Trigger guard install

[Peter de KAM]

I am returning to a project I started five years ago with a kit from Chambers Inc. So, how do I inlet the trigger guard? Do I trim back what appears to be casting sprues? It looks like I would need to pin it to the stock in some manner—OR—perhaps (cheating here) embedding it in epoxy.? If it is pinned, do I wait for the final pinning until the wrist is contoured? I'm a visual thinker, so please point me in the direction of videos or picture-heavy websites...

 

[Phil Coffins]

File and finish each piece where it touches the wood before inletting. A rough surface can not be fitted easily. Look at the parts of a Kibler kit (he also has many videos to view for free) to understand how things go together. The use of epoxy is to compensate for poor work. Guns were made without it for centuries!

 

[rich pierce]

The “things that look like casting sprues” are lugs to be inletted. Then holes for pins are drilled horizontally through the stock to hold the guard down. You will see that the guard flat parts that get inletted have a more or less vertical edge then bevels toward the tabletop or top surface of the front and rear extensions. Inlet all the way down to the bevels just as you would a lock with bevels.

Do you have any books on building longrifles?

 

[MAC1967]

Pinning is best . . the lugs for the pins are much taller than a casting sprue. Some style rifles and fowlers will have or are acceptable to have, one pin in the lock area and a small steel screw or screws in the tail if the tail is long. Most have two pins and no screws. (Most Lancaster styles are only pins, some southern iron-mounted rifles use screws.) My chambers PA Fowler I pinned the front and because the stock is round and the brass guard is very long I used two small screws to hold behind the trigger. On Jim Chambers's PA Fowler sample, I looked at, he just pinned it, but I was afraid of the drill bit drifting on the round wrist.
I'd also strongly recommend using a drill press for all the pin holes that you can.

 

[The Crisco Kid]

You may have to bend the guard to fit the contour of the stock. Anneal the brass to a dull red and let it cool before you bend it. Some castings will break if they are not annealed.

 

[Peter de KAM]

File and finish each piece where it touches the wood before inletting. A rough surface can not be fitted easily. Look at the parts of a Kibler kit (he also has many videos to view for free) to understand how things go together. The use of epoxy is to compensate for poor work. Guns were made without it for centuries!

Excellent idea about finishing the trigger guard before finishing!! I read it and immediately did the forehead smack thing!

 

[Peter de KAM]

The “things that look like casting sprues” are lugs to be inletted. Then holes for pins are drilled horizontally through the stock to hold the guard down. You will see that the guard flat parts that get inletted have a more or less vertical edge then bevels toward the tabletop or top surface of the front and rear extensions. Inlet all the way down to the bevels just as you would a lock with bevels.

Do you have any books on building longrifles?

Yes, I have a couple of books on long rifle building… I wasn’t comfortable taking steel to wood without hearing from the people on this site…

 

[Peter de KAM]

You may have to bend the guard to fit the contour of the stock. Anneal the brass to a dull red and let it cool before you bend it. Some castings will break if they are not annealed.

Another brilliant idea! I didn’t stop to think about checking the contour of the trigger guard… For some reason I thought one size fits all

 

[Eric Krewson]

Most trigger guards as shipped do have casting gates as well as lugs, the long ones are casting gates that have to come off, the short ones are lugs for attaching to the stock.

Casting gates removed;

 

[Peter de KAM]

Most trigger guards as shipped do have casting gates as well as lugs, the long ones are casting gates that have to come off, the short ones are lugs for attaching to the stock.




View attachment 308407


Casting gates removed;

View attachment 308408

This is a huge clarification !

 

[Frosty861]

As a suggestion, Peter Alexander’s The Gunsmith of Grenville County

Frosty

 

[Peter de KAM]

As a suggestion, Peter Alexander’s The Gunsmith of Grenville County

Frosty

Wow! What an outstanding reference!! Thanks for the clue

 

[tallPercshooter]

Not to hijack this thread - but what is the general opinion - are pinned triggerguards more authentic and "classier" than those attached with visible screws? How were most original guns done?

 

[ronaldrothb49]

Another brilliant idea! I didn’t stop to think about checking the contour of the trigger guard… For some reason I thought one size fits all

Heating brass and letting it air cool will harden it. To anneal brass you heat it red then quench in water just the opposite of steel

 

[Eric Krewson]

It depends on the style, many southern rifles had pin in the front and a screw in the back and sometimes two screws or two pins.

Time frame had a lot to do with it as well, the above southern rifles were often made post 1800. Earlier rifles almost always had pins, perhaps because it took a lot less time to cut a pin than to hand make a screw.

There are no hard and fast rules to what style of rifle was built with what, you can see about anything in combination but overall, a certain school tended to be similar.

When I was building my Tn rifle, I looked at least 50 original southern rifles in the ALR virtual library, almost all had English locks but every now and then one would pop up with a Germanic lock. It was the same for all of the other parts.

 

[Peter de KAM]

Heating brass and letting it air cool will harden it. To anneal brass you heat it red then quench in water just the opposite of steel

I am thrilled you posted this little piece of information because I was going to air-cool it like a piece of steel!! I love these nuggets of information because you can't find them in books, and they are the end result of both good and bad experiences.

 

[Pete G]

I am thrilled you posted this little piece of information because I was going to air-cool it like a piece of steel!! I love these nuggets of information because you can't find them in books, and they are the end result of both good and bad experiences.

You won’t find that nugget anywhere because it is not true.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

You won’t find that nugget anywhere because it is not true.

If it were true I have been doing it wrong for 50 years. No disrespect to ronaldrothb49.
Larry

Right off the net:

Annealing brass?​

Home Shop Machinist
https://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net › Forum › General

Jan 10, 2007 — To anneal brass, heat it to a dull red and allow it to cool. It doesn't matter if it is quenched or air cooled, the results are the same. Brass ...

 

[ronaldrothb49]

If it were true I have been doing it wrong for 50 years. No disrespect to ronaldrothb49.
Larry

Right off the net:

Annealing brass?​

Home Shop Machinist
https://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net › Forum › General

Jan 10, 2007 — To anneal brass, heat it to a dull red and allow it to cool. It doesn't matter if it is quenched or air cooled, the results are the same. Brass ...

Well been doing it my way for 45 plus years and it works. It isn't really my way because that is what I was taught by individuals who had more experience. I checked out your proof off the net, Turns out it is just a forum just like this kinda like the ones that tell you brass is harder than steel on the net.

 

[Robin101]

Then you should do your own test. Air cool some brass, dunk cool some brass, you will get the same result.
Robin