Pinned stock removal

[stronics]

Hi everyone,
I just bought a Dixie long rifle in 50 cal. I need to remove the stock as the ramrod gets jammed somewhere close to the lock to where you cannot get it back out. I need to find out what is going on there, What is the best way of getting the pins out and back in later?
Thanks
David

 

[Cruzatte]

I'm not sure I understand the problem. Can you remove the lock without first extracting the ram rod? The forward lock bolt may be the culprit. If this is the case, remove the ram rod first, then you'd be able to remove the pins.

 

[2 shots]

agreed, remove the front lock bolt before trying to remove the barrel. if the rod moves freely in and out without the bolt in , replace the bolt [ with out rod in] with some sort of coating on shaft [ candle soot, ect] , SNUG it up then mark the bottom if the bolt head [on outside] , insert the rod and tap it against bolt, remove bolt and file by the mark left by rod with round file little by little until rod clears. using the out side mark as a bottom reference. or maybe you can just taper the rod a bit..

 

[Phil Coffins]

Listen to 2 shots! I’d bet a pay check his answer is dead on.

 

[BoomStick]

Forward lock bolt may already have a notch on one side. Turn it a little at a time and see if the ramrod moves freely.

 

[Rob M.]

Good advice ... To remove pins ... I take a nail and blunt the end ,finish nail good but you can use any ....make sure its smaller diameter than wood hole so doesnt damage the hole ....tap said pin on flat side of barrel pin ....the pins should all go.in the same way , lack side to side plate side but you just never know
...tap a pin out slowly ....carefully ...when end sticks out use pliers to pull it out rest of the way . Now ....all the pins should be this size , diameter , but ya never know ....make a blunt tipped pin pusher of the same diameter as the pins .... Take out tang screw and ramrod then remove all pins .... Hold firearm , hands around barrel , barrel down , and tap buttplate heal on table or floor till barrel pops out in your hands ....separate and put barrel and stock down . Now ...as mentioned a few things could be wrong . Before removing barrel you can find where the ramrod hangs up , mark ramrod with pencil or just hold it at opening to R.R. hole , then hold the R.R. on outside of stock at mark ...if the end of the rod is at the front lock bolt , there's your problem . A lot of time the front bolt hole gets hit by the R.R. drill bit when it wanders up or down , and the front bolt needs to be notched or worst case scenario , the R.R. groove moved , modified , a whole different pain in the arse .... So find out where the problem lies ....could just be the ramrod needs to be taken down a little more .....best of luck ....let us know

 

[stronics]

Gentlemen, thank you for the help. I will try and get to it tonight. I will let you know what it was.
David

 

[Hatchet-Jack]

Gentlemen, thank you for the help. I will try and get to it tonight. I will let you know what it was.
David

Hey stronics what's the update? Hitting the front lock bolt? I have a few that needed the front bolt narrowed to allow the RR to pass.

 

[Sidney Smith]

Taper your ram rod near the end that goes into the stock. Your forward lock bolt, or the main spring is the culprit. Tapering the rod may be enough to get it to slip past what's obstructing it.

I have a .32 caliber flintlock built on a Pecatonica river stock. The ram rod hole wandered into the lock area when they drilled it, thus causing the ram rod to hit the main spring at its front. I had to make a scraper that I used to wallow out the ram rod hole in that area, plus I tapered my ram rod end so I wouldn't have to remove too much stock wood. This solved my issues

 

[morehops52]

Had same problem years ago. On my rifle it was the front trigger or guard screw IIRC. Backed it out a half turn and no more stuck rod. Try the screw first.

 

[Rifleman1776]

What Rob said is spot on. But also consider tapering your rod. Many, maybe most, rods I have seen in museums were tapered. Yours is not a unique situation.

 

[Col. Batguano]

You have several options in addition to the above ones. Is your RR a little bit warped or bent? Sometimes they go in easily one way but not another. Assuming that's not the issue, a little bit of chamfering of the RR tip often solves the issue if the rod is hanging up on the bolt going in to the hole. If that's not enough then tapering as mentioned above, or grooving the lock bolt. You could even cut in something of a groove to the rod to help hold it in place under recoil. Lots of original guns had those, though they were usually placed closer to the muzzle.

Another possibility is that the hole swelled just a little bit over time. (Remember it IS summer time, and wood swells during humid times of year, and shrinks in the dry months.) Maybe just a clean-out with a correctly sized drill bit is all you need to do. It's also sometimes possible to enlarge the hole down where the obstruction is by wrapping and glueing sandpaper to a dowel (or make yourself a little scraper that screws in to a RR tip) that has a bit of a warp to it that lets you exert directional pressure on the part of the RR hole you want to enlarge. Some times main spring breaking through in to the RR channel are the culprits. Only you would know if that's even a possibility just by looking at it. Another option is just putting a little bit of a flat spot in a portion of the rod, but that of course would only let your rod fit one way.

As I said, lots of options to fix a rather common problem. Keep us posted on your results. I always like to start with the easiest (or least costly) method first before proceeding to the more complex.