Tang/lug question

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Russell420

32 Cal.
Joined
Aug 22, 2004
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When inletting the tang/lug, should there be any wood to metal contact between the rear face of the lug on the breech plug and the wood mortise? I realize the breech of the barrel must have contact with the rear of the barrel channel, but what about the lug? My guess is that it should not be touching. Thanks.

Russell420
 
All the metal should touch except for a tiny tiny bit at the end tip of the tang as to prevent a chip out, that should also be beveled so any blow is not directed directly back on the wood, you have to bevel it to inlet it anyway. It should be nearly indiscernable. I alway bed my breech area with beding compound.
 
The breech pug should be in full contach with the wood. After barrel is inletted to the stock the barrel should be breeched and then the breech is inletted into the wood with full contach lug and all. The more contach you have the stonger it will be. Most of the recoil ends up here :m2c:
Lehigh..
 
The breech end of the barrel is inletted first with out the breech plug installed. Then after breeching up the barrel inlet for the lug and tang, the rear face of the breech plug should contact the wood solidly. The rear of the tang should have a .010 to.015 gap to prevent chipping out the wrist. This will close somewhat in use as the wood compresses under loading forces and recoil. I believe that loading the gun actually puts more load on the breech inlets than recoil does, unless your shooting a really large cal. with stout loads. I don't use epoxy bedding compounds unless the wood is decidedly soft. But there's no huge sin if you do.
 
As was said the rear face of the plug, (or the back of the barrel if you have a plug with just a tang sticking out) should be in contact with the wood.
IMO the end of the tang should have .010-.020 clearance with the stock. This isn't much clearance and it is hardly noticable on the finished gun but it prevents recoil from making a maul or splitting wedge out of the tang.
Failing to provide this clearance has split more stock wrists than I care to count. :(
 

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