pinning the barrel

[tnlonghunter]

I'm getting ready to pin the barrel on my York rifle. One concern however: how do I get it back out once it's time to stain and finish the stock?

 

[Cherokee]

Remove the pins

 

[tnlonghunter]

Yeah, I know that. I'm asking whether I leave the pins long enough to pull out until after the gun is finished, or clip them short and then have to use a punch or nail-set or something to drive them back out (I don't want to mar the stock doing anything).

 

[Black Hand]

If you make the pins slightly shorter than the thickness of the stock they will sit just below the surface of the wood. Round the edges of the pins with a file at this point. This way you can insert the pins and then easily remove them with a punch, as the pin hole serves as a guide. I end up using a piece of my pin material as the actual punch so there are no issues with diameter. Once the gun is finished, re-install the barrel, insert the pins and fill the holes with a little beeswax.

 

[crgabel]

I leave them about 1/4"th long at this point and grind them down at completion
Craig

 

[aragorn]

You'll be taking them in and out quite a lot, so cut them long - mine are about an inch too long. That means you've got plenty to get a pair of pliers around to pull them out. If they're too short to pull out with pliers, you'll have to use a hammer and pin to knock them through (as you'll have to do when the gun is finished, if you ever need to take the barrel out again). You want to avoid that if possible, as you risk damaging and opening the pin hole in the wood each time.

Even though you'll eventually be shortening one end of the pin to fit, it's worth carefully filing both ends of the long pins after you cut them so they don't damage the pin holes by having jagged edges.

You may encounter different resistance over time as you remove and replace the barrel - according to humidity etc. A pin that was hard to remove is easier, and the reverse true for another pin up the barrel. I was dismayed when this first happened but then realised it's give and take down the barrel and it usually remains solid in the stock.

 

[tnlonghunter]

Thanks. I also meant to ask one other question:

How do you gauge the depth that you drill in to the stock for the underlugs? It seems that you'd need to file them shorter as you get closer to the muzzle, so is there a particular proceedure for determining the depth of that mortice?