Tight fitting barrel

I have a Leman style full stock rifle which has become my favorite, but it has a really, really tight fitting barrel. After I remove the 3 pins and the tang screw I have to remove the lock so I can expose the barrel at that end. Then I have to use a brass punch to move the barrel out of the channel, first at the rear end and then lift it working it toward the muzzle. When I put it together I really have to squeeze the barrel and wood together to get the pins to line up.

I am hesitant in just starting to remove material as it has a really nice fit. Are there any concoctions that I can use on the wood to assist release,or am I faced with using a sanding block? Or should I live with it?

You are taking the barrel out to clean, I assume?

I would probably either clean it without pulling the barrel (I do it, and have not had a problem).

If the barrel is straight (no taper at all) you can wrap a piece of 200 grit sandpaper around a section of the barrel (I would use the breech end but it does not matter if there is no taper) and us that to open up the barrel channel. GO SLOW. You likely will only need to make a couple passes to get it where you want it without creating a gap.

You should not need to drive the barrel out of the stock - that is a recipe for a split stock as the wood ages.

Zach

+1 on the removing the barrel for cleaning. You can either find you some tubing that will fit over your nipple or you can buy a kit from I think muzzleloaderbuildersupply has them or maybe Dixie gun works that has the tubing kits. Just put your tubing down into your bucket of water and wet your mop and back and forth down the barrel and it will siphon the cleaning solution up through the tube and into the barrel.

If you really MUST remove the barrel, give it and the stock inlet a good coating of Johnson's paste wax. Then when you re-install the barrel, leave it there.

If it were mine, I would lightly sand the sides of the barrel channel so the barrel would not be such a tight fit.

A really tight fit like you describe can cause the forearm area of the stock to split after a few years and there is really no need for it.

To sand the sides of the channel I would use a short piece of 3/4" thick lumber to back up the paper.
That will allow you to keep the two sides of the barrel channel perpendicular to the world.

First off I would do as Zonie suggested. I see that you live in Nevada. Nevada is a very dry state compared to some. If you take that gun to a place where the humidity is a lot higher you will likely have a lot more trouble because the wood will expand and make the problem a lot worse. Better sand that channel. It could crack latter on.

NEVER REMOVE THE BARREL TO CLEAN IT. THE TIGHT FIT ANSURES ACCURAY

jerry huddleston said:

where the humidity is a lot higher you will likely have a lot more trouble because the wood will expand and make the problem a lot worse. Better sand that channel. It could crack latter on.

Click to expand...

That's my take on it,, I'd sand it a bit to loosen the death grip too.

I also agree with zonie in the fact that the barrel channel doesn't need to be that tight. If its that tight getting it out what's it like to get it back in? Do you have to use a rubber mallet to hammer it back in? A little bit of sanding could do that gun some good. Just remember that however much you think you need to take off only take half that much.....Its a lot easier to remove than put back.....

I guess I will address the barrel channel first. it is so tight that I have to squeeze with both hands as hard as I can. It seems to start OK, but get harder as it seats. I am thinking that the sides are not square and it tapers slightly as it goes into the channel.

I make special sanding blocks when I'm refinishing a rifle or working on a kit build. Get a piece of wood that's straight and small enough to put two-face tape on each side. Then add a strip of fine grit automotive type sand paper on each side. It needs to fit the channel just a bit snug. A few strokes will do the job and keep the channel straight. I use two-face tape/sand paper on round dowels and rectangle pieces of wood. The automotive paper does not shed the grit off, like cheap sandpaper. Then wipe Tru-Oil or similar back into the channel.

took it apart this evening and worked on it. I lightly block sanded the inside edges of the barrel channel, I could see scuff marks near the lower edge of that area, especially on one side. I also found a bump of wood right back where the very flat of the barrel/breech plug sides into the wood. Took a riffing file to it and smoothed it out. Now I can remove the barrel without using a hammer and punch. :grin: :grin:

late to the party but I concur with the consensus ... and +1 what that smart fellow said about putting some tru-oil in the barrel channel.
glad to hear that the problem is well on its way to being fixed :grin:

Worked on the channel again last night. did some more spot sanding. I took the advise about the Tru Oil. I first had to find some, had Tung oil, then I remembered an old Birchwood staining kit I had, found pretty to do the job. Let it dry overnight and what a difference, didn't fall out by it's own weight, but removal was noticeably easier.
Thanks all for the advice on the problem, really fixed her good.