Barrel rib

[Mauser06]

So thinking about my possible half-stock squirrel rifle. 


There are several methods of attaching an under rib. I've read of soldering, machine screws, and rivots.

Also see hollow ribs, flat ribs and ribs with a lip on them.

Right now, I'm thinking about a straight 13/16" 36" or so 36cal.


The under rib and attaching the rod pipes to it have me wondering what method to use. 

[thimble rig]

You could also use a wooden under rib.And use lugs and pins to attach it to the barrel.

[Mauser06]

Never considered a wooden rib.  I'm sure I can salvage a couple strips from the stock and get at least one to work out. 


Have to be awful carful inletting the lug into the tiny strip. It wouldn't be very wide or thick. But then could inlet the pipes into it like you would a full stock.

[Cades Cove Fiddler]

  ...I have an old percussion original Tennessee half-stock with 46"bbl with wooden pinned under rib........

[Mauser06]

Happen to have any pictures I might use for reference??   I've found a few after doing some searching on here.  Might be the way I go.

[Scota4570]

I have soldered several.  It is not difficult if you tin the rib and barrel.  I recently read here, that if you heat a barrel unevenly by 200* it will warp.  I have not noticed that problem. I generally use two propane torches, on in each hand.   Hey, shotgun ribs are soldered. 

Screws give me the willies.  drilling in to the bore is a danger.  Broken taps happen.  IF you want to try I suggest spotting and drilling tap appropriate holes in the rib.  Then temporary glue the rib to the barrel.  Use you pilot holes to locate the holes perfectly in the barrel.  Relieve the rib holes to the major diameter of the screw. Use the rib as a guide to start the tap straight.  TO me it seems like a lot more trouble than soldering.

Never did a wood rib.

[smylee grouch]

I have used silver solder to attach the thimbles to the rib then use plumbers solder to attach the rib to the barrel. Done several that way and never had a problem or one come apart.

[bgf]

...I have an old percussion original Tennessee half-stock with 46"bbl with wooden pinned under rib........

I've seen more than one Tennessee rifle converted to halfstock that way.  The longer barrel is usually the clue that it was earlier and fullstock.  I think i would slot the lugs and drill the holes on a sqaure piece then work it down to a rib. 

I've also seen (what I think are) later ones in pictures with shorter barrel that just have a pipe or two, no rib.  No idea how attached, just guesses....

[jerrywh]

Soft soldering a rib to a barrel will not warp the barrel if the barrel is not heated over 800°F. Therefore 430° paste solder if perfectly safe to use.  I don't really care who says any different I have done it too many times. Also nearly all modern shotgun ribs are soft soldered on with nothing but a torch or a flame fire. I even consulted with S&W about the subject and got the same answer. Also all modern Rifle sight bases are soldered on. 
  Clean the barrel with 400 grit wet and dry  paper and alcohol. Same for the rib. The RR thimbles should be prepared first by fitting to the rib but no need to solder them in advance to the rib. Apply low temp paste solder to the barrel surface and the rib at the joint also between the RR thimbles and the rib. Place an aluminum  3/8" rod through the RR thimbles and wire the whole assembly in place as desired. The rod will hold the thimbles in position on the rib and will also help transmit the heat evenly. aluminum is a great conductor of heat. Heat the whole assembly  slowly from the opposite side of the barrel until the solder flows. Keep the torch moving and don't be in a hurry.  A good way to judge the heat is to first clean off a few places on the barrel next to the rib nice and bright so you can see the colors change.  When heating the barrel never heat enough to exceed a blue color on the barrel. The blue color is about 600°F and is way above the temp required to flow the solder.  The excess solder can be mostly wiped off with a damp rag when it is still liquid.  When finished do not quench the barrel. Just let it cool naturally.  When you are done you will wonder why you always worried about it so much.  Somebody should put this in the tutorial section. I'm getting tired of explaining it.

[Bob Roller]

Soft soldering a rib to a barrel will not warp the barrel if the barrel is not heated over 800°F. Therefore 430° paste solder if perfectly safe to use.  I don't really care who says any different I have done it too many times. Also nearly all modern shotgun ribs are soft soldered on with nothing but a torch or a flame fire. I even consulted with S&W about the subject and got the same answer. Also all modern Rifle sight bases are soldered on. 
  Clean the barrel with 400 grit wet and dry  paper and alcohol. Same for the rib. The RR thimbles should be prepared first by fitting to the rib but no need to solder them in advance to the rib. Apply low temp paste solder to the barrel surface and the rib at the joint also between the RR thimbles and the rib. Place an aluminum  3/8" rod through the RR thimbles and wire the whole assembly in place as desired. The rod will hold the thimbles in position on the rib and will also help transmit the heat evenly. aluminum is a great conductor of heat. Heat the whole assembly  slowly from the opposite side of the barrel until the solder flows. Keep the torch moving and don't be in a hurry.  A good way to judge the heat is to first clean off a few places on the barrel next to the rib nice and bright so you can see the colors change.  When heating the barrel never heat enough to exceed a blue color on the barrel. The blue color is about 600°F and is way above the temp required to flow the solder.  The excess solder can be mostly wiped off with a damp rag when it is still liquid.  When finished do not quench the barrel. Just let it cool naturally.  When you are done you will wonder why you always worried about it so much.  Somebody should put this in the tutorial section. I'm getting tired of explaining it.

Years ago I was on the forum of an automobile club and one guy claimed that Teflon could be soldered to an ice cube if
both were cleaned properly.

Bob Roller

[Turtle]

Many NY halfstocks have no under rib. The thick barreled ones have the thimbles screwed on, I soldered mine. No rib allows you to make the forestock thinner if you want with fewer clearance issues with the ramrod hole.
                                             Turtle

[BJH]

In addition to the above soldering post, if you don't have any silver solder for the thimbles. Simply drill clearance holes through the rib in the locations where you want the ramrod thimbles to be and counter sink the barrel side of the rib. Now drill and tap a hole in each thimble one side only. Using flat head screws clean and flux every thing and screw every thing together. Make sure you don't have much screw shank to file away inside the thimbles. Now simply solder the thimbles in place. Clean and set up to solder the rib to the barrel. The screws are not structural they simply hold the thimbles in place while soldering the rib as the thimble solder joints inevetibly soften while soldering the rib on the barrel. This is the process I use as I don't have silver solder or a torch hot enough to use it. BJH

[Dale Halterman]

I use stainless steel hose clamps to hold the thimbles in place on the rib while I am soldering the rib to the barrel.

Dale H

[Cades Cove Fiddler]

  ...Will try to get pix of wood rib on my TN. half-stock later today........

[jerrywh]

 This is a photo of a set of 28 ga. barrels as they came out of my brazing furnace. This is a lot more complicated than a single rib setup but  it illustrates how it is done. In this case I used a piece of key stock to hold the bottom rib in place and the key stock also runs through the silver RR thimbles. Everything is held in place by the stainless hose clamps.
 These barrels were brazed at 1500° for 20 minutes in a special oxygen lean furnace. Dave Crisalli helped me figure this out. It always helps to have a genius around. They were bedded to prevent warpage. Low temp soldering is very simple in comparison. All that black stuff is oven flux.
 

[Daryl]

Here is a long rifle, with 42" bl. and wooden rib. You'll have to ask Taylor how he attached it. I no longer have that rifle, so cannot check myself.

[P.W.Berkuta]

I prefer to solder my ribs on. I have drilled & riveted two -- well one the second one I was drilling the drill stop slipped and I drilled into the bore. That barrel is now two smooth bore pistol barrels. Like others have said sand, clean, tin both surfaces, flux, attach the rib and heat. I silver braze my pipes on and solder the whole assembly at one time. I have used small c-clamps and now use "bailing wire" to hold the assembly together while I solder the two together.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Continuing with Daryl's post...
Four flat staples are clinched into the bottom flat.  They are 3/8" long and 5/64" thick.  Their feet - that which is set in the barrel metal, are of a diameter that corresponds with a #31 drill bit (can't recall offhand the .000")  The rib is inlet for the staples, and a short 1/16" dia. pin secures the wood to the barrel lugs.  The rod thimbles are inlet just as you would on a longrifle, and again, secured with a short 1/16" diameter pin.  I make my pins of welding rod or nails.
Advantages of wooden rib:  adds very little weight to the barrel...requires no soldering skills...cheap to make.
Disadvantages:  considerably more fragile that a steel rib, but still quite robust.

[Mauser06]

You guys are a wealth of knowledge!!! 


I appreciate all the input!! 




I've never soldered...But, it doesn't sound super difficult.


Have to layout the stock and see if there is anywhere I will be able to trim a strip off for a rib. If there isn't, I'd have to use different wood...Or go with a metal one. 



Not adding weight is appealing though. It's going to be a 13/16" 36" 36cal straight barrel. Even if it's 4 or 6 ounces for the metal rib, that adds up to making it overly front heavy. 


Could also use something like a piece of ebony or something maybe. Surely might be able to find a wood suppliers that has a 1/2" strip or something laying around.

Cherry stocked rifle and it's probably pretty difficult to get a match. But a nice piece of something else could look nice...


This rifle isn't going to be very correct.  Still haven't decided on furniture or style. I'd like a sleek slender rifle that looks good to the eye.   I couldn't let the blank sit there for sale...I wanna try to stock a rifle by hand. No pre inlet nothing. A half stock seemed like a logical way to try. Not sure I wanna do a 42" long rifle barrel by hand...But, this half-stock will teach me and I will either say "ok that wasn't as bad as I thought" or "yep I will pay to have it done".


I don't want a super cresent butt nor a real long spur off the heel.  I'm finding it difficult to find the right furniture.  I'd like to get the furniture figured out so I can start looking at the layout and design. 

[jerrywh]

 If you can find a hollow rib they are about as light as a wooden one. They are hard to find. and somewhat expensive.

[Dale Halterman]

I was under the impression that wooden ribs were period repairs. Does anyone have (or know of) an original that was built with a wooden rib?

Thanks

Dale H

[Cades Cove Fiddler]

  .....will try to post pix of wooden rib on antique TENNESSEE rifle....I believe she was made that way.....trigger-guard & barrel tang for good measure....












image upload

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

The wooden rib will start at about 3/8" - not 1/2" and be less for a 13/16" barrel. The flat width is your guide.  I like how that Southern rifle rib is so dark...looks great.

[bgf]

.....will try to post pix of wooden rib on antique TENNESSEE rifle....I believe she was made that way.....trigger-guard & barrel tang for good measure....












image upload

I like it, either way!

[Ky-Flinter]

Here's a cherry rib on a rifle I built.  Rib is held on with screws.  Pipes are pinned to the rib.  The cherry has gotten darker with age.





-Ron