Punch for stock pins

[Toneloc]

Stupid question, pins for my Kibler are .037”. In the past I used a little piece of drill bit shank as a punch. Not ideal but works if you are careful. Looking around the internet looked like smallest punch you can get is 1/16”. Anyone have a source for a smaller punch?

 

[wiscoaster]

No stupid questions around here (except mine maybe) , though seriously, there was a pretty good discussion about builder's tools not too long ago here:
https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/a-list-of-beginners-tools.167856/#post-2409211There was some discussion about punches in that thread. Hopefully your question was answered there. I haven't been able to acquire a punch smaller than 1/16 in. myself, and I've just used a drill shank like you when necessary.

Not to hijack the thread .... but .... I took a different approach with my SMR and used music wire instead. Which is available at Ace Hardware in 0.062 in. diameter, aka 1/16 in. And then opened up the pin holes a bit to accomodate pins made from that music wire. And genuine 1/16 in. punches, of course. Worked just fine, though I suspect you're going to hear from the naysayers on that topic.

 

[Rob M.]

Stupid question, pins for my Kibler are .037”. In the past I used a little piece of drill bit shank as a punch. Not ideal but works if you are careful. Looking around the internet looked like smallest punch you can get is 1/16”. Anyone have a source for a smaller punch?

Wow ! Those are some tiny pins ! I'd use finish nails instead , .075 ( approx) but thats just me . You can take a finish nail and grind / file it to size , blunt the end , naturally . Man , thats tiny ! Best of luck bud !

 

[Sam squanch]

I used music wire on one rifle. When I shot it, it sounded like an orchestra, scaring all the game for miles…..

 

[IanH]

I have a set of wire-gauge pin punches from Brownells that I use. They have fixed collets that hold replaceable punch tips. You could make a punch by drilling a bolt and putting in a short piece of music wire into the end.

 

[rp77469]

I used music wire on one rifle. When I shot it, it sounded like an orchestra, scaring all the game for miles…..

Good stuff. I used Herter's looped end wire shafts, for making crappie jigs, as a nipple pick for decades. Never broke one, but finally lost them all. Just a matter of finding the right size wire.

 

[Scota@4570]

They are not 0.037". The op measured wrong. Kibler pins are 0.62". The gun comes drilled already for them. He provides music wire. It is excellent material. Cut them a bit short so they sit below flush. Deburr the pins and put a tiny break on the edges. Use a 1/16" aka 0.062" punch to drift them. Harbor Freight has that punch in their punch set. I have also made a punch with a larger handle and 1/16" Dubro music wire to push the pins with hand pressure.

 

[yellowhammer]

My Woodsrunner used .062. I had never used any that small before. What a pain in the @$$. I watched on his videos how he said to prep the ends and how to hold an opposing finger tip as you are tapping to stop the divots. Well I did all that, I understand how to do it, I guess I'm just too old and shaky but almost every d@m* one of them I slipped and put a divot in the wood , grrrr. On my last build I went back to my old standby: 3/32" (.094) drill and 3/32" dowel pins. Nice and hard and straight and real flat driver end with a nice pre-formed round on the other. Only .03" larger dia, but MUCH easier for me to tap in and out with my punches. No flames please that's my 2c YMMV.

 

[Clark Badgett]

Stupid question, pins for my Kibler are .037”. In the past I used a little piece of drill bit shank as a punch. Not ideal but works if you are careful. Looking around the internet looked like smallest punch you can get is 1/16”. Anyone have a source for a smaller punch?

You might want to measure again.

 

[TDM]

What @Scota@4570 said. Use a 1/16” punch.

 

[wiscoaster]

..... Kibler pins are 0.62". The gun comes drilled already for them. ....

I don't think that's correct. I tried to find some residual material left over from my SMR build to compare, but couldn't. But I'm pretty sure the pin wire provided by Kibler is smaller, and that's why I went to the hardware store music wire. And that's also why he provides those tiny drill bits and that drill guide with his kits. Simply because a 1/16 in. drill bit is too large for his pin wire. But only Jim Kibler can answer that, and hopefully he'll come across this thread and enlighten the bunch of us. Though, maybe .... the pin wire provided with the SMR kit is not the same as provided with the other kits? I dunno ......

 

[ZUG]

This is a case of "measure twice and post once" issue. -- Maybe the OP should be measuring with a caliper instead of a ruler.

 

[Clark Badgett]

I don't think that's correct. I tried to find some residual material left over from my SMR build to compare, but couldn't. But I'm pretty sure the pin wire provided by Kibler is smaller, and that's why I went to the hardware store music wire. And that's also why he provides those tiny drill bits and that drill guide with his kits. Simply because a 1/16 in. drill bit is too large for his pin wire. But only Jim Kibler can answer that, and hopefully he'll come across this thread and enlighten the bunch of us. Though, maybe .... the pin wire provided with the SMR kit is not the same as provided with the other kits? I dunno ......

I can assure you that both Kibler Colonials I’ve owned had .062 pins. I can easily measure with micrometers that are certified true.

 

[IanH]

.626-7" or so, they benefit from a light sanding with 600 emery paper. The small pins look a lot neater than the big honking needle bearings that come with most kits.

If you carefully file or stone the tips of your pins square and use a very hard, square pin punch, the likelihood of slipping off is a lot less. Also, back up the junction of the pin and punch tip with the tip of your ring finger. The pin and punch make a groove in your skin and it acts as a coupler/guide until the pin is almost flush...then you just have to be careful. Another tip is you can drive the pin flush with a 1/8" punch, just be careful not to sink a half-moon in the stock on the high side of the pin hole.

 

[SDSmlf]

I haven't been able to acquire a punch smaller than 1/16 in. myself, and I've just used a drill shank like you when necessary.

Guessing the OP will do a re-remeasure and find the pins to be 1/16” or maybe larger, so a 1/16” or smaller punch or drill blank will work, but what I prefer to use is an undersized nail set, especially if the pin is close to flush with the wood. The concave tip of the nail set will center up and stay on the pin and then you can give it a bump to get the pin started on the way out of stock (nail sets are tapered, so you have to be careful with how far you move the pin with it), then use a straight punch of the appropriate size to drive it out. This exercise can usually be avoided if the pins are cut slightly shorter than stock width, but it seems many like to leave them flush with the wood.

Below is a group photograph of a set of nail sets, 1/32”, 1/16” and 3/32” diameters. Notice the concave tips. They are available from numerous manufacturers and suppliers. I would avoid the ‘inexpensive’ options like HF, because if these small diameter nail sets fail or break you will likely scar up your workpiece.

 

[SDSmlf]

.626-7" or so, they benefit from a light sanding with 600 emery paper. The small pins look a lot neater than the big honking needle bearings that come with most kits.

Guessing you left a ‘0’ of the diameter. .626” is well into and past the big honking needle bearings.

 

[Clark Badgett]

.626-7" or so, they benefit from a light sanding with 600 emery paper. The small pins look a lot neater than the big honking needle bearings that come with most kits.

If you carefully file or stone the tips of your pins square and use a very hard, square pin punch, the likelihood of slipping off is a lot less. Also, back up the junction of the pin and punch tip with the tip of your ring finger. The pin and punch make a groove in your skin and it acts as a coupler/guide until the pin is almost flush...then you just have to be careful. Another tip is you can drive the pin flush with a 1/8" punch, just be careful not to sink a half-moon in the stock on the high side of the pin hole.

Your pins are over 5/8”?

 

[Sam squanch]

I use 1/2 inch barrel pins. It’s in the stock for good..

 

[bptactical]

One thing I use on modern firearms when starting/driving roll and spring pins-
A small piece of rubber or vinyl tubing, insulation stripped from wire works well for very small pins or similar slipped over the shank of your punch will prevent the punch from slipping off of the pin- “sleeve” the pin with it.

 

[oldwood]

When driving the pin into the stock after removal w/ correct size punch , all is needed is a small hammer w/ short blows to reseat a pin to full length. If the pin is that tight , there's a good reason to chase out the hole with the correct size bit. 1/16 " pin , 1/16 drill bit. Don't forget to elongate the hole in the barrel pinning lug by tilting the drill bit back and forth longitudinally until the hole is visibly elongated. Tight pins , make an inaccurate rifle. When building a longrifle , a builder will remove barrel pins , and put them back in many times , sometimes slightly enlarging the holes enough that a pin might have a tendency to fall out aftr the gun is finished. Historically , a cake of bees wax will tighten the pin hole up so pins stay put. I'm not the only builder that spoke up on this subject , but I'm too lazy to find who the others were.........oldwood