Forearm Length

[tlallijr]

Ok, I'm building a rifle with a 36" barrel. So my plan was to use short 1" ramrod pipes and shorten the forearm length to 10" to help disguise the short barrel. Somehow I made a mistake marking the middle ramrod pipe moving it back an inch so now I will have to shorten the forearm to 8" to keep the entry pipe the same distance. Do you think it's too much ? What would you do ? Here is what it should have been.






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[Mike Brooks]

I'd smash it to pieces and throw it away.......or just put the rear ram rod pipe right at the start of your 10" forestock. The 1" misplacement of the 2nd pipe won't even be noticeable.

[Ed Wenger]

I agree with Mike, the second part of his answer....  A shorter forearm is gonna look more out of place than worrying about pipe placement.  I've seen more than a couple originals where it appears as though the ram ram pipes were "eye balled".


          Ed

[Dennis Glazener]

Or just leave off the entry pipe, many southern rifles don't use them.
Dennis

[PPatch]

Or just leave off the entry pipe, many southern rifles don't use them.
Dennis

Ditto. Leave the forearm alone and ditch the entry pipe.

dave

[Ric27]

There is no set rule about distance off pipes. You can fudge them around. In that you have already set in you two front pipes it does leave you with a dilemma. But after the rifle finished it will only matter to you and that will force you to build still one more rifle to erase that fetal flaw. Go ahead ask me how I know.
R     

[bowkill]

It will look better without the entry pipe..Oyea your pictures suck...lol

[Mark Elliott]

On originals, the ramrod pipes were not equidistant by any means.   It is actually pretty hard to make them that way working around the barrel tenons.   Something has to give and for me it is usually that middle pipe position.   I will move the front pipe back some if it helps center the middle pipe, but I don't worry too much about it as the original builders obviously didn't.

[tlallijr]

Thank you all for the input. Sorry about the crappy cell phone photo's. Ric27, It's funny how I usually start planning the next build when I'm half way through the one I'm working on, and already thinking of what I will do different.... it's so addictive !

[Dale Halterman]

Or, you could use slightly longer pipes. Add 1/2" to the middle and forend pipe with the additional length used to close the gap between the pipes by 1". Then it will match the distance between the middle pipe and the entry pipe, if I am understanding you correctly.

Or, you could eliminate the entry pipe. I hate inletting them anyway.

Dale H

[Ric27]

Looking at your new photo, you don't have a problem. Just put you entry pipe on there. It will be fine. In a design sense I would not put the middle pipe closer to the front pipe but always to the rear of the center towards the entry pipe. That is just what you have.

[Long John]

I agree with Mike and Ed, install the pipe at the current end of the forestock and forge onward.  It appears to be a Lancaster profile stock so it really should have an entry pipe.  Like Ed, Mike and Mark have noted, there are lots of rifles out there with ramrod pipes that are not evenly spaced.

JMC
John Cholin