Browning forend cap on Hawkins rifle

[bioprof]

I just finished installing a steel forend cap on the Hawkins rifle I'm building last night. I have a lot of shaping of the forend wood to bring it down flush with the cap. I have several questions about this: I'm thinking of gluing the cap along with installing a screw through the barrel channel and into the ramrod channel of the cap. Do I wait till I've secured the cap to the forend before I brown it? Will the browning solution stain the stock? Is browning the hardware PC for this rifle?

Also, I'm thinking of drilling a pin hole into the end of the stock and installing a pin to strengthen the wood, just to prevent the forend cap from breaking off. It doesn't look like there's much wood holding it on. Would this be a good idea?

 

[dryfly]

If you are talking about a Hawken rifle, most of them had cast pewter forend caps. You can recreate this by using a bake on finish from Brownells in stainless color. I did a GPR with it and it looks good. Just spray it on and bake in the oven at 350* for 30 minuets.

 

[Zonie]

I'm not sure I understand why your considering using glue if your planning on screwing it on. I guess I would have to be there to see exactly what you have to deal with.

IMO, glue, no matter how good it is, will loose it's grip after time passes. Yes, the better glues last longer, but sooner or later they will quit working. This is especially true if you live in a humid area where the wood is constantly expanding and contracting.

Nosecaps that are cast onto the stock always have features in the wood for the cast material to lock onto (like grooves or holes thru the wood from the outside, into the barrel channel. That's why they stay in place for 100 years.

I haven't browned a permanently installed part, so I can't be much help in answering your question except to make a guess.
My guess is the acid or solution would stain the wood. If it didn't, the rust you card off of the part would.

 

[bioprof]

Zonie,

The reason that I'm considering gluing it is because I was up very late last night trying to fit the forend cap, and was getting frustrated :curse: and probably removed more wood than I needed too, so I'm afraid it might be loose even if I try screwing it though the ramrod channel. Also, I thought gluing it would hold it in place so I could get a screw in without it shifting and pulling away from the forend. I guess I'm just paranoid that putting one screw in through the ramrod channel won't hold it tight enough.

 

If it were me (and it's not) I would use Acra glas or whatever you call the two part epoxy bedding compound dyed bown or whatever your finished stock color will be just in case a bit of it shows. Only do this after your stock is completly finished and the end cap is browned. If the surface of the wood is roughed up a bit as well as the mating surface of the inside of the cap it will help form a sort of mechanical lock to help keep it from coming apart. I used Birchwood Casey Plum Brown on my GPRs and browning is authentic for those types of rifles but other finishes may also be correct. Using the bedding compound will help fill any air spaces between the wood and metal and help keep the joint sealed up against moisture. I would also suggest waiting to hear from some of our top of the line builders on this forum. I know some are probably at Friendship right now and away from their computers. Good luck. :hatsoff:

 

Me, I favor not browning the nose cap. Here's my Lyman GPR, Lucifer, which I built from a kit back in '82.

I left the nose cap and the entry pipe as is, didn't even polish it out. Just waxed it with beewax. Now, it has a dull grey patina, just like lead pewter. I even put a grease hole in the butt. If building a Hawkens style rifle, you may want want to look up a book called "The Plains Rifle" by Hanson. I spent several months reading and re-reading that tome. Well, proof's in the pudding, just compare my photo to those in the book.

If you did removed too much wood, then the acraglass is a good way to go.

Just :m2c: