RAMROD ALIGNMENT

[Hoyt]

Could someone tell me how you go about making sure the ramrod is tight against nose cap when all is said and done?
I'm talking about using a pre-carve when the ramrod hole is drilled. Due to pre-located tailpipe location, seems like I was limited to how deep I could inlet my thimbles unless I either re drilled the ramrod hole or used it as was and let my ramrod run up to wards the nose cap at an angle. It's not a real big deal to me, but my ramrod ended up too far from my nose cap and seems like I've read where that is not acceptable. So I would like to get it figured out before the parts I got ordered for next one gets here.
Could someone tell me if I'm missing something or help clear this up?
Thanks for any info.

 

[Birddog6]

You inlet it down to where it will position the RR pipe in the correct place. I inlet my pipes upside down, get them inletted til a short piece of RR is snug against the nosecap, then I turn it over & inlet the lug & cut the lug down to where it needs to be. Now I try try not go thru the wood all the way to the barrel, tho I am told some guys do & the books say this is OK. But I like even a tiny sliver of wood between the barrel & the RR pipe lug. Then I mark for the RR pipe lug holes & then try to get them all even as possible, especially if I have molding on the forestock, then I drill & pin them. I get them all inletted & aligned with a RR in thru them all before I pin the pipes.

:results:

 

[Zonie]

I, like Birddog6 inlet the foremost pipe inverted (with the tang away from the stock) until it is the right depth.

The pre-drilled/formed ramrod groove, like most other features on a pre-carved stock sometimes has some extra wood that needs to be removed, and this is most noticable at the forward end of the ramrod.

As for the location of the rear, or lower entry pipe, there isn't too much you can easily do about it's location but as far as I'm concerned, it isn't that hard to work around it.

If the formost pipe needs to be 1/8 deeper than the pre-carve, then the middle pipe will probably have to be 1/16 deeper than the precarve to keep a straight line to the unmoved rear pipe (if you follow my drift).

Yes, this is tapered relative to the center of the barrel, but on the gun I'm looking at, the distance between the pipes is 12 inches. If the middle pipe is 1/16 deeper than the rear pipe, it equals an angular "error" of .062/12 = tan-1 a = 0 degrees 18 minutes. IMO, this is too small of a taper for the eye to notice.
Also working in favor of this error is the fact that most rifles start out at the muzzle and get progressively larger as one looks towards the butt.
I feel the human eye and mind will see this slight ramrod misalignment as a goodness rather than a error.
:imo:

 

[Hoyt]

I preciate the info...and another question on ramrods..do ya'll use one pin or two for the thimbles?

 

I used two each but some originals had only one . If you're recreating a specific style you may want to research it before you fire up the ol' drill press.

 

[Hoyt]

I used two also..but was hope'n somebody would say they use one and it works just as good. I would think they would be pretty loose with just one..unless there's a trick to it.

 

[Darkhorse]

Use 2 pins for the stock entry thimble (the correct term escapes me a the moment) You can get by with one each for the others.
Get the bottom radius inlet as close as possible to the stock radius, put a RR through all the thimbles and hold them in place snugly with C clamps. The RR keeps you from collasping the thimble. Now when they are drilled the thimble will stay tight with only one pin.

 

[Zonie]

I use one pin on the two forward thimbles and two on the lower one.
I haven't had a problem with any of them being loose but the pocket for them fits them like a glove before they are installed and I use a good clamp to hold them in place when I'm drilling the 1/16 dia pin holes.

I also use 1/16 diameter music wire for the pins so it exactly fits the drilled hole.

 

[Hoyt]

Thanks again for all the info...will be one pin for me from now on...except for the tailpipe.