How much wood do you leave on the side of your barrels?

So I'm at the point of final finishing of my first build and I'm wondering how much wood to leave one each side of the barrel on the fore end. Is there some secret amount? Do you just eyeball it?

I'm looking for any tips or hints you might have as to getting that nice slim look while maintaining good strength as well.

Thanks for the help as always!

As a general rule, about 3/32".

Some late, really skinny guns (which I don't do) might be as little as 1/16". Some other guns, like Berks county guns, which are often very full and round and bulbous, can be 1/8".

Stophel,

Thanks for the reply! So do you just eyeball it, or do you have a technique for getting it close?

My eyes are pretty accurate.

I will pencil on a line about 1/8" or so along the barrel sides and saw it out, using a plane and files, etc. to bring it all to final dimension.

Now, SOME guns have relief carving near the rear ramrod pipe, and it will bulge out A LITTLE (not like the huge "dog knots" that are on a Brown Bess!), so stuff like that has to be taken into account when sawing down the sides.

I take a 3/32 drill bit, hold the end of a pencil along the side of the barrel, and slide it along the length of the barrel marking the wood with the pencil. I then work the wood down to the line. In Peter Alexander's book, he recommends 1/16" of wood along the sides of the barrel on the upper forestock and 1/8" along the lower forestock.

Here's a quote from Alexander's book:

"Now you may think that a thickness of 1/16" for the upper forestock is too thin and delicate. Believe me, this is the thickness that I have measured on many fine originals. If you leave the upper forestock any thicker, it will have all the beauty of a beer belly."

Of course, he doesn't say which originals he measured, so Stophel is probably right. One of the most common mistakes of beginners is to leave too much wood on the forestock. Believe me, if you do, you will regret it years later.

3/32" is a good average for the guns I have seen from most any region and period. There are some guns, particularly later guns, that are thinner. I have a ca. 1820-30 rifle from Massachusetts with a real thin fore end. It's all busted up too... :grin:

bioprof,

The drill bit idea is great, I'll be giving that a try this weekend. I certainly don't want to have my rifle look ridiculous in a few years just because I didn't work with the plane for a few more minutes! I appreciate all the input on this one. Thank you!

I take a piece of 3/32" brass X 2" lg, hold it alongside the bbl and run the pencil along the moving brass the full length. The wood along the lower forestock is further reduced to approx. .08 and the upper forestock is reduced to 1/16". I make the top of the forestock .03-.04 below bore centerline and expose 60% of the RR so the forestock sides aren't all that high and don't look "slab sided" using 1/16" wood along the bbl. Also webs of 3/32" at the breech and 5/32" at the muzzle help w/ less high forestocks.....Fred

Sometimes it depends on the lock. Lock bolster determines lock panel, then you need/want a molding that has to drop down to the forestock. That determines the maximum thickness along the barrel. From there it's up to you.