drilling for barrel pins

[11th corps]

I have drilled through the stock and into the underlugs dovetailed in the bottom of my barrel. Question, should the hole in the underlug itself be larger then the pin, to allow for fore and aft movement? I took one of my T/C Hawken rifles apart and noted the large center mounted barrel pin (key?) is considerably smaller then the underlug it goes through. Smaller fore and aft not top to bottom? Thoughts?

 

[Steve Blancard]

Seems to me that if the barrel is properly bedded, there is no reason for the underlug hole to be larger than the pin. This would just allow undesired movement and wear. If the hole was drilled through the stock and lug at the same time, the alignment should be perfect. I would just put a very slight bevel on the end of the pin going in to guide it through.

 

[Birddog6]

You always leave clearance Fore & Aft of the pin hole in the underlug. This way the barrel lug is not stressed if the wood takes on or lets out moisture. If I am using a lug with no hole in it, I drill the main one thru, then I drill another one just like it in front & behind it & then file them to make one slot.

:thumbsup:

Keith Lisle

 

[rabjr]

There should be at least 1/32 either way fore and aft from the center hole to prevent the stock from cracking during times when weather effects the wood.

Or what Birddog says. :thumbsup:

 

[mazo kid]

There should be at least 1/32 either way fore and aft from the center hole to prevent the stock from cracking during times when weather effects the wood.
Or what Birddog says. :thumbsup:

+ one!

 

[LRB]

Definately make it a slot! My rifle was made for me by a friend. He did not slot the holes. After a few outings, I found that the gun always shot a good group, but every outing, the group had shifted. I pulled the barrel and saw that he did not slot the pin holes, so I did. Problem solved. The pin nearest the breech does not need as much of a slot as the others, but at least a little bit. The inlet in the stock for the barrel lug should also have clearance corresponding to the pin hole clearance, or only half the problem is solved.

 

[Zonie]

As the others have said, the hole should be an elongated slot with the clearance fore and aft.

Do not try to go the easy way by simply drilling the hole oversize.
Doing this would make the hole loose up and down allowing the forestock to rattle.

 

[11th corps]

Thanks for your responses. I will file the hole fore and aft.

 

[Steve Blancard]

I hadn't thought about expansion of the wood. The horizontal slot does sound like a good idea.

 

[LRB]

There are a few old originals that have suffered complete separations in the fore stocks because the holes were not slotted and the wood shrank over the years. It is a good practice to do. Changes from swelling or shrinking can make changes in the guns POI, as I experienced.