enlarging ramrod hole

[Hierarkie]

I'm new here with a question on a .36 cal. FL I'm starting to put together with a pre-carved and a bunch of parts. I need a ramrod hole slightly larger than 5/16". All is well until the bore goes in the enclosed area the last 3-4" at the breech. Here it is drilled 5/16" for about an inch then gets smaller for some reason. Unfortunately, the wood I need to hog away is on the bottom of the bore, so a regular drill bit would make the web to thin. Any ideas would be appreciated. BTW, this is a great website for pointers, but I have to scroll fast through the pictures of great work so I don't get so intimidated that I take up a new hobby. :grin:

 

[Col. Batguano]

How thin is your web at the breech? I usually go with 5/32" at the breech of swamped barrels and #8 lock bolts. That means you have to aim very carefully when drilling them because those bolts are 1/8", and the web isn't much thicker than the 5/32" where the bolt goes through.

You've got several options;
1.) Use a tapered ram rod thinning it the last little bit. Odds are your ram rod will need to be smaller than 5/16" any way to fit in there without a mallet.
2.) Go ahead and use a regular long drill bit and make the hole your 5/16" the whole way. When you place your forward bolt, it's ok if it breaks in to the barrel channel a little bit. Just use a file and relieve that area with a slight lateral groove where the bolt is in the barrel itself. Nobody will see it anyway.
3.) Use a # 6 size bolt for your front bolt. that will give you a little more clearance.
4.) Don't use a front lock bolt to go all the way through. Just put in a faux bolt in the left side plate. Not a recommended technique though.

Welcome to the Forum!

 

[Birddog6]

Go forward about 4" from the end of the breech, in the bottom of the barrel inlet & drill a 1/8" hole from the barrel inlet into the RR hole. Then you can SEE for sure the thickness there & what you are working with. Otherwise, you are guessing. :wink: When done just cut a tiny plug & glue it in.

I drill out RR holes all the time. I never use one as the size they come.... I go minimum of 1/32" oversize usually & have done them 1/16" over.

Keith Lisle

 

[pondoro]

I lengthened a ram rod hole with a home-made bit. I ground a piece of steel rod into a rude drill bit, ground the far end into two flats and turned it with a wrench. I had to lengthen the channel about 3/4" and it worked very well. I think you could enlarge a hole the same way. I will post pictures.

 

[Swamp Rat]

I did similar. I had to do the entire length from 5/16 to 3/8", I used a steel rod from hardware store about 6 bucks, grounded similar to the one above just a little thicker blade. drilled it down with cordless drill. needed it a little larger, so took a hammer lightly tapped a burr on the other end and scrapped it out the rest of the way.

 

[Hierarkie]

Thanks all, gave me some ideas. Looks like I may have to make a tool. Either way the thickness check is a good idea to check it at the breech. I'm trying to think of something that cuts on the side and not the nose so I can apply downward pressure on the rod during drilling to keep it from taking out more web (doesn't look like I have much the way it is). I have the 48"x5/16" $6 rod. So far I have thought of an end mill bit, a forstner bit, a carbide cylinder burr, and a roto-zip bit. Can't think of a way to weld them together due to the metallurgy issues. Mother invention may have to help me make another necessity, or something like that.

 

[don hepler]

I'm not sure that I follow, exactly what you're trying to accomplish. But, maybe you could stipple the 5/16 rod on the sides, to make it cut like a rasp. I have used drill rod to make drills, and I sharpen them to the same angle as a regular drill (118 degree)with a cutting point similar to an endmill. I grind the sides similar to a flat blade screwdriver, then shape the cutting surface.

 

[Vaino]

Have done this on one LR because the RR hole was too high and broke out into the bbl inlet.

I cut a 4-1/2" long slot,nearly the width of the bottom flat of the bbl inlet, chiseled the bottom of the RR hole so the RR touched the end of the hole. Then inserted the RR hole drill and glued a closely fitted piece of maple that rested on the RR drill. The wooden insert was then chiseled smooth w/ the bottom bbl flat. Worked out nicely because everything was visible w/ no harm to the stock.....Fred

 

[Birddog6]

Too much trouble. Weld or braze a drill bit to a rod & drill it.



This one is actualyl for drilling a new hole (flat ground end) this bit was turned & threaded, rod drilled & threaded & bit is threaded into the rod.



Ken Guy made a lil scraper out of a rod with a blade ground in the end & it had tension in it so you push it in & it would scrap pulling out. Also have seen them routered out from the barrel inlet, down into the RR hole to move it or enlarge it.

But I always just drill it larger. If I buy a Precarved/preshaped stock, first thing I do is drill a 1/8" hole in the barrel inlet & see how much web I have for a front lock bolt. If not enough room for one, I send it back. I am not paying for 2nds, I want it drilled Correctly.

Keith Lisle

 

[Swamp Rat]

I was thinking of welding a drill bit to the end of the rod but was worried about warping it and/or not getting it straight. I just rounded the end so it would track center of the hole that was already drilled, then ground it flat about a half inch up the rod for cutting edge like a paddle bit left it about 3/16" thick. I only had to do this for one rifle so it did not even bother trying to harden the steel, ended up sharpened the edges three times for the lenght I had to do. Slow but worked. if your confident in your welding/brazing it straight. Birddog is telling your the RIGHT way to do it.

 

[Hierarkie]

Don't think I can send it back. I had a friend buy it, the lock and all the rest of the furniture in 1980 at Friendship. How's that for procrastinating. Every year I would tell myself to get started, then take off on something else. This time I have committed myself to it. Bucket may not be upright much longer.

I'm going to fashion a side cutting point on a long rod as suggested. Thanks for all the help, I'm sure I'll be back. BTW, I'm thinking along the lines of a Dickert based on the stock profile. Ambitious, I know but with 1980 prices I won't lose a lot.

 

[crockett]

Well, if you want to do it the cheap and easy way I'd take a wood dowel and taper one end until it fully seated in the ramrod hole. Then I would use Elmer's glue and glue sandpaper to the tapered portion. Overlap in the direction of rotation when gluing the paper. Use a hand drill at slow speed to slightly increase the diameter at the breech end.
But...if it were I, I think a lot of originals had tapered ramrods, I'd just taper the end of the rod.

 

[Birddog6]

Just a note to ALL:

Anytime you drill a RR hole or Enlarge one with a drill, I suggest a Cordless drill with a adjustable torque setting, and pull that drill bit out MANY times & clear the chips OFTEN.

You bind one up in the stock & it can be a real bugger to get it back out !

When I drill one, I make a wood bearing/guides for the RR groove (usually 3) & I run the drill in about 2" & back it out & clear the chips, then back in again & repeat, until I have it all drilled.

I don't suggest drilling one O/S with a blade bit, as the first time I ever tried it & got in about 6" and the blade hung & it cracked the forestock. So since then I have always used a metal cutting spiral bit & have had no issues.

But again I stress Back Out & Cleans out the Chips Often.

Keith Lisle

 

[Col. Batguano]

I would suggest using a long drill bit (to weld on to your extension rod) rather than a short one. If you can't get everything lined up just right for the weld, at least the knuckle of the joined pieces will be outside the wood rather than inside it. that also at least poses the POSSIBILITY of extraction if in fact your weld fails. That doesn't happen often, but sometimes does with us amateur welders. If a small bit busts off inside the lower forearm you're going to have to do some fancy thinking to get it out without doing open pit mining for it.

 

[Birddog6]

Yep, that would work..... :idunno: :grin: But if ya don't know how to weld, ya have no business welding it anyway. :hmm: Also, ya dress it up, roll the new long bit on a flat surface & if it is not straight, ya simply heat & bend it to make it straight.

Thinking on that, I have also done a 1" Lap Jointed connection & silver solder braze the lap joint together. May have been Fred that sent me a photo of one he did. I tried it & it worked fine too. :hmm:

Keith Lisle

 

[pondoro]

If you grind flats on the other end from the cutting end and turn it by hand you should be able to avoid cracking the stock. I agree that welding a drill bit on a rod is best but since I had a grinder but no welder I made my rude homemade drill.

 

[Birddog6]

Oh, I have no doubt in my mind that your drill will work. :bow:

Keith Lisle

 

[kaintuck]

TOTW sells ready made bits....... :hatsoff:

Copy one with a dremel carbide cutter......it's easy.....

Or, like I did, trained some carpender ants to eat the channel out...... :rotf: :slap:

Marc n tomtom

 

[Col. Batguano]

..

Or, like I did, trained some carpender ants to eat the channel out...... :rotf: :slap:

Marc n tomtom

You made your stocks from Chinese Chu wood didn't you? :rotf: