drill a hole in it t & measure the depth of the wood you are inletting into. Then make a small stub plug & the plug in before you do the inletting.
:thumbsup:

 

[Birddog6]

Sorry...... GLUE the stub plug in....... Time expired & could not edit the post.
:slap:

 

[oldarmy]

Keith,
Thanks for all the advise.
The trigger guard screw is in place. Put it where you suggested and had plenty of solid wood to screw into.
Should end up with the RR hole still being longer then the barrel :thumbsup:
The guard itself is now inleted just a little past flush.
Gives me enough wood to do the finial shaping and not have a barrel with a "slab" of wood underneath it.
Thanks
Mike