pistol build

[the skrat]

i have this old cva mountain pistol that my dad put together for me in 7th grade. my first muzzle loader only thing i could afford at the time. about 10 years ago a guy give me a chunk of curly maplejust big enough to restock it and i bought the book the modern kentucky rifle from dixie gun worksa small how to build book. well i had no tools at all just a couple old chiselswell after about a week i hacked the barrel channel in used the chisels mostly as scrapers and lipstick as inletting black actually got a good fit. well i didnt know how to drill the rr hole so i inlet the lock not a bad fit then i tackled the the trigger well i had this bright idea to use a straight sided router bit in the drill press kinda got away on me got disgusted and just put every thing away and forgot about it. since then i started doing a little wood carving so i have some really good tools. i was looking around my basement today and found this old project in a cardboard box and every thing still there. i looked at the inlet for the trigger plate and it aint that bad and will be partialy hidden by the trigger guard and i still have to drill the rr hole wich is going to be pretty close to the foward lock bolt but i think i will put in a tapered ram rod. well looks like this is gonna be fun oh yea probably need some help along the way.

curly maple

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Ask away, help is plenteful, and it is cheap.

 

[Brasilikilt]

I've been wondering a lot recently......What is the right way to drill for a ramrod?

 

[paulvallandigham]

most have to well or braze a drill to a long rod, for rifles, and you should drill a pilot hole that is less than half the size of the larger hole first. The long rod can lay in the groove in the bottom of the stock so the groove can support and center the drill as it is pushed into the stock.

some instructions stress drilling a very small( 1/64") hole in the bottom of the barrel channel, to take a measurement at a couple of places as you drill the ramrod hole in the stock, so that you can be assured it is going in straight. Some guns require an offset, to keep the bottom of the ramrod away from the front of the mainspring. So, there is no " standard " way to drill the ramrod hole, but rather, several ways, depending on the requirements of the gun and lock. Even the size of the final hole depends on the size of the ramrod you intend to use. And, for larger calibers, you may not be able to fit much if any of the working diameter in the stock, but will rather be drilling a smaller diameter hole, and tapering the rod down to fit the size of the hole. The forward lockbolt in most guns is a limiting factor in how big a hole, and how much taper is needed on the ramrod to make the ramrod hole work.

 

[spitfire]

If you feel uncomfortable drilling the ramrod hole and the pistol is going to be range/target piece,make it without one.Just a idea. :winking:

 

[the skrat]

i think i will try the tapered ramrod. when i inlet the lock i never thought about the ramrod mostly because i didnt know anything about gunbuilding and i just got disgusted and i didnt have any money in the project. well now i read a lot of books alexanders, schumways and dixons and i have did a little woodcarving although not mutch i now feel a little more confident. also this forum has tought me stand back take a look and theres gotta be another way to to do this. i never say mutch but i read a lot on here this forum is awesome. :thumbsup:

curly maple