I read the Mike Brooks Rifle building tutorial. I had no idea how much work went into a rifle! Really makes me understand the prices on the custom rifles. Anyway, it got me wondering how a barrel is pinned into place. I saw how he drilled all the holes, but how do you do the put in the pins? Are they hammered to enlarge them on both ends, similar to a rivit? Is this the same way pinned knife handles are attached?
How do you pin a part?
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I guess my problem is that I don't understand "pinned". Is the pin tapered or straight? What holds it in place? Is it driven in tight like a nail? Are they pre-cut to length or driven in and then cut flush? Steel, brass, or something else?
The pins are usually straight and are a tight fit with the stock.
I drill my pin holes with a drill which is the same diameter as the pin. In my case, that is a 5/64 dia drill and pin.
Although you would think this would make the pin a loose fit, it rarely is. This is because the installed pin is holding the barrel and the stock wood together snugly, so it is side loaded as the barrel and stock try to seperate.
Also, the hole in the wood usually shrinks in size a little when the oil finish is applied.
Although many of the builders here will say a person shouldn't remove the pins unless it is really necessary, I usually remove my pins and barrel to clean it and haven't noticed the pins becoming loose from repeated installation and removal. The key to this is I use a undersize 1/16 dia pin to drive the barrel pins out so that the "removal tool" doesn't enlarge the holes.
If you build a gun, you will find that you will remove the barrel from the stock many times between the time you first drill and install the pins and the time the gun is finally finished.
This repeated installation and removal doesn't seem to affect the fit then either.
The pins by the way should have a very small chamfer on their ends so when they are installed, they can "pick up" the hole in the underlug even though it may not be perfectly aligned with the axis of the pin.
zonie
I drill my pin holes with a drill which is the same diameter as the pin. In my case, that is a 5/64 dia drill and pin.
Although you would think this would make the pin a loose fit, it rarely is. This is because the installed pin is holding the barrel and the stock wood together snugly, so it is side loaded as the barrel and stock try to seperate.
Also, the hole in the wood usually shrinks in size a little when the oil finish is applied.
Although many of the builders here will say a person shouldn't remove the pins unless it is really necessary, I usually remove my pins and barrel to clean it and haven't noticed the pins becoming loose from repeated installation and removal. The key to this is I use a undersize 1/16 dia pin to drive the barrel pins out so that the "removal tool" doesn't enlarge the holes.
If you build a gun, you will find that you will remove the barrel from the stock many times between the time you first drill and install the pins and the time the gun is finally finished.
This repeated installation and removal doesn't seem to affect the fit then either.
The pins by the way should have a very small chamfer on their ends so when they are installed, they can "pick up" the hole in the underlug even though it may not be perfectly aligned with the axis of the pin.
zonie
Sorry, I should have explained it better. I use a straight nail/pin (steel) so that it can be driven out from either side. I drill the hole the same size of the pin that I am going to use and the friction of the wood or the metal holds it in place. Sometimes the things loosen up and sometimes pins fall out in older firearms, but most of time this is not the case. I pre-cut my pins to length and slightly taper either end so that it does not catch any wood and create a chip-out. Hope this helps. :v
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Peter Alexander's The Gunsmith of Grenville County describes elongating the hole through which the pin travels (this is the hole in the underlug). you may want to condider elongating this hole (which would run parallel to the axis of the bore) so that variations in expansion rates between the wood of the stock and the steel of the barrel won't change your point of impact as the wood expands and contracts in warmer or wetter weather. i'm not sure if this is all that big a deal, or if i've spent a bunch of time and effort that could have been better spent cussin' politicians or drinking beer or (better yet) at the range practicing and becomming a better shot.
anyway, i commend the book to your consideration. (if, by the way, Zonie says that i'm all wet, you would do better to pay attention to him.)
good luck!
msw
anyway, i commend the book to your consideration. (if, by the way, Zonie says that i'm all wet, you would do better to pay attention to him.)
good luck!
msw
The pin is held in place by the tension of the stock against the barrel. When you drill the hole, you have the barrel and stock clamped tightly together at that point. When you put in the pin and release the clamp, the pin is held tight by the barrel and stock springing against each other. That's how it works.
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