Hollow ribb contra solid ribb?

[Rolf]

A hawken rifle is on my wish list for future builds. What are the pros's and con's for a hollow rib versus a solid rib?
Could someone post a picture of a hollow rib?

Best regards
Rolf

[Joey R]

Less weight but maybe a little more difficult to install.

[Dave B]

Here is a good example of an original with a hollow rib attached by a threaded stud which is peaned over as a rivet in the ribs  counter sink. The last half stock I built was done this way, it worked out really well.

this is one that I soldered down on the trade out barrel for the one I riveted. It's the same hollow rib puchased from MSB made by Rice. I like it a lot in that it keeps the weight down though only a couple ounces.

I used a heated copper rod just under bore size to slide up and down the barrel to keep the heat even while playing the propane torch over the rib. The hollow end was filled as the barrel cooled allowing the solder to bulk up, then finished with a hot soldering Iron to make its final fill flush.

[Gaeckle]

Hollow ribs are not that hard to install. I tin the inside of the rib with solder, prep the barrel (clean, sand/scuff) and flux the bottom flat. Then I heat the barrel from the top flat (the barrel is in the vice with the top flat down) the heat will draw the flux from the bottom flat to just over the sides of the two flats where the rib will be installed.

I'll let the barrel cool so I can take the rib (it will have solder on the inside, with quite a bit puddled up into the bottom of the rib) and I place the rib onto the barrel and use c-clamps to secure the rib to the barrel. With the barrel/rib assembly in the vice I heat the barrel at the point where the rib contacts the barrel and eventually I will see small drips of solder peaking from that joint. I'll do this the entire leangth of the barrel. Where I reach the point where the barrel is clamped in the vice, I will move it to heat and melt the solder. It a procedural thing.

Once the barrel cools and I am satisfied that the rib is secure, I clean off any drips with an old chissel followed up with a needle or point file, then sandpaper over a piece of wood rasped into a wedge.

The advantage of the hollow rib is a reduced wieght, however, when you make a nospiece out of pewter, you need to dam the hollow with paper or modeling clay, otherwise the pewter will run up into the cavity and a problem will arise when you try to remove the barrel from the stock.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Here's an image of one kind of commercially available hollow rib - a rolled sheet steel rib from Rice.  the muzzle end has been welded up and filed to look more like an original style (and falls short).  This rib is soft soldered to the barrel, and the ends plugged with solder to keep water out.  The rod pipes are silver soldered to the rib prior to attaching the rib to the barrel.  Note how thin the steel is at the barrel junction.



....and here's a milled/machined steel rib from MBS, riveted to the barrel with staked studs.  In this case, the rib was attached, and the rod pipes soft soldered to the rib following attachment of the rib.  Again, the ends of the rib have been filled with solder, to help keep water out.

I prefer this later system.  It is faster to make and is permanent, and H/C.

I doubt that I will ever use a solid milled or drawn steel rib again.  They are many times heavier than the hollow variety, adding weight to the muzzle end of the barrel, where you need it the least.
Something to note though, these hollow ribs are deeper than the solid variety, and your nose cap may need to be welded up and re-filed to match that depth...as I had to do in the bottom image with a commercial nose cap casting from MBS.

[jerrywh]

 Taylor can do anything. Humans have a harder time.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

You kill me Jerry!!

[David Rase]

Here is a photo of 2 ribs that have yet to be installed.  The rib on the left is one of the sheet metal ones from Rice and the rib on the right is one of the machined ribs from Don Brown.

 

[JDK]

Does anyone now market one similar to the one Don Brown produced, concave top and bottom?

I think I need one of those roughly +/- 25".  Enjoy, J.D.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

The rib on the right is virtually identical to the one I bought through MBS, and which is illustrated in the second image above.  As I said, I filed the sides flat to take care of the thick area along the barrel, and to copy one in Jim Gordon's Hawken book.  The bottom is actually concave for the rod...mine looks flat because I filed off the sharp corners, and ended up with a straight line...but it is concave along the rod groove.

[JDK]

Thanks for clearing that up.  I appreciate it.  Enjoy, J.D.

[rudyc]

Posted by: jerrywh    Posted on: Today at 12:35:03 PM

 Taylor can do anything. Humans have a harder time.



He even takes nice pictures!!!