Need Help on Barrel Inleting

[burgessrudy]

I'm a first time builder trying to build a Chambers Virginia Rifle. I am trying to inlet the barrel but I cannot get it to seat on the bottom flat. I can't see anything holding it up but it rocks a little like a seasaw . I tried inletting black on the bottom and got a diagonal line on the bottom flat. Would this be a high spot as it is not touching anywhere else?

 

[Vaino]

Is the bbl rocking fore and aft?

 

[burgessrudy]

Yes, when I push down on the front or near the front of the barrel the back pops up and vice-versa.

 

You need to use more inletting black, an dfind the high spots. As this is your first build you are in the right place, but I also suggest a good building book, like Dixon's, or Alexanders, and since you have a Chambers kit, I'd give Barbie a call and see about getting their video on building. yer doing the right thing. When ya get stumped, give a pause, and ask l\questions. Good luck

Bill

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Yes, when I push down on the front or near the front of the barrel the back pops up and vice-versa.

Get a long straight edge and check out bottom flat for vertical stock warpage? This is often common and if not extreme poses no problem as the thin forearm will conform to the barrel.

 

I'm a first time builder trying to build a Chambers Virginia Rifle. I am trying to inlet the barrel but I cannot get it to seat on the bottom flat. I can't see anything holding it up but it rocks a little like a seasaw . I tried inletting black on the bottom and got a diagonal line on the bottom flat. Would this be a high spot as it is not touching anywhere else?

All that has been mention is good advise , and has been mentioned to check for straightness with a straight edge remember that with a muzzleloader the "Barrel supports the stock"..not like a modern rifle where the stock supports the barrel. The forarm may have a bow in it and if so it can be clamped to the barrel .Then remove clamp and look to see what the inletting black shows then. If it is black the lenght of the barrel the stock can be clamped to the barrel when you go to pin or wedge the barrel tennons what ever way you are going to attach it. And ask questions when in doubt. Main thing is go slow and take your time. And with the style kit you have the only power tool that will probably be needed it a drill. Forget the dremmel , router , ect. all you are doing is fine tuning what already has been done.
And when in doubt ask questions :thumbsup:
Good luck and enjoy the build

 

[grey8833]

burgessrudy:
Onething to watch on the inletting black (from Zonie) buy a stencil brush from a craft store with instructions on how to use it (pat, don't paint, use only enough to get a shawdow). Use the stencil brush to apply the inletting black, you get a much chrisper shadow and much, much less mess of the otherwise gooy stuff.

Go with the advice on the straight edge, just to get a good picture of what is going on under the barrel - and absolutely get a book or even better a video (or both).

Mike F

 

I don't know what a straight edge will tell you in a barrel channel cut for a swamped barrel???. I have much better results with soot from a kerosene lamp rather than inletting black to locate high spots.

 

[rich pierce]

I solder a piece of brass to the top flat of the barrel, sticking out an inch on either side. Any old scrap piece say 3/4" wide x 2" long. Then I can lift the barrel straight up using this and a peg in the muzzle. If you are levering the barrel out from the muzzle end, invariably you will transfer black at the breech bottom flat, just because you are levering it.

Use plenty of inletting black on the bottom 3 flats and next to none on the side flats.

 

[burgessrudy]

The Stock is warped. The warpage can be seen most noticably in the forearm from about 4 inches back from the end.

 

[Vaino]

Have you squared the breech end using the center of the pan of the inletted lock as a reference to where you want the bbl touch hole? After this is done, I would install the bbl lugs, clamp the bbl and stock together and drill the pin holes....once this is done, the warp is irrelevant. By the way, I use a parallel clamp at the breech and a dowel at the muzzle to lift the bbl from the inlet......Fred

 

No matter what shape the barrel channel is you can still lay a straight edge in the barrel channel from the breech area to the muzzle and hence see if there is a warpage in the stock. Figured grain wood often will move and being the barrel mounts the stock and NOT the stock mounts the barrel you can clamp the stock to get it in place and then pin it to the tennons without it effecting the accuracy.

 

No matter what shape the barrel channel is you can still lay a straight edge in the barrel channel from the breech area to the muzzle and hence see if there is a warpage in the stock.

That sounds like a technique that would be good to know. How do you do it?. Would you use measured blocks at either end?

 

I use a piece of steel about 3/4 inch wide 1/8 inch thick and 4 foot long. Just lay it in the barrel channel and see if it rocks back and forth. And you can see if the stock has some warpage from cutting . Most figured wood will constantly move. I build cabinets and have built them with figured cherry and the doors on a cabinet will move when it get really humid out. The wood they were built out of was at 6% moisture content when I built them so it was kiln dried well. Curley maple is actually really figured wood.

 

I use a piece of steel about 3/4 inch wide 1/8 inch thick and 4 foot long. Just lay it in the barrel channel and see if it rocks back and forth. And you can see if the stock has some warpage from cutting.

I know I'm a bit thick so please bear with me. Since the bottom of the channel for a swamped barrel is already somewhat curved (high in the middle and lower on each end), how do you determine if the rocking of the straight edge is due to warpage and not just the rocking you will get from the curved inlet??

 

Measure it with a rule down next to the straight edge and then measure the barrel with a micrometer and check the difference if same then it is straight and not warped. if different then it most likely had warped.

 

[Vaino]

Long way around a warp problem and really not worth the trouble. There are much better indicators for a warp, eg...the top or bottom lines of the forestock. Perhaps using the staight edge on a staight bbl inlet is worthwhile, but on a swamp, it would require a whole lot of measurements that aren't worth the time......Fred

 

[Shelby Skinner]

Depends on how much warpage is present. Most forends will warp a little once you begin to thin em down anyhow.

On my last build the forend warped a little and I just went ahead and clamped it down and progressively inletted and pinned it as I progressed down the barrel channel. Its a pain in the butt, however, it gets you from point a to point b.