tang screw location/type

[tnlonghunter]

Okay, I may have made a mistake (again). I drilled a hole for the tang screw in my barrel and temporarily mounted it with a short wood screw so I could position the lock and triggers. I'm finding that the location with my double set triggers, the screw that I would have run through the wrist and into the trigger plate will now hit the triggers, so it won't do. The hole in the tang is about 3/16" from the end, which is exactly where I want it cosmetically. I notice however, that most folks position it much further toward the breech, presumably to avoid the situation I'm in.

Now, my question is this: should I drill another hole closer to the breech and have the two screws (one wood and one running into the trigger plate) or should I leave it be and secure the tang with a good sized wood screw? I prefer the looks of the one screw and would prefer that IF there is not a significant structural problem.

 

[aragorn]

Sounds like you might need to get a new breech plug and tang and do it over again? To me that seems a better idea than having two holes, and in the long run you might be glad you did it even with the extra work needed to shape the tang again etc.

 

[Zonie]

As you know, usually the tang screw holds the trigger plate in place, and IMO, yours should too.
By doing this, the tang and trigger plate work together to form a strong "sandwich" which reinforces the wood right where it needs it the most (all of that wood removed for the lock, the trigger and barrel breech makes this area of the stock weak).
Although some guns do use a wood screw to hold the barrel tang to the stock, it isn't very strong.

If it were mine, I wouldn't hesitate to add another screw hole further up the tang to get the additional strength mentioned above. I would then use a small wood screw in the existing hole, more to plug it than for any other reason.

If you are determined to have only one screw, rebreeching the barrel may be your only other option. :hmm:

 

Is there a reason why he couldn't just plug the wood screw hole with some toothpicks and glue, then re-drill the hole at a little more of an angle to angle the tang screw forward of the triggers?

 

[bob1961]

don't know ifin it's been done but ya can mig weld the old hole closed but don't do it in one shot....a little at a time to keep the plug from heating up to much....then just refinish the tang smooth................bob

 

[flashpanner]

Any possiblity of having the unwanted hole in the tang welded up an then dressing it down? Might save a bunch of time by not having to re-inlet another tang.

 

[Swampman]

I think that's what I'd do. The heat shouldn't be a problem as long as you allow it to cool naturally. Don't quinch it in water after the weld.

 

[dlemaster]

One other option comes to me that maybe simpler than welding.
You can open up the hole you have and tap it and install a screw, peen the metal of the screw so that it is tight against the metal of the tang threads and file it off flush. It will be almost invisible. This was one of the methods used to plug screw holes on locks when they were converted from flint to percussion, and many of them are invisible. But I do agree the absolute best way would be to weld it an file it off.
Hope this helps.

Regards, Dave

 

[Herb]

I plugged an off-center tang hole like this. Tapped it 10x32, turned in a piece of bolt and heavily centerpunched both ends to lock it into the threads. Filed both ends smooth. It may blue or brown slightly different color than the tang and not be invisible, but it is the easiest and cheapest and fastest thing to do. You would probably not be the third person to do this. It is revealing to examine old guns and see how mistakes were corrected. They show the hand of the workman.

 

[dmills]

Thanks for the tip. I have some extra and off center screw-holes in the strap on my rear sight (don't know how those got there :bull: ) that I just plugged with JB Weld, which doesn't blue at all.

 

Both welding and peening in a screw are good ideas IMO. If you go with welding, in order to get a good weld you will need to countersink the hole from both sides and weld from both sides. Both welding a installing a screw run the risk of color discrepensies when you blue or brown. If it does blue/brown differently, the weld will have a "puddle" shape whereas the screw will be nice and round. If it were me, I would tap and install a screw as suggested, however, I would coutersink the hole about 1/16" deep, run the screw in so it's flush with the bottom of the countersink and then weld the top closed and dress it down.

Cody

 

[tnlonghunter]

Thanks guys. I like the drill-and-tapping option best. I'm actuall planning on polishing the barrel bright and not browning or bluing it at all. Will this make the screw more noticeable or less?

 

[Swampman]

If you weld it, I don't think you'll even be able to see it after it's polished.

 

[flashpanner]

I have done the old weld and grind, file, polish method. I could not tell at all where the "boo-boo" was. Have not tried the bluing or browning on such a repair/fix. I'd experiment on a scrap first to see if the HAZ (heat affected zone) reacts differently to the coloring.