Once again-Wedge fit tightness

[Frank Savage]

I went through this and also other sites, used search and Google-but havent´t found any hint yet.

So:

What the initial tightness of wedge fit shall be just after making the slots, with whole rifle in the white"?
Of course I know that snug, to be fitted with a light tap of small wooden mallet.
But:
-To lay the barrel down the chanell by it´s weight, rely on some squeeze-in just by handling, tap in the wedges.
-Press the barrel down into the chanell by means of fingers, tap in the wedges.
-Squeeze the barrel down against forestock (maybe by both hands, like if praying, then hold in white-knurled hands), tap in the wedges.

Since english is not my first language, I hope it´s somehow clear that an increasing force (still man-made, non-artificial) for mating the barrel to stock is in focus.
As I humbly tested on piece of scrap, gives very differently tight fit of metal to wood.
Also, on two-wedge design, I´m quite sure the front wedge shall be the tighter one-so how much "looser" may be the rear one?
I think I shall add, that my barrel does not sit on the bottom flat, but on those two flanged/slanted.

Thak you

 

[Vaino]

On all my rifles w/ wedges or not, both "Hawken" style and LRs, all the bbls bear on the bottom flat. Whether 1, 2 or 4 wedges, the fit is the same on all and I push them in w/ my thumb and use a rectangular piece of brass to push them out by hand. When pushing the wedges in, the bbl is held against the stock by hand and because the wedge tips and inside corners of the escutcheon slots have a bevel, the wedges slide in w/o any hangups. The wedges don't shoot loose and the accuracy is excellent. Also all the wedges {keys} are captured w/ pins.

 

[ohio ramrod]

I always fit my wedges so that I require a light "tap" to remove them , but a firm push to instal them. :hmm:

 

[Frank Savage]

Ah, I forgot-I mean that the force needed for installing them is the same in all three options, just the force needed to enable such instalation increases. In other words, in case of "squeezed in" barrel, if the barrel is laid into the channel as in the first option, it´s almost impossible to istal the wedges with a "tap", more likely by some beating.

Which option is considered to be best, concerning possible barrel bending when using "squeeze" setup and wedges becoming loose after some shooting in the first case.

Barrel is full octagon, 451 cal., 1" acros flats

 

[necchi]

-Press the barrel down into the chanell by means of fingers, tap in the wedges.

Or, hold barrel and stock with one hand and squeeze like making a fist.

 

[crockett]

Pushing the barrel down until you have white knuckles in order to fit in wedges is TOO MUCH. On my rifles I take a 1 x 2 piece of lumber and tap in the wedge. If I use some effort- thumb push in the wedge.

 

[Bill Hall]

Frank, it sounds like everything you are describing is as follows: The barrel is only sitting on the two diagonal flats of the channel, and the wedge needs to be hammered in place, and you need to squeeze the barrel and stock very tightly to get the wedge to fit. All this information tells me that some wood needs to be scraped away from those two diagonal flats in the barrel channel.

If this is a kit in the white, I would use some lamp black, or other transfer medium, on the barrel to find out where to scrape away wood on those two flats. Scrape, or chisel, only where the transfer medium is printed on the wood. I would do this while checking the fit of the wedge in between scraping, and stop when the wedge fits properly, as others here have described.

Be sure to check the fit of the wedge without the barrel in place, so you can be certain that the wood in the slots and wedge plates are not interfering with the fit.

As you are working on bare wood, and over the years, the barrel channel may swell, shrink, and even warp slightly, so needing to squeeze the wood and barrel together (lightly mind you, not with the force you are describing now) is fairly common.

Good luck. Bill

 

[Frank Savage]

Thanks, but I´m now preparing for drilling initial holes and chisel out wedge slots. It´s no kit, except the barrel all metal started as a scrapeyard or hardware stuff and plank, so no problem. Also because once anything inletted, always put into inlet while not working on. Both diagonal flats have better than 85% fit to wood.

Purpose of the question is to find how much to "cheat" while drilling, eg. by tightening of c-clamps, holding the barrel to wood. Also, to determine if to "hit the pencil line" or "just stay above it" with the chisel. I want to file/scrape the slots as little as possible, too much room for making a slight bevel somewhere, where´s no room to correct instantly.