bedding a indian made musket barrel

[Florida airgunner]

Hello.

Im really enjoying my Charleville musket that i got from military heritage, but ive noticed there is about a 1/16 gap between the rear of the barrel and the stock. Ive been thinking about bedding the barrel with some sort of epoxy but im wondering if i should even be worried about it so i came here to ask that.

 

[Tumbledown]

At the breech? Is the gap only at the top, or all of the way down? If at the breech, I'd shim with wood.

If it's under the barrel, and everything is otherwise tight, I don't think I'd worry about it.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

It would be more consistent whilst shot. Make sure you have slots instead of holes on your barrel tenons, especially towards the muzzle.

 

[Florida airgunner]

Yes it's at the breech, I should have added a photo

 

[ZUG]

When the barrel is removed is there gaps and poor inletting? You can try to fill those gaps with wood and re-inlet the barrel breach area. If you use epoxy and are not careful you MAY epoxy everything together and never get it apart.

 

[HSmithTX]

If there is a gap between the back/end of the barrel/breechplug and the stock I would fix it and I would fix it before shooting it. In that case the tang is taking all the recoil force until it bends enough for the stock to come in contact with the barrel and breechplug. It's a matter of time until the tang wood chips out or worse. The tang shouldn't be involved in recoil at all other than holding the barrel down against the stock at the breech so that the stock can take the recoil. If the gap is on the side of the barrel and stock then I wouldn't worry about that. I can't tell from the picture what exactly the issue is.

 

[springfield art]

Hello.

Im really enjoying my Charleville musket that i got from military heritage, but ive noticed there is about a 1/16 gap between the rear of the barrel and the stock. Ive been thinking about bedding the barrel with some sort of epoxy but im wondering if i should even be worried about it so i came here to ask that.

Kudos for your getting an Indian musket, and best of luck with it. You did your homework!

 

[Florida airgunner]

Sorry the image is a Little blurry. The issue I'm concerned with is here. How would you prevent the barrel to stick to a wood filler or epoxy?

 

[HSmithTX]

Wood filler isn't strong enough to do anything to help you, in my opinion. Most of us use paste wax to keep the epoxy from sticking to the barrel and gluing it to the stock. I've been using Kiwi shoe polish because that's what I have, bedded at least 6 actions and barrels in the last couple years and have had zero issues with it sticking, 4 of them modern unmentionables with lots more tendency to stick than a slick octagon.

 

[ZUG]

Sorry the image is a Little blurry. The issue I'm concerned with is here. How would you prevent the barrel to stick to a wood filler or epoxy?

If it were me with a gap that size I would glue in some thin wood pieces using a good wood glue then I would trim it to fit the existing profile and stain it to match (as close as possible) - just my two cents worth - your milage may vary

 

[Florida airgunner]

This stuff? I got a lot of it for tanning hides. What epoxy would you recommend, I'm not super experienced in this stuff, sorry

 

[SDSmlf]

Has the touch hole been drilled? If not, I’d move the barrel back.

 

[Florida airgunner]

It's already been drilled

 

[The Crisco Kid]

When the barrel is removed is there gaps and poor inletting? You can try to fill those gaps with wood and re-inlet the barrel breach area. If you use epoxy and are not careful you MAY epoxy everything together and never get it apart.

That's why it's important to use release agent!
I agree with the use of a wood shim that matches the color fairly well. It will look like a decent repair. Epoxy will look ugly forever.

 

[Eric Krewson]

Wood shims would be my choice, I have become an expert in installing them because of questionable inletting on my earlier rifles. Properly stained they don't show on a finished rifle. This is an example, I have closed the gap behind a barrel as well, in my case I was tight on one side and had a gap on the other which I filled with a glue-in shim. Cut the shim so it is very slightly oversized in thickness so it will go in but have to be forced. Apply plenty of wood glue to the gap and shim and pound it in with the barrel in place, trim off the excess, sand stain and finish.

The shims don't show much on a finished rifle (same rifle as above), it is important to make the grain orientation of your shim match the grain orientation of the piece you are gluing it to, you wouldn't want an edge grain shim sticking out.