Anyone pin long rifle underlugs to stock using 1/16" piano wire?

[XVIIc Wheelock]

The builder of my old 36 year old 50 cal. (39"bbl.) SMR flintlock used 1/16" (.062) piano wire to pin the stock through 4 underlugs. I was told by our M/L club the piano wire pins seemed to offer just enough "spring" to offset any moisture expansion/contraction in the stock (maple) over time. The underlugs have a single drilled 1/16" hole...I removed the pins to check for under barrel rust of which there was none, and no problems with stock and pins were not rusted. Obviously the piano wire worked. The rifle may have been fired a few hundred times. I re-installed the piano wire pins after minor cleaning. I only question this because I had never known anyone to use piano wire to pin a barrel to stock? Thoughts?

 

[Phil Coffins]

Common practice, and the under lugs should be slotted length ways for long term stability.
02E59C88-1239-4561-919C-CFEC08B76744 by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr

 

[acavdragoon]

All of my Kibler rifles uses the 1/16” inch piano wire. No problem at all with them.

 

[Pete G]

I have always used piano wire, but the story about flexing is not true. Slot those under lugs!

 

[PathfinderNC]

Piano wire will help with the barrel “harmonics”

 

[XVIIc Wheelock]

Piano wire will help with the barrel “harmonics”

Are you referring to "tuning the barrel" for maximum accuracy ? Thanks fellas for all your "piano wire" confirmations!!

 

[springfield art]

Piano wire will help with the barrel “harmonics”

I was trying to think up a clever comment but you topped me!!

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Barrels pinned 'tight' heat up, expand, lose their accuracy in that the point of impact wanders from expected.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

It's not so much the heating up of the barrel as it is the expansion and contraction of the wood with changes in humidity.

 

[1950DAVE]

Longitudinal shrinkage in most woods is in the .1-.2% range.

 

[Buckskinn]

I once ran out of supplied wire from Chambers and ended up using utility flagging wire, worked perfectly.

 

[flatcreek]

How do you slot a 1/16 inch hole?

 

[ZUG]

I know this wire as "music wire"
Piano wire - Wikipedia

Piano wire, or "music wire", is a specialized type of wire made for use in piano strings but also in other applications as springs. It is made from tempered high-carbon steel, also known as spring steel, which replaced iron as the material starting in 1834. Piano wire has a very high tensile strength.

 

[hawkeye2]

How do you slot a 1/16 inch hole?

With a round needle file.

 

[XVIIc Wheelock]

Here you go!

Grobet USA® Round Parallel 4" x 1/16" Cut 0 Swiss Pattern Precision File

Manufactured to precise production standards, using a combination of machine cutting and hand craftsmanship to produce the most accurate, best cutting and longest-lasting files in the world. They are made of the finest heat-tempered, chrome alloy steel and have the right feel, action and balance...

www.gesswein.com

 

[flatcreek]

Thanks Wheellocks, ordered

 

[James Kibler]

Longitudinal shrinkage in most woods is in the .1-.2% range.

This may be true, but not the full story... Curly wood does not apply. Since the grain is wavy, there is a higher percentage of non-longitudinal wood along the forestock. Also, even in plain wood there are few stock blanks where the grain runs perfectly parallel to the barrel. Any deviation from this imparts a percentage of extra expansion / contraction with changes in humidity.

This isn't just theory, it's seen all the time with these guns. So slot those underlugs!

 

[James Kibler]

i would suggest using a jewlers saw. The problem with just using a file is that it's a bit tedious and there is the tendency to not slot enough. On the forward lug I would slot at least a full pin diameter for and aft of the original hole. I've seen some that just file it a touch or try to elongate the hole with a drill bit etc. In some pieces of wood, this may be sufficient, but it's not safe for all wood.

 

[tallPercshooter]

My kit gun from TVM in Mississippi has these. Barrel was installed in stock. My question - how the heck do you punch out such a small pin? I can hardly see them in the wood.

 

[Sooty Scot]

My kit gun from TVM in Mississippi has these. Barrel was installed in stock. My question - how the heck do you punch out such a small pin? I can hardly see them in the wood.

You could use another section of the wire, but I found a tiny Allen wrench which works nicely, w/out enlarging the hole in the stock. I had problems w/ a formal pin punch doing that.