First Gun Build Questions

[Birddog6]

IMHO, Most newbie rifles need Accraglassed under the breech. Ones I have seen usually end up with too much wood hogged out under the barrel, as the builder has issues getting the barrel back & finding the culprit causing the hangup.
Accraglass doesn't hurt a thing & is very helpful when used in the correct instance. Hidden in the breech area under a barrel to make a perfect breech fit is a good instance.
If not, if that barrel starts slamming against a few pieces of pronounced wood instead a solid piece, things start cracking & moving. :shake:

Keith Lisle

 

Okay, so here is what I found out last night. I took the whole thing apart, and started to inset the pins one at a time. On teh second pin, I saw the gap happen. I traced this back to the lug slot not being long enough. I elongated this, and that solved the problem.

When I do install the tang bolt though, I just made sure the bolt was snug, and it pulled it forward and a small gap came up though. Any way to prevent this?

 

[jdkerstetter]

I agree Keith with your whole post and under the barrel is much different than above or behind it. Epoxy bedding has it's place. I just don't like to see it and think it should be used only as a last resort.

It shouldn't be used as a crutch to avoid the correct fix. What do we learn from that? Enjoy, J.D.

 

[jdkerstetter]

Gap fixed great. Perseverance pays off. If the barrel fit before you did the underlugs, it had to fit after. There you go! :applause: :applause: :applause:

I've adressed your tang bolt issue in a PT as you haven't provided enough information here to determine the best remedy.

Enjoy, J.D.

 

[Col. Batguano]

well, at least it was just the barrel lug, which is only 1/8" thick, and I was way out on the end of it away from the barrel. And the barrel was clamped in a metal vice as a heat sink, and the lug is out there in the middle of the barrel, where the pressures are way less than at the breech. For instance, in a 30-`06, breech pressure is about 54,000 psi, but out where it operates the gas system in a Garand, it drops to about 5000. In a BP gun we're usually starting with about 15,000 psi at the breech, so where this lug is it's probably dropped down to 1/3 of breech pressure, or less.

I guess the thing to do is to give it to someone I don't like but owe money to to shoot it for the very first time and let them test it. If they survive, I win. If they don't, I win again!

 

well, at least it was just the barrel lug, which is only 1/8" thick, and I was way out on the end of it away from the barrel. And the barrel was clamped in a metal vice as a heat sink, and the lug is out there in the middle of the barrel, where the pressures are way less than at the breech. For instance, in a 30-`06, breech pressure is about 54,000 psi, but out where it operates the gas system in a Garand, it drops to about 5000. In a BP gun we're usually starting with about 15,000 psi at the breech, so where this lug is it's probably dropped down to 1/3 of breech pressure, or less.

I guess the thing to do is to give it to someone I don't like but owe money to to shoot it for the very first time and let them test it. If they survive, I win. If they don't, I win again!

???? Confused...

 

[jdkerstetter]

See his "In response to" tag...he's was replying to Mike's earlier post directed at him. Enjoy, J.D.

 

Okay, well a bunch of things came together this morning and I am very happy. I lock plate and got the rear screw set into it. I inlet the side plate for the lock bolt. I fixed a screw-up that I made with regards to the forward lock bolt (it appears that I forgot to account for the girth of the bolt and where the mainspring is on the lock). I plugged the hole with a bit of 8-32 bolt, and the redrilled and tapped the hole location. The bolt will be on a slight angle but I think I will be able to live with that. And lastly, I made sure the lock actually tripped when the triggers were pulled. I had a little issue with this as the hammer was rubbing up against the stock, but pulled out my trusty sharp chisel and eased that up a bit and now it works just fine. All in all, a great morning.

If you look closely, you can see the plugged bolt hole up front. Once I get the frizzen spring in, you won't even see it.

I sanded this down a bit to smooth this out after this picture was taken.

 

[jdkerstetter]

Are you putting a "draft" on your parts before you inlet them as recommended here and in the books?

You will find your inlets much tighter if you do. Enjoy, J.D.

 

Yes, except I forgot to do that with the sideplate. Oops.

 

[Zonie]

As you found, almost all flintlocks need some clearance between the cock and the wood.
This clearance is one of the tips looked for when wondering if an original rifle was converted from a flintlock to percussion or if it was originally a percussion rifle.

Anyway, you may want to increase the clearance between the cock and the wood.
If it is "barely clearing" now it will rub after you apply the stock finish.

 

I actually did clear it a little more after the pictures were taken as I noticed how close it was and I figured with the finish and possibly the wood swelling a bit might cause issues.

So from what you wrote, I take it a percussion won't have this wood removed? I've never owned a percussion other than a Sharps Carbine, but that's a breech loader.

 

[Bruce Bogart]

Percussion stops on the nipple. flint stops on the lockplate. Nope percussion doesn't need lock panel relief.