Finishing nails for barrel pins

[necchi]

Does any one know there is a difference between finish nails and wire nails that are used for finishing?

 

[TDM]

Nope.

 

[SDSmlf]

Please read these three rules on this site. I feel many here didn't read it or forgot it.

13: Sometimes, the discussions get rather heated. Please remember to stick to the subject matter and don't attack the messenger. You may debate the topic, but you may not personally attack the members for posting something you disagree with. Everyone here has a right to their opinion.

14: If your post attacks (comments on) the poster, instead of addressing the subject matter, your post will be deleted. If this happens too many times, your account will be deleted.

15: Please keep in mind, if you get banned, the old "he started it" defense won't fly here.

Guessing there has been a thread cleanup in the adult beverage aisle…….

No reason why a finishing nail or any other ferrous material wouldn’t work for a pin. Personally, examples of pin material I would definitely avoid include copper, brass, wood or plastic, but honestly haven’t tried these options, among others one may think of.

I have heard folks say wire coat hangers work just fine, but I’m going first class and am willing spending the extra dollar or so for better pins in my builds. Necessary? I don’t know. But I find it hard to understand how someone will expect to sell a gun for maybe thousands of dollars, yet complain about the cost of a material upgrade for a handful of pins that adds less that a few bucks to the cost of a build.

But there just aren’t any specifications for custom builds.

Back to @sqqy14 ‘s OP. Someone just trying to pin an old gun’s stock and barrel. Use what fits. I doubt the rules committee will be by anytime soon to make an inspection.

 

[sussexmuzllodr]

Does any one know there is a difference between finish nails and wire nails that are used for finishing?

I guess if it,s a finishing nail and you used it...it,s finished....

 

[Eterry]

If you guys are through being serious then there's no reason to keep this thread open.
It's up to you guys.

 

[Reno]

I have used them for years with no issues. Still working after 40 years in a couple.

 

[Tenring]

This is why you never ask a simple question on a forum you will get a million and one ways on how and why to do it and aunt tillys opinion, just do it the way you think is best. LOL.

 

[toot]

I have used finish nails for over 50+ yrs. also. just cut off both ends, the head & pointed end, touch it up with a file, and insert it.

 

[Whughett]

Your talking rifle, no experience here with that but an 1860 Colt army revolver uses two pins to align the barrel. I used stainless siding nails to replace both on one of mine. Several years and hundreds of rounds fired and they are both still intact b

 

[painter]

Does any one know there is a difference between finish nails and wire nails that are used for finishing?

If you're talking about gun nails, they're not round.

 

[Fitzhugh Williams]

FWIW, the little flags that are used to mark underground utilities have a 1/16 shaft and make great pins. Any hardware store sells them, or you can just re-purpose some you happen to run across.

 

[oldwood]

The only suggestion from me in this threshing is ,keep your pins small , and measure the pin for the correct drill size. Slot the pin lugs so the barrel can move a bit. And as Fitzhugh says , the 1/16" wire shaftson marker flags work well and most hardware stores have new shiny ones. They don't stand out if slight drilling misque's happen.

 

[Eric Krewson]

I started taking apart a beautiful rifle a friend gave me on his deathbed, the trigger had problems. As I punched out the trigger guard pins, I found that the builder used finishing nails for the pins but left the heads on them. The rifle was built in the early 70s, obviously by a hobby builder.

Every pin I punched out took a chip out of the stock on its exit because of the nail heads, I fixed the chips and replaced the pins I removed with music wire. I wanted to remove the barrel but didn't want to chip out any more places on the stock.

The rifle has amazing wood in it;

 

[th1840]

I figure the guns that we would like own (the ones 200years old) probably used a nail of sort or forged bc they'd didn"t have access to piano wire so the used what they had. We need to lighten up and use what you decide to, it's your gun my humble opinion, thanks

 

[tenngun]

Guessing there has been a thread cleanup in the adult beverage aisle…….

No reason why a finishing nail or any other ferrous material wouldn’t work for a pin. Personally, examples of pin material I would definitely avoid include copper, brass, wood or plastic, but honestly haven’t tried these options, among others one may think of.

I have heard folks say wire coat hangers work just fine, but I’m going first class and am willing spending the extra dollar or so for better pins in my builds. Necessary? I don’t know. But I find it hard to understand how someone will expect to sell a gun for maybe thousands of dollars, yet complain about the cost of a material upgrade for a handful of pins that adds less that a few bucks to the cost of a build.

But there just aren’t any specifications for custom builds.

Back to @sqqy14 ‘s OP. Someone just trying to pin an old gun’s stock and barrel. Use what fits. I doubt the rules committee will be by anytime soon to make an inspection.

Ok this was ‘something I read’ u think back in the 1980s. I can’t link to it or confirm it, I don’t know where the picture of the gun would be, but here goes.
It was a photo of a New England made sporting gun. Half stock with poured pewter end cap. The stock was maple and well figured. The underrib was cherry and dark over the years to almost black. There were three tendons on the barrel inlet in to the cherry underrib. And two ramrod pipes. All were held on by locust thorn pins, they were almost invisible on the dark cherry, though I expect they were black spots on red wood when new.

 

[th1840]

I started taking apart a beautiful rifle a friend gave me on his deathbed, the trigger had problems. As I punched out the trigger guard pins, I found that the builder used finishing nails for the pins but left the heads on them. The rifle was built in the early 70s, obviously by a hobby builder.

Every pin I punched out took a chip out of the stock on its exit because of the nail heads, I fixed the chips and replaced the pins I removed with music wire. I wanted to remove the barrel but didn't want to chip out any more places on the stock.

The rifle has amazing wood in it;

View attachment 212378

Beautiful wood

 

[Mikekj]

A number 4 finishing nail (plain, not bright) and a number 50 drill bit work just fine. Drill the hole, then ream it just a little with the same bit, and you get a nice fit.

Bright finish are plain nails.
Bright means polished.

 

[The Crisco Kid]

For informational purposes, our local Ace hardware has 3' lengths of music wire in various diameters. Whether it or nails are used for barrel pins is a personal matter.

 

[MikeWas]

Pretty easy to start an argument around here.

Everybody knows there is one & only one correct way to do anything, and that would be my way!

 

[beardedhorse]

Cut off the four flanges on the point and index each pin with a file or saw mark to correspond with the right barrel lug. Put your mark on the right or left end of each pin so you know what direction to always enter the hole. If they are loose or fall out you can bend them slightly. Break the edges (sharp ends) of the pin to not scrape or damage on the wood on the forestock or any other place you use the pins. Personally I prefer drill rod for most applications especially ramrod thimbles.