Fitting Wedges into GPR

[Flash Pan Dan]

Well, after 6 months of work my GPR is ready for a test fire before I finish it. But I am having a little trouble with the wedges. I am putting in the longer one in the rear and the shorter one in the front but they wouldn’t go in without a bit of persuasion. I inlet the barrel so there is 1/16 inch from bottoming out in the stock, as prescribed by the instruction that came with the kit. Is there a trick to fitting then in? They go in better going from left to right than from right to left. Is there a right direction for them to fit? Your help is much appreciated.

Dan

 

[necchi]

There is no correct direction per say. Anyone that say's it's one way or the other is just a matter of personal opinion.

I have fixed tight tennons with a large blade tip screw driver I have, it's a big devil, the end is almost like a chisel,,
Anyway's put large screwdriver/small chisel into the tennon and tap it gently with a hammer, the idea is to gently open the space between the barrel flat and tennon.
Tennons are a soft steel and can move some, if you go too far tap it back down.
Now be carefull, there's another current thread with a photo of a broken tennon on a GPR, it's was struck just a little too hard.

It's worked for me several times when trying to get a good tennon/wedge fit, but there are limits and a person needs to use care.

 

[tenngun]

you see most go in on the right side.They should be tight so as not to move under the jar of shooting.Many folks put a slight bend them to get them tighter.If you dont want to enlarge the tennon you can try filing the wedge.Remember its better to have them too tight then to loose :wink:

 

[crockett]

If they are going in and it isn't a big deal on driving them out, I'd wait a little bit. Sometimes, with use, they tend to loosen up a bit.
I was sort of surprised the GPR has spot welded tenons. I think a dovetail tenon is stronger. I drive in from the lock side, so the head of the wedge is on the same side as the lock. It seems a lot of photos of old guns show them that way so that's how I always do it.
I take off the sharp edges on the tenon and slightly bevel so if the stock isn't all the way down the wedge gets led in properly.
I never "Pound" anything". If it isn't going in I take apart and inspect- might be something on in the barrel channel, etc. That photo on the other thread- don't want that.

 

[tenngun]

Did not mean to contradict you in my post.Its true they can go in on any side,and it is a matter of taste,I only ment to say most I've seen on righthanded guns went in on right side. :redface:

 

[Flash Pan Dan]

When I put the wedges in from the left they go in most of the way but are stopped by the escutcheon on the right side. When I put them in from the right side they don’t go in very far at all.

Thank you all for your advice. I will round off the corners of the tendons, escutcheons, and the wedges and see how that works before I try any pounding or prying.

 

[BrownBear]

Sounds to me like your barrel isn't seating all the way down. In my experience anyway, the wedges either fit right or are too loose once the barrel is seated right.

Dunno. Not saying it's for sure the case with your GPR, but on Lymans wedges that won't fit are my signal I didn't get the barrel all the way down.

Lyman gives good instructions in their kits for tightening loose wedges. Reversing the procedure (bending the tenon open slightly) would be my approach rather than messing with rounding stuff.

 

[Bill Hall]

I'm pretty much gonna agree with everyone here. First, make sure the barrel is seated correctly. Look for a gap at the nose cap (or nose, if there is no cap). See if it climbs slightly from rear to front when it's seated. Remove the lock and see if the wedges fit better. Things like that. If not seating all the way, go from there.

Next, I agree with the guy who said wait and see if it loosens up a bit after use. When I build with wedges, I make them pretty tight and let them wear in where they want to be.

If you think that's not going to be the solution, you need to open up the tennon a smidge. You can do like Necchi mentioned, or get in there with a needle file. Either way, go slowly. Open a hair, then test for fit. Keep repeating until wedges are still tight, but not too tight. Don't thin down the wedges. Good luck. Bill

 

[necchi]

Did not mean to contradict you in my post.Its true they can go in on any side,and it is a matter of taste,I only ment to say most I've seen on righthanded guns went in on right side. :redface:

I put mine in from the Right too. I guess that's how I learned in from the right, out from the left.
When I'm shooting I can run my fingers across it and feel it's in proper