Preferred method of tang bending

[Uncle Alvah]

I am needing to bend the tang on my rifle to match the stock profile.
The Idea of bending in a vise with wood block and hammer appeals to me because I can do that with what I have on hand.
I also see mention of heating the tang with ox-acetylene to shape it. This seems like the best way, but I would have to get up with somebody with tanks. Not that its an impossible chore to do that.
Thoughts and advice appreciated. The tang is 2" x 3/8"x5/8" just FYI 

[Hungry Horse]

My advice is bend it hot, and get spell check.

  Hungry Horse

[Jim Kibler]

Put it in the vise and use the barrel as a lever.  You can bend it in about the same time it takes to write a message like this.

[Uncle Alvah]

and get spell check.

I have speel check.....but thanks for mentioning it.......

[Uncle Alvah]

use the barrel as a lever.

I was worried that it might be a bit light for that. 44", .36 swamped?

[Jim Kibler]

You don't have to hold it at the end of the barrel and besides the barrel is a heck of a lot stronger than the tang.  Straightening a barrel makes you realize how strong they really are.

[Mauser06]

I was nervous about doing it myself recently.  Got to the point where it had to be done. 



Did as Jim said.  He's serious when he says it takes less time than to make a post about it.  It's not a complex bend and it's not a big bend...

I used the barrel as a lever and eyeballed it...after a few light bends it was good to go. 

[Mike Brooks]

I put a monkey wrench on the tang with my right hand and hold onto the barrel with my left then pull down on the wrench. It bends easy, no vise required.

[PPatch]

I use my larger vice, no heat. They are easy to bend, go slow and don't over do it. If you do just use the vice to straighten it a bit. You can make a quick drawing of the top of the stock from the breech back to the comb - a quick reference to compare your tang to.



dave

[Scota4570]

I just spent a lot of time adjusting a Hawken tang, as shown in the above post.  I mostly used a lead block anvil and a ball pene hammer.  I was able to get very precise adjustments.  No heat needed.

[vtmtnman]

I followed Jim's advice and it was easy.My vice is small and it still was a quick process.

[EC121]

I make an undercut at the tang/wrench lug junction before bending in the vise.  This will allow the bend to be closer to the end of the barrel and avoid the humpbacked looking wrist.  The hump can be filed away without this cut, but the tang can get pretty thin in that area before the hump is gone.

[flehto]

Before bending, I remove steel from the back of the bolster and eliminate the large radius and put a shallow hacksaw cut in the corner of the tang bottom and back surface of the bolster. The tang is then bent by clamping in a vise and using the bbl as a lever.

A cardboard template of the wrist is made and he tang is formed to it.......Fred

[gunlock]

I inlet the barrel and tang as a unit.  If the wrist radius is severe I may whack the tang a couple of times with a small hammer with the bottom flat of the barrel sitting on my anvil to get a rough bend close to the wrist shape. Most of the modern barrel tangs are way too thick so I leave enough of the tang exposed to file to the shape of the finished wrist.

[Uncle Alvah]

Using the barrel/vise method worked great, easier than I had expected. Thanks!

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I have never seen a Hawken tang that was shaped correctly.  I first join the tang to the plug until I have a very tight fit, than solder the tang to the plug.  Now I can turn the unit upsidedown, look along the length toward the tang to see if it is in line with the bore...they never are.  I use three 3/8" steel pins in my bench vise to adjust the tang to get the small end in line with the bore.  And I use heat of oxy-acetylene toch too get the tang's vertical profile to match the stock pattern's profile, being careful not to re-melt the solder.  Then the tang can be inlet down the centre line of the wrist, the barrel channel already having been inlet.
Longrifles are a snap after you've done a Hawken.  That long lolipop tang of a SMR is more akin to a Hawken tang.