Wooden underlug

[Wvforester]

I am planning on a half stock build, and I am wanting to try a wooden under rib. Any advice out there as to the do's and dont's. What method of underlug, staple?  I have a maple blank coming and I have some planed red oak that I thought of using for the rib. I liked the idea of contrasting woods and the weight of oak may help balance? I'm just brainstorming. Not looking to be HC or PC, just make another deer gun that makes me happy. Thank you seasoned fellows for sharing your wisdom on this sight.
Thanks for any input in advance.

Josh

[tallbear]

Josh

The weight of the wood will not have a lot of bearing on balance,properly done there is not a lot of wood to a rib..Oak will work but I prefer hickory or ash.You want something with as many growth rings as possible.The wood rib is pinned through lugs dovetailed into the barrel the same as the forestock is pinned in fullstock rifles.

Mitch Yates

[Ky-Flinter]

Hi Josh,

Welcome to ALR.  Wooden under-ribs are kinda fun and will save you a few ounces out front versus a solid metal rib.  If you want to attach it with pins, then dovetailed underlugs will work, but the base of the lug/dovetail will likely be visible.  With staples there might be a problem with the rib sliding back and forth by the width of the staple opening.

As an alternative, if you have sufficient barrel thickness, you could drill and tap the barrel and attach the rib with screws.  That's how I did mine.

If your barrel is thin, or you don't want the dovetail notches to show, you could solder the lugs onto the barrel, then pin.

-Ron

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I've done a couple of half stocked rifles with a wooden rib, and I agree with the others, that hickory or maple, or even walnut would be better than oak.  I like using staples so you don't see the edges of the dovetails along the barrel.  If you inlet them carefully into the rib, they will be as solid as necessary.  Makes for a distinctive 'look'.



This is an image of my brother Daryl's Albert Brown flint rifle.  The forearm was badly boogered so I amputated it, made a new nose piece and a maple rib.

[Kermit]

While Josh's question is up, any tips on a wood underrib on an OTR barrel? I've soldered the lugs, but haven't started on the rib yet.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Absolutely!  make the retaining lugs just like front sights, and solder them to the bottom of the round barrel. 

[Wvforester]

Awesome fellows. Thanks for the posts. Options are a good thing. I like the drilling and tapping option. Maybe countersunk screws " hidden"  by wooden plugs. No lugs, screws or pins showing. Hmmmm? Again, thank you all

[Pete G.]

Don't bother trying to hide the screws; they will be hidden by the ramrod, and will still be accessible if they need to be tightened if they ever loosen.

[Majorjoel]

Other than New England rifle's and smooth bores, has anyone ever encountered original guns from other areas that had wooden ribs?

[Habu]

Not as original work, but I've seen a couple done as repairs that were presumably done in other areas. 

[Woodbutcher]

 Gentlemen, what spacing or how many underlugs? Woodbutcher

[E.vonAschwege]

One thing to note - On original New England arms I've seen, every wooden under-rib has covered the bottom flat only.  I haven't seen any that are wider than the flat, or inlet up onto the two flats on either side of the bottom.  They're supposed to be delicate and slender, and done right can look very nice!  Really the only purpose they serve is to provide something to mount your ramrod pipes to, so don't be afraid to slim it down a ways.  Taylor's gun is a fine example. 
-Eric

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

WB:  put a lug one inch in from each end, and depending upon the length of the rib, two or three more evenly spaced.