Quick cure for a ~loose key on my T/C Renegade SB

[Maven]

When I shot my T/C smoothie the other day, I found the groups were a bit larger than I was hoping for, even from a rest and with a new nipple. After removing the key to clean the bbl., I found it wasn't as tight as I prefer. Rather than bend the key or smack the bracket to tighten things up, I happened to find some teflon plumbers tape on my bench* and wondered whether several wraps around the center of the key would improve matters: It did, was "noninvasive," and is easily replaced. If you have this kind of problem, you may want to give it a try.

*Actually, I was looking for some shim brass from which I fasten, via soldering, a ring around the bracket (sorry, but the proper name escapes me at the moment), which is a more permanent solution to the loose key issue.

 

[Crow-Feather]

Sounds like a long fix for a short problem. But then if fur trappers had solder or plumbers tape, they might have followed your attempt.

 

[Prairieofthedog]

I just take some thin copper or aluminum and wrap the barrel lug on the bottom of the lug. It stays in place and kind of compresses when the wedge is driven in. Don't like bending the lug on my barrels that I swap around to different stocks cause they never line up.

 

[IanH]

Soda can, cut a rectangle, bend into a "U", loop through the lug, test fit. If it were me I would support the barrel and lug firmly with large blocks of steel, clamp it all to the bench, and thicken the bottom of the lug with a flat punch and hammer.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

FYI, Lyman (who had their Great Plains Rifle made for them by Investarms) has a GREAT YouTube video of how to properly tension the tang, so as to get the best engagement on the wedge key that you can. I thought I knew how to address these, but watched the video and it works as slick as a charm!

 

[64Springer]

Bend the wedge.

Place bent side down.

The bent side will bite into the bottom of the tenon.

And draw the barrel into the channel.

 

[necchi]

"Quick cure,,

That's what you've done, not a fix.
Things are out of adjustment and that's not surprising with old T/C's that have been passed on through many hands through the decades and probably not the original configuration, folks have been swapping pieces around on T/C's for a long time.
Most of the damage is from folks that have a pet Gorilla they use for tightening screws.
Your tang probably needs re-bedding to a the proper position, maybe even some accraglas in the first few inches of the barrel channel and proper shaping/bending of the worn underlug too.
Wrapping tape around the hook and making a thicker key is a bandaid, not a cure.
The methods using simple tools and a kitchen table for those fixes have been available in the Gunbuilders Bench section for decades.
Good luck,

 

[smokepolehall]

Soda can, cut a rectangle, bend into a "U", loop through the lug, test fit. If it were me I would support the barrel and lug firmly with large blocks of steel, clamp it all to the bench, and thicken the bottom of the lug with a flat punch and hammer.

I have done the same. I have done my T/C Hawken that way right now.