Tang Removal

[JimCunn]

I'm refinishing the stock on a TC Hawken that I bought back around 1971 or so (Serial # 858).
How do I get the Tang out of the stock after removing the screws? It's really stuck from 50+ years of congealed crud.

Never mind - I got it.

 

[BruceHH]

Tap it a little with a rubber/plastic mallet. Then take something like a large screw driver or metal rod and stick it in the hole in front of the tang. Slowly pry straight up. There is probably some old filler that was melted into the inlet right before the tang was set it. Something along the lines of bedding.

 

[Grenadier1758]

I'm refinishing the stock on a TC Hawken that I bought back around 1971 or so (Serial # 858).
How do I get the Tang out of the stock after removing the screws? It's really stuck from 50+ years of congealed crud.

Never mind - I got it.

Congratulations. You got the hooked breech plug removed or the tang from the stock?

 

[JimCunn]

Congratulations. You got the hooked breech plug removed or the tang from the stock?

The tang from the stock. 50+ years of crud accumulation had it glued in really tight. I see no need to ever remove the hooked breech plug.

 

[Steve Wagner]

Glad you got it out without any damage Jim. That might not have been simple "crud". It may have been some glue as a form of bedding as mentioned by Bruce. I have a rifle tang that was bedded by the builder and it is not coming out. It works fine and I think it is intended to distribute the recoil evenly around the entire mortise to help prevent a cracked stock. No need for it to be removed when it is sealed in like that anyway. I have heard some back and forth on this, and don't really have a dog in the fight. I have bedded and unbedded tangs in two of the same rifles and only time may tell. I could see where a good penetrating resin glue or epoxy could strengthen the wood grain at the back of the tang. And I don't see how it hurts anything, except the lockup is much more precise on the bedded rifle with no give when joining up the hooked breech. SW

 

[JimCunn]

How do you reblue it without removing it?

 

[Steve Wagner]

How do you reblue it without removing it?

Carefully remove it, like you did I suppose. I am not saying that mine won't come out. But I'm not attempting it until I really need to. It seems very secure. SW

 

[JimCunn]

" That might not have been simple "crud". It may have been some glue as a form of bedding as mentioned by Bruce".

It was crud. The bedding material from the factory had a distinct reddish brown color and did not adhere to the metal.