riveting underribs

[whitebear]

I have recently seen a couple of references on the forum about riveting underribs to barrels.  I have never heard of this before.  Can someone enlighten me?

[Dave B]

WB,
There is a few of them out there that were held in place by riveting. The hole is drilled and taped a threaded shank run into the hole snug then the under rib placed over the rivet shanks and the rivet shanks peened down to retain the under rib in place. Here is a picture to illustrate the process.

[whitebear]

Thanks David but if you are going to do all that why not just put a screw in it the correct length?

[Rasch Chronicles]

Fellows,

That's why I stop here all the time. I learn, and learn, and learn...

You guys are great!

Best Regards,
Albert “Afghanus” Rasch
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles™
Repair and Clean your 10/22 Magazine!

[Dave B]

WB,
Its The workman like way of doing the job. To make small screws to secure the under rib that wont need to be removed why take the extra time to make the whole screw for the thing?

[whitebear]

Thanks Dave I hadn't thought of that.  I recon I am still too much in the 21st century.

[Pete G.]

....and it looks right. Machine screws just look out of place to my way of thinking. I use a finishing nail and drill a hole just large enough to take the head, and then upset the metal around the hole with a punch. The soft iron of the nail is easily rivited into a countersink on the surface of the rib and almost disappears when dressed down.

[Dave Dolliver]

Just to add a thought.

I prefer to screw on the rib so that I may remove it later in case I need to put the barrel ito my lathe to modify the muzzle area.   The barrel with rib and pipes won't fit thru my lathe headstock (1 3/8" hole).

Dave Dolliver

[Don Getz]

Screws are cheap.  But, by the same token, how many times do you remove the rib after the gun is built?   I have installed
a lot of underribs using screws, and how can you tell how it is attached unless you remove the ramrod.   I see nothing wrong with the rivet method, and would probably be easier to do if you don't have access to a vertical mill, which makes
drilling and tapping so easy...............Don

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I don't have a vertical mill that is practical for the job, but I have a bench mounted drill press that is.  I spot glue my rib to the barrel, if it's one of the solid types, set the barrel in the vise so the bore is level, set the quill stop so that I don't drill into the bore, and have at it.  I drill first with the tap drill right to full depth through the rib and into the barrel.  Then I give the rib a crack on one end to break the glue (Cyanoacrylate), drill the clearance holes and countersink for 6 x 48 scope mounting screws with the rib off the barrel, and return the barrel to the vise to use the drill press with the belt removed to tap the holes.  Before I had a compressor I used an aerosol can of WD 40 to blow out the chips during the tapping.

I should say I used to do it that way, because now, I solder them all on.

[fm tim]

See this thread:

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=14193.0

Jim Turpin video on Percussion rifles shows him using nails in blind rivet holes on a Hawken replica rib.
He then peens the ends of the nail as though it were a rivet.