Barrel fit on Chambers Kit?

[CWC]

I got my Early Lancaster kit from Chambers today. The first thing I did was try to fit the barrel into the barrel channel. I was expecting a drop-in fit, except for the very back of the breech. The barrel is no where close to being a drop-in. I put as much pressure as I dared to, and the barrel still would not even begin to fit in. It looks like I'll need to do some inletting along the entire length of the barrel channel. Does this sound right for a Chambers kit?

 

[Vaino]

On all the Chambers' early Lancaster "kits" that I built , the bbls had a nice fit w/o any work except at the breech. Call Chambers and explain the problem. Is there any warpage?....Fred

 

[CWC]

It looks like the stock might have warped slightly during shipment, but it bent right back into shape when I tried to install the barrel. Is it possible that the wood inside the channel swelled during shipment? I already emailed Chambers, and will call them tomorrow if I haven't heard back by mid day.

 

[agill]

I draw filed my barrels and that helped.
Allen

 

[kanati]

Pecatonica shipped my gun with the barrel in the stock, ahem, I won't go into too much detail about that.

Anyways, make one of these, it works great for opening up the sides of the channel. Easy to control the amount of wood removed and keeps the sidewall square to the bottom. Just super glue sandpaper to the front surface of it.

-Ron

 

[rootsy]

Pecatonica did the same thing on my last one... It was a "VERY" tight fit... Interference fit would be a more proper description.

 

[Birddog6]

I have had 3 parts sets from Chambers, none of the barrels fit the inlet. But I would rather have it not fit than have a sloppy inlet on the barrel.

 

[Tommy Bruce]

I did a Chambers Virginia kit. I had about 2 hours in final fitting of the barrel. Just take your time and remove wood slowly and carefully.

 

[ohio ramrod]

I like to take an undersized barrel segmant, or wooden block cut as one.Then wrap it with sand paper and sand the wood to fit the barrel.Slow but steady.

 

[Vaino]

I'm wondering if something has changed at Chambers? Having to work a bbl into the inlet is counter productive...why buy a precarve? On one of the kits , I had to soak the forend and wrap w/ surgical tubing for a close bbl fit and it came out good. The only other work I did on the kits was to relieve the 45 degree flats and bear only on the sides and bottom so the stock isn't wedged open when pinned. I also do this on the bbl inlets when done by Miller or Rase. The best way to ship a "kit" is w/ the bbl in the precarve, but lately the bbls arrive much later than the stock...on the last one, the bbl arrived 6 wks after the stock.....Fred

 

[RonT]

yep....
R

 

[Bodie]

I built a Chambers York rifle at the gunmakers seminar at Connor's Prairie a couple years back. Jim Chambers was there to supervise and answer questions. The very first step we were instructed to do was to draw file the barrel with special attention to the side flats. After draw filing, the barrels on mine and all the guys building various styles around me dropped right in for a perfect fit.

 

[Zonie]

The barrel channels on all of the advanced gun kits I've built required some "slight" adjustment to get the barrel to fit the stock.

Remember: When you apply the finishing oils the wood is going to swell making the barrel channel smaller.

IMO, the raw barrel channel should fit the barrel with a "drop in easily" clearance to allow for the swelling that is going to happen when you finish the barrel channel.

Does this mean you should have a visible gap?
No.

It just means you should have a rather loose "line to line" fit before you move on to the other parts of building your gun.

 

[DTCoffin]

I recently finished an Early Lancaster and had a little work to do fitting the barrel, like birddog said, rather have it a little under sized than oversized.

 

[Mike Brooks]

I'm wondering if something has changed at Chambers? Having to work a bbl into the inlet is counter productive...why buy a precarve?

The barrels used to fit when Chambers used Getz barrels. The new barrel makers just can't seem to keep the same tolerances Getz used to.

 

[Razz]

My Early Virginia rifle came with a Rice barrel and had to be fitted. I would rather have to do the final fitting than have a gap somewhere. A couple hours and it was in.

 

[Birddog6]

Thinking on these lines, I can't remember ever buying a stock that the barrel would just drop in, with exception to some straight barrel channel stocks. On a swamped barrel, I always have to cut the breech fit & thus the barrel will not normally fall into the stock because it is pushed forward a inch or more.

 

[Frank/Pa]

I have a Chambers Early York Kit, and the barrel required a lot of fitting. Same with a smooth rifle kit that I had.

If you want a stock with a perfect barrel fit, see Fred Miller.

 

[Black Hand]

My Early Virginia rifle came with a Rice barrel and had to be fitted. I would rather have to do the final fitting than have a gap somewhere. A couple hours and it was in.

Mine was the same. Probably spen more time fitting the barrel that any other piece on the gun. But I would rather fit it myself, than have a sloppy fit or an inlet that is almost the right size which is more trouble that too small....

 

[Robbo]

Just checked mine. To un-tutored eye, it will need to be fitted. I guess my first task is to build a scraper out of an old file or something and then set to it...