Tang bolt needed??

[tenngun]

I don't have a drill press and have used a hand drill. I draw a line on my wrist on the angle it should run. By eye lining up over the top of the barrel My wife or my dad when he was alive watches from the side to make sure I stay on line. After pinning the barrel I drill the tang screw from the bottom. Then place the trigger plate and drill that from the top through the tang hole. Tap and screw.
I have done wood screw and it worked. In the 16 and early 17th cent wood screws in the tang were used. By mid 17th cent the tang bolt replaced the tang screw. I did not have a problem with the wood screw gun, but figure the bolt replaced the tang for a reason. Southren and Hawkins went with long tangs and double bolts, I think it must have made it stronger in use harder then any of my guns have went through.

 

[Brad Foust]

Thanks so very much to all, and for the effort and thought you all shared.
This is a great sight.
I want to make a comment on my situation. I would far prefer to use a tang bolt, but just dont think I can and have it "look" right. Especially if I have the bolt a right angle perpindicular to the tang. If I go perpindicular my bolt would come down thru right into the actual trigger plate area.
This is why I asked my question in the first place.
To use the bolt I have to angle it forward until the bolt could be taped into the plate ahead of the trigger and to clear the raised "pin" area on the plate.
This is what has me so perplexed. I cant see where I did anything wrong in the placing of the lock and the pbarrel. I have the lock pan centered exactly at the face of the breach plug, and inlet. But when I position my trigger as far back as possible the lock bolt, if square to the flange of the breech plug would come right down into the trigger plate.
I am using a L&R Queen Anne lock. Has anyone else had any problems with these?? The sear seem not to reach back on the lock plate as some others??
Maybe that is part of the problem.
I thought maybe the trigger was not the right one, but they are all basically the same thing, mechanically. Its just a single trigger.
Thanks again all, so much
Brad

 

[Black Hand]

If you could post a picture of your gun, it would go a long way to assisting with the placement of the tang-bolt. The trigger plate is tapped to accept the bolt, so what you described appears to be correct, though it may be the current position of the bolt is not.

 

[mikemeteor]

yeah, a picture would help.
did you already drill the hole in your tang ?
that hole really should be positioned only after the planning and previewing of the the bolts path to the trigger plate.

Lots of ways to do it, but I use the method described by Keith, except I don't drill through-holes for pilot holes -- I just dimple the centers enough to securely seat the point-to-point jig.



I also don't do the countersink in the tang until much later in the build, after I've done the final shaping of the wrist and tang - I end up filing away a good deal of the countersink otherwise.

Lots of ways to do it.
/mike

 

[frogwalking]

I know what you are saying. I have seen old, original rifles with the lock bolts not exactly perpendictular to the side plate. I did not like the way it looked. It was not until much later that I learned that it was sometimes necessary to angle a screw a little to miss the ramrod hole, (or to hit the trigger plate).

 

[Birddog6]

I don't think I ever had a tang bolt that ended up exactly 90 deg to the tang. Seems like they always end up at a little bit of an angle. Thus anothe reason for the pilot holes when drilling, keeps the hole where it needs to be rather than the bit walking as you drill.

To me, the ideal location of the tang bolt/screw is always at the rear of the tang. However it doesn't always turn out that way because of trigger style, vent location & etc. Several things come into play here, so sometimes ya have to move the tang hole towards the barrel a tad. If the angle of that bolt is too great, it is harder to drill the hole & tap it, get the screw head to sit correctly with the countersunk hole, & everything.

Keith Lisle

 

[Billnpatti]

Forget the woodscrew. It's a poor idea at best. The tang bolt does more than hold the tang in place, it also reinforces the wrist area of your stock. So, it is important that you use a bolt that goes through the wrist and into the trigger plate rather than a wood screw. The hole that you drill must be accurate and come out at exactly the right place so the bolt will screw into the trigger plate. To do this, you will need a simple jig that you will build yourself. Go to the hardware store and buy a piece of steel plate that is about 6 inches by 6 inches or so. the exact size is not important but it must be thick enough for you to drill and thread for a bolt. Metal is best but if you can't find a piece of metal plate, a piece of Plexiglas will work as will a piece of plywood but you will have to fasten your bolt to the material depending on what it is. You can figure that out. Nothing special, just something that you can put a bolt through and fasten to your drill press table. Then pick out a bolt. A 1/4 to 5/16 by 2 1/2 inches long will be about right. the exact sixe is not all that important but pick one of a size and thread for which you have a tap. That will just save you from buying or borrowing a tap. Now, drill a hole of the proper size in the center of the metal plate so that you can thread it for the bolt. Grind a sharp point on the threaded end of the bolt and screw it into the plate. Now, use the old noodle to figure the best way to fasten the metal plate to your drill press table so that you can center the point of the bolt on the tip of the drill bit. Line these two up exactly. Now you know that when you drill through something, the drill bit will come out exactly on the tip of the point on the bolt. Now. place the trigger guard on your rifle and screw it into place with the front screw. Place the rear trigger plate hole, where the tang bolt screws in, on the tip of the point on the bolt. Then line the tang hole up with the bit. Now, slowly drill your tang bolt hole through the stock and it will come out exactly at the hole in the trigger plate. Easy Peasy and it costs only a minimum to make the jig. Put that jig away because there will be other times when you will want to drill a hole and have it come out at an exact place. When that occasion arises, just fasten the jig in place on your drill press and you will be ready to drill a precision hole. :hatsoff:

 

[Pete G]

The wood can make a big difference in whether a screw is sufficient. If the wood is a little soft, like cherry or walnut you might want to consider a bolt thru to the plate. If you have ash or hard maple a screw would probably work fine.

 

[tenngun]

As I said I did it one time and had no trouble with it... but still think "it jest tain right".