my edward marshall build

[Robby]

Mike, I'm no perfectionist but I always figure if I aim for the stars and hit the sun or the moon, I can pretty much live with that. On the gaps around the tail of the lock, I would take a hand plane to some scrap maple set the blade at a slight angle, of a depth slightly larger then the widest part of the gap, take the curls and match them up and glue them in. You can even soak them in water to make them a little more malleable. Are you using a barrel liner?
Robby

 

[hoochiepapa]

Barrel liner? No sir. I don't even know what you mean. This is a Colerain swamped barrel in .58

 

[Robby]

Mike, Sorry, meant touch hole liner.
Robby

 

[gsday]

Mike,

There are a couple ways to fix the inletting gap. I'm sure one of these skilled fellas will help with a suggestion.

I've had the plug face / touch hole condition you have.

I installed my liner flush with the interior of the barrel and filed a neet, smooth divet in the plug face to channel the powder to the liner. Works fine.

I've gotten a little less rattled by these types of things over the last couple of years.

It's always something!!!! Heck, wouldn't be any fun if it just fell together. Would it?

Good luck.

Greg

 

[Capt. Fred]

Hmmm, it is hard to tell from the pic but it looks like the face of the breech plug is dead center with the pan? Is that right?

If so I don't think it is that big a deal at all. I think I'd skip a touch hole liner and just drill a normal touch hole. You may end up needing a small groove in the face of the breech plug as mentioned above. Some folks do it that way on purpose but I don't like the fouling trap issue so I usuall try for 1/8 inch of clearance or so. But, either way it should work fine as long as you don't have to remove too much plug.

 

[hoochiepapa]

Thanks for all the replies! Capt. Fred, the reason I mentioned the breech face position is to show that I couldn't have moved the lock. I think there is enough room to drill right in front of the plug. As you say, it's hard to tell from the pics.
I want to do a bang-up job on this one, I met a lady at our jeweler's today, whose husband is a Marine, who may be interested.

 

[hoochiepapa]

Mike,

There are a couple ways to fix the inletting gap. I'm sure one of these skilled fellas will help with a suggestion.

I've had the plug face / touch hole condition you have.

I installed my liner flush with the interior of the barrel and filed a neet, smooth divet in the plug face to channel the powder to the liner. Works fine.

I've gotten a little less rattled by these types of things over the last couple of years.

It's always something!!!! Heck, wouldn't be any fun if it just fell together. Would it?

Good luck.

Greg

Yessir, I sound upset, but in reality, it's all a learning process. Problem solving. I think Robby gave me the best answer to the gap problem. This stick of wood is a high dollar item at TOW, and look at all the problems. THink of the person, if this had not been a bargain, trying to make an heirloom. Back to work!!
:idunno:

 

[Birddog6]

Here we go again!! How am I gonna fix this?? The black mark on the barrel is the end of the breech plug. So as you can see, I didn't have much of a choice as to where to put the lock plate.

Mike, the barrel is where YOU put it, it is not TOW's fault. They don't know exactly where you want the barrel. EVERY preinlet stock I have ever bought left it up to the Buyer to put the barrel where THEY want it.
I have went over & over & over this on this site about Preinlet stocks.

In this case, had it been me & I was using a vent liner, I would have backed the barrel up a tad more to allow for the vent liner & the breechplug threads not to intersect.

Procedure should have been:


1: Lock in 75/85% of the way, so you know for sure where the pan will be to the barrel. .
2: Barrel inlet to where YOU put the barrel to clear the breechplug & vent liner threads..
3: Tang put back on barrel & tang inlet.
4: Underlugs on barrel & inlet them & then pin barrel in
5: Lock in all the way & bolted to the rifle.
6: Trigger inlet to proper place.
7: Tang hole drilled & bolted to Triggerplate
8: Now do the LOP & get it where ya want it.

and so on.

So, the option now is to move the barrel back & fill in the gaps with wood slivers or go with what ya have & deal with the vent liner or vent hole being now where ya want it.

Keith Lisle

 

[Vaino]

Seeing your plug face is centered w/ the pan and the tang is inlet, I'd go w/ a plain TH and install an inside "parabolic cone" using one of Tom Snyder's smaller coning tools. You still must "funnel" the plug face but not as much as w/ using a TH liner. Keith's sage advice asre bbl set back on precarves many times goes unheeded and evidently he's a patient man to reiterate this advice time after time. I've built a few LRs from precarves and even w/ the best of them, there are still miscues, so I now build from a blank and buying a 2nd is asking for unneeded troubles. Good luck......Fred

 

[sc45-70]

I think you will be able to install a vent liner.
The breech plug will have to be removed to fit the interior of the vent liner to the bore, so drill and tap the vent hole WITH THE BREECH PLUG REMOVED!
Before installing the vent reinstall the breech plug and mark the location of the liner on the plug.
Now remove the plug and file or grind a small trough for the powder to flow to the vent.
This isn't a big deal as I have done this several times with very good results!
Just my thoughts!
SC45-70

 

[hoochiepapa]

Keith, Fred, and SC;
I knew where the barrel was going to be, in relaton to the lock mortise. I knew I could move the barrel back, and I knew I was just going to drill the vent. I never planned on using a liner. I just think the mortises could have been closer. My fault was that I didn't check to see the fit of everything first.
Thanks for all the input. It will turn out ok, I just have to do more work than I planned.

 

[Vaino]

If the plain drilled TH is centered w/ the plug face, a generous "funnel" relief into the plug face is still req'd or the crud will pile up and block the TH when a wet patch is run down the bore. Also, this style of MLer has a hefty bbl which translates into a long TH. As always, good luck....Fred

 

[Birddog6]

Mike. If you planned on setting it up for a vent hole, then I would proceed with that.

If the vent hole is blocked, then you have to decide if you want to go back with the barrel more or cut a groove in the breechplug face.

When I first started building I cut several that way cause I was told they were all that way. Then I found out they were not all that way, so now I move the vent hole forward a tad.

It is something you have to decide. I feel it is best the breechplug threads are sealed & nothing invades that seal. Some see it differently & cut into them on every rifle. I just prefer not to.

One thing some do I definitely do not like is putting a vent liner in & it locking the breechplug in place. Down the road that is going to cause someone allot of trouble most likely.

Keith Lisle

 

[hoochiepapa]

Thanks, Keith, I will keep that in mind.

 

[hoochiepapa]

Measure twice, cut once. I put a ramrod down the barrel, and I have this black mark just about 1/8" in front of the breech face. So all is well!!
And it seems as I inlet the lockplate, it goes down further than the semi-inlet, and it just may cover those gaps I was all worried about. Time will tell. Pic won't load-tried three times.
Thanks for all the advice.

 

[mtdew]

Mike,its lookin better all the time, and I'm learnin somthing ever time u post. One thing I've noticed as I look at expensive finished rifles for sale is that there are inletting gaps on most all of them.And folks pay mucho bucks for these guns. I guess what I'm gettin at is dont sweat it.Even with a few hairline gaps it will be worth big wampum.BUT, if you are like me(perfectionist),just knowing the flaw is there drives me CRAZY!

 

[hoochiepapa]

Yeah, I thought those gaps at the rear of the lock were going to come out as I inletted, but it doesn't look like it. I'll figger some thing out.
Thanks for the encouragement.

 

[mtdew]

I like the idea of putting a little sliver of wood in them. I dont think I would of thought of that. See!I learned something else!Great forum!!!

 

[hoochiepapa]

Yes, this is a great site. Lots of knowledge.
I'm quitting for the day, I was going to drill the lockplate holes but remembered I have to make a side plate. Gotta practice engraving.

 

[hoochiepapa]

Here's a dilemna. I was going to try to copy the Edward Marshall rifle, and there are two different ones that are claimed to be his. On one site, the rifle has a single trigger, some carving, and they give the dimensions for the wrist, butt plate, etc.
Then in RCA #41, Shumway explains the rifle has no engraving on the furniture, but shows some geat carving, most of which is inscised. It also has a double trigger. So I guess I can't copy the "Edward Marshall" after all, because I don't know which is the real one. And TOW doesn't have a copy of the butt plate from either.
Time to be imaginative!