welding the tang to the breech plug !

[holzwurm]

A few months ago I bid on a pair of "hawken" rifles built by a gent named "TAYLOR". They are numbered 2, and 1 ( a matched pair so it seems). When they arrived I could tell when I disassembled them I had bought a pig in a poke. The stock and furniture were actually fairly well crafted albit seriously dirty by time.

"Well, I thought I might be able to clean up the corrosion and turn them into shootable rifles". Actually, the stock was nicely shapped and the inletting fair to good. I got to lookin at the barrel yesterday. Tried to knock the tang off the breech, when I discovered that "Taylor" had spot welded the tang in place to the hook on the breech plug.

 

[waarp8nt]

I've seen some real sketchy stuff come from overseas. Makes it tough to bid and buy stuff without handling it in person. Even then you wouldn't necessarily know that the breechplug and tang were welded until disassembled.

Do you plan to replace the breechplug and tang? Or is it possible to grind a little of the weld away and save them?

Pictures please, I would like to see the madness behind the builders thoughts.

 

[hawkeye2]

Having spent a lot of my life in steel fabrication shops I wouldn't consider a spot weld any kind of issue at all. I'd grind it out, touch up the area and move on but that's me. Any other issues besides the dirt? Joining the plug and tang makes it easier to inlet and folks often epoxy or solder them together but this is the first time I've heard of welding.

 

[holzwurm]

haven't decided yet about a salvage project. One of the rifle barrels had spent some time on a bridgeport. The bottom flat has about 1/16"+ inch milled off from the breach to the rear entry pipe, and underlug milled in place. What mess. Will take some entertaining photo's so you get some sense what I'm looking at. Also, noticed that the under-rib has been held in place with 4 tiny screws

Also, I have often super-glued a tang onto a barrel when inletting the whole shebang into a stock. Helps keep the alignment solid and correct.

Had a thought to call Rice and get a new barrel that will fit the stock and go from there??? As bad as it is half the work to a finished gun has been done