Bending cast stuff??

[fw707]

I got a GPR kit yesterday, and I been working on it today. Well, I've hit a snag already! :shake:
I got the breech/tang set into the wood, and then the barrel wouldn't seat all the way down into the channel. After removing a little wood in a couple of spots didn't help, I noticed the tang has too much bend in it, and it's causing the breech opening to tilt downward. I'm gonna have to bend the tang to get the opening lined up with the barrel. It's cast steel, and I was wondering how much bending can it stand?? Do I need to heat it up a little? :hmm:
The trigger guard is made of the same stuff and it's twisted enough that the attachment flats don't sit flat on both ends at the same time, so it's gonna have to bent into alignment too.
Other than these 2 minor issues, it looks like a quality outfit!!

Thanks for any advice. :grin:

 

[Goldhunter]

How much is it bent? Mine was the same way, I just did a little minor inletting under the back of the tang to get it to sit down straighter. (did that make sense) :hmm: That will even out the "hump" on the wrist that many people talke about.

Try searching the forum for GPR or Great Plains rifle. There is a lot people have posted. Some have to do with building.

Not really what you asked about but it might be an alternative.

Good luck, I love my .54 GPR

 

[Norskie]

Cast steel can be cold bent if you don't overdo it. You might want to make a stiff cardboard template of the curve you want. Work with a vice, padded of course, and a large adjustable wrench. Ponder and look twice; bend once! :winking:

 

[Black Hand]

I use a crescent wrench and bend slowly and gently.

 

[gmww]

How much is it bent? Mine was the same way, I just did a little minor inletting under the back of the tang to get it to sit down straighter. (did that make sense) :hmm: That will even out the "hump" on the wrist that many people talke about.

Try searching the forum for GPR or Great Plains rifle. There is a lot people have posted. Some have to do with building.

Not really what you asked about but it might be an alternative.

Good luck, I love my .54 GPR

I was thinking the same thing as I was reading down to Goldhunters reply. If it were me I'd inlet the back for the tang to seat deeper. If you do too much you can always refill with glass bedding. Chisels or a dremil would do the trick. Lot more forgiving than accidently breaking the tang IMO. :hatsoff:

 

[Zonie]

When inletting the breech tang, it's best to glue the tang block to the rear of the barrel using some Superglue or similar "instant" glues.
Then inlet the barrel/tang as a unit. This keeps things lined up a little better.

As you have already inlettend the breech tang, first I would suggest glueing the tang block and barrel together and make sure they fit the stock properly. If they don't, remove just enough wood so they do fit.
Chanches are you removed too much wood so if this is the case, filling in the area under the tang block can be done with a little epoxy.
Don't use too much. You only want to fill in the small areas where there is no wood to support the tang/breech block.
If you use epoxy, be sure to wax every bit of the tang/barrel where it may contact the epoxy. Three or four coats of wax isn't too much. The last thing you want is to epoxy the block/barrel to the stock.

After things fit, you can break the Superglue bond by heating the area to 200-300 degrees. Superglue looses all of it's strength at those temperatures.

You can bend the steel castings but remember: you should only do it once. Don't bend things back and forth or they may break.
I consider bending the breech block to be a last resort but bending the trigger guard is fairly common to get a really good fit.

Zonie

 

[fw707]

Goldhunter and gmww, I’ve got the inletting as deep as I can go and still have wood left for the wrist area. I didn’t have any luck with the search.
Leathermoose, I made a template of the original shape before I started so I could see the progress. I laid the tang horizontally in the vise jaws and used them to squeeze the tang a little at a time. The part that needs bending right now is the section where the tang goes into the breech area. That’s a little scary, but I’m gonna give it a go tomorrow.
Zonie, thanks for the super glue tip. I’ll remember it next time. I’ve got some AcraGlas gel and release agent if I need to fill anything back in.
I think this stock is the hardest piece of wood I ever stuck a chisel in! Has anybody else noticed that on your rifle??
Thanks everybody for the info! I really appreciate it.

 

[Recurve]

I've got the same problems on my kit. Haven't started it yet so this thread is pretty timely.

 

[fw707]

I've got the same problems on my kit. Haven't started it yet so this thread is pretty timely.

I took the advice the good folks were kind enough to post and the tang and trigger guard fit just fine now. :hatsoff:

 

[gmww]

So what was the final solution? :hmm:

 

[fw707]

So what was the final solution? :hmm:

Just a slight bend at the junction of the tang and breech section lined everything up just right.
I put one end of the trigger guard in a vise and gave it a couple of adjustments with a Crescent wrench and it seated perfectly. :thumbsup: