Redhat said:
RB,
That doesn't sound toom promising at all! Do TC Renegades vary so much that they can't make the barrels to fit without all that?
First, I'll only speak to Hawkens as I don't use Renegades, but feel confident that my answere would apply to both.
While I'm sure there may be some minor variations in stock dimensions over the years, they are never-the-less built to TCs specifications and TC barrels don't have these problems dropping in.
My conclusion is that GM decided on a set of design specs for their barrels and what they settled on evidently results in a couple ares like the tenon and underrib being built to the extreme tolerances in one direction.
Then when a Hawken is encountered which is manufactured within TCs specs but possibly at the extreme end of its tolerance range, opposite from how the GM barrel was built, the GM does not just drop right in.
I don't know what else could cause it because the TC barrels always drop right in...everyone else's insight is welcome of course.
NOTE:
If you modify that new barrel your warranty will probably be voided...and if you might try to resell the barrel, that may be a turn-off to a prospect buyer and/or in may then not fit a different Renegade.
It's easy and simple to fix the tenon with a file or belt sander in just a couple minutes and it's not a permanent modification...if you ever needed to you could simply buy a new tenon for a couple bucks and screw it on.
My .02 cents...