Wedges-L to R or R to L??

[Richard Kemp]

I know sights are usually slid into their dovetails left to right. Is there a convention on the direction barrel wedges or pins are installed?

 

[Birddog6]

I always put them so my hand on the forestock is pushing IN on the wedgepin.
ON a RH rifle, that is in from the left side, when shouldering the rifle.

Keith Lisle

 

[galamb]

Are you talking about a manufactured rifle (T/C, Lyman etc) or an original?

 

[dave_person]

Hi Kobuk,
It doesn't really matter although there are some traditions. For example, British makers usually have keys go in on the side opposite the lock. However, on American guns they may go in from either side.

dave

 

[necchi]

I always put them so my fingers on the forestock can feel that the wedgepin is all the way IN.
ON a RH rifle, that is in from the right side, when shouldering the rifle.

 

[Jim Evans]

Lyman tells you to slide the wedge from right to left, so if you are RH the lock is your right side, the same goes for the sight also.

 

[Richard Kemp]

Original American Longrifle, not any particular factory replica.

 

[Vaino]

All my keys or wedges are pushed in from the left...for a RHer this works out well because it's handy. Now....on a rifle, what is left and what is right? Sighting down the bbl as a RHer, my left is the rifle's left and my right is the rifle's right. Does everyone agree to that?.....Fred

 

[galamb]

Original American Longrifle, not any particular factory replica.

Then you have to look to the original.

Just looked through a few in my pile of pics.

John Armstrong and Christian Hawken (Maryland) examples I have show the "heads" of the keys on the Lock side (so R-L)

Then I looked at plains Hawken's built by Jake and Sam and their keys heads were on the Sideplate side (so L-R - which is the opposite of what their father Christian did).

J. Lauck (Virginia) R-L, S. Lauck (Virginia) L-R

So no rhyme or reason even amongst fathers/sons/brothers etc.

I would suggest unless you are trying to recreate a specific rifle or a specific maker either would be correct and acceptable..

 

[Richard Kemp]

You gentleman have answered my question. It seems there is no generally accepted convention!

 

[dave_person]

Hi Kobuk,
Not accepted everywhere but there are traditions depending on what you are making. If you are building an English fowler the keys should go in from the sideplate side. If building a long rifle it probably doesn't matter.

dave

 

[don hepler]

You see a photo of a Hawken rifle, and it's usually looking at the lock side. A rifle looks better with the head of the wedges on the lock side.

 

[Patocazador]

I use two criteria. I usually insert from left to right because the sharper edge digs into my hand otherwise. The exception is if it is tighter in the slot the opposite way.

 

[Pete G]

On original longrifles it depends on the "school". Dovetails, on the other hand, are exactly opposite of modern dovetails. They go in the same way as the lock bolts.

 

[dave_person]

Hi,
A number of posters mention that the key digs into the hand or they like a finger on it to check if it is in all the way and to keep it in. If any of those conditions exist, you probably have poorly fitted barrel keys. Properly fitted keys go in firmly, do not need repeated checking to see if they loosened. The "sharp" end should be just proud of the stock and not sharp so it never digs into the hand. Modern-made guns such as TCs are not examples of proper fitting barrel keys. These are properly fitted barrel keys although I should have made them a little thinner:

dave