Assistance with Bedford kit

[New2this]

Hi all -
First post here on the forum after lurking for some time. Hoping to learn a lot from your expertise....
Anyway, I bought a Bedford Longrifle kit secondhand from a friend of a friend awhile back that was in pretty poor shape.
To outline the issues:
1. Nosecap was GLUED to barrel
2. Multiple dents and dings in stock
3. Inlay of sideplate was apparently attempted, but was done sloppily and basically does not fit the sideplate whatsoever.
4. No buttplate fitted/attached, but included.
5. Barrel not pinned to stock.
6. Rammer pipes GLUED to stock.
7. Stain applied, even though gun not completed.

Now, I received this knowing full well that it was basically going to have to be entirely redone, so let me summarize what I have done thus far.
1. Welded the pins to the underside of the barrel for securing to stock.
2. Filed flat the sideplate recession, and filled in large gaps with wood putty.
3. Refitted trigger/trigger guard, filled in gaps.

Now that the easy stuff is out of the way... I have a couple questions.
- How do I fit the buttplate to the end of the stock, given that the buttplate is a good 1/2" thinner than the stock edges on each side?
- What is the best way to fit the lugs for the pins to the barrel, and how do I drill the holes (this is tough metal, tried drilling to no avail.)
- How do I fit the nosepiece properly and secure it?

Sorry if this post is excessively long. I tried looking for answers on here but couldn't find exactly what I needed. This is only my second build/refurbishing, and the first one I did not encounter any of these issues. Any help would be most appreciated!! Thank you. 
FYI, I live very close to Dixon's, and can obtain any parts should the be needed.

[keweenaw]

Not quite sure where to start.   The lugs are typically dovetailed into the bottom of the barrel, I have no idea what you mean about welding the pins to the barrel.  The lugs shouldn't be hard to drill as they are mild steel, if you can't drill them you need a new bit.  Bedford buttplates are quite narrow,  some for later guns are no more than 1" wide.  If your stock is wider than your buttplate you remove wood until you thin it down to the width of the mounted buttplate.  Start by cutting the appropriate curve on the back of your stock to match the inside curve of the buttplate.  Be careful to align the front of the extension of the buttplate with the top line of the stock.  After the buttplate is attached, remove wood to final contour.  The foreend cap should be carefully fit to the wood and is riveted in place with a copper rivet the head of which is in the bottom of the barrel channel.  But what you really need is a good book on how to do all this.

Tom

[smshea]

If you live close to Dixons Here is what you should do. Call over and make sure Greg is there( a week day would be best)  Take everything you have over to the shop and let Greg check it out. Before he was running the store he was building some of the nicest guns Ive ever seen so he can tell you if something is too far gone or how to fix it . HE will most likely have anything else you need and wont try to sell you anything you don't. His dads book would be a help if you don't already have it. If you need more help than he can give you in the store, he can put you in touch with someone local who can help.     

[New2this]

Thanks a lot for the information. I am going to try and head over to Dixon's tomorrow to obtain some literature on how to do this correctly. I'll certainly keep you updated, its a very nice kit minus what I've mentioned.

[billd]

Could you explain how you welded the lugs to the barrel?

Bill

[smshea]

Take the kit with you! Don't be shy.

[New2this]

Bill -
What I did was place the barrel (it is octagonal) into a vise between two blocks of wood. I cleaned the barrel of any dirt or grime which had accumulated, and then used solder and high heat to join the two parts. I ensured they were secured by epoxying the perimeter of the joints afterwards. Welding was the wrong word to use... I was typing in a rush when I made this post. Apologies!

[billd]

Good job.......When someone says they welded the barrel we cringe.

Bill

[Dennis Glazener]

Bill -
What I did was place the barrel (it is octagonal) into a vise between two blocks of wood. I cleaned the barrel of any dirt or grime which had accumulated, and then used solder and high heat to join the two parts. I ensured they were secured by epoxying the perimeter of the joints afterwards. Welding was the wrong word to use... I was typing in a rush when I made this post. Apologies!

Whew! Glad you meant soldering instead of welding! They should be dovetailed but you can get by with solder if the web is thick enough between the barrel and ram rod channel.
Dennis

[New2this]

Sorry for the misunderstanding, all... I certainly didn't go welding that barrel.  Is there a do-it-all book you can recommend for me to buy for a project like this?
I don't think the gun is beyond repair, as most of the work done to it before I received it was superficial (ie glue on the gun, sloppy staining), so I am actually thinking it could turn out quite nice IF I devote the time and research into it. I'm not expecting it to look nearly as good as some of the work i've seen posted on here, but if I can come out with a nice, well-made, safe and working gun I will be more than happy. If nothing else, for the price I paid, it will serve as a nice practice piece for when I put in the investment on a scratch kit of my own. But nonetheless I do have high hopes for it.

[b bogart]

Well New2
Make sure when you visit Dixon's that you request the book Chuck put together. It even makes sense to me so you should be fine.
Bruce

[frogwalking]

I have two books on building long rifles.  The one that I have at hand is "The Art of Building the Pennsylvania Longrifle" by Chuck Dixon. It is very good.  The other "Recreating the American Longrifle" is also good.  Both are in stock at Track of the Wolf.  I am sure there are other good books too.  You can't go wrong with either of these. 

[Berks Liberty]

Sorry for the misunderstanding, all... I certainly didn't go welding that barrel.  Is there a do-it-all book you can recommend for me to buy for a project like this?
I don't think the gun is beyond repair, as most of the work done to it before I received it was superficial (ie glue on the gun, sloppy staining), so I am actually thinking it could turn out quite nice IF I devote the time and research into it. I'm not expecting it to look nearly as good as some of the work i've seen posted on here, but if I can come out with a nice, well-made, safe and working gun I will be more than happy. If nothing else, for the price I paid, it will serve as a nice practice piece for when I put in the investment on a scratch kit of my own. But nonetheless I do have high hopes for it.

New2this - get the book "The Gunsmith of Grenville County" by Peter Alexander.  It is very useful and covers some things with George Shumway's book Recreating the American Longrifle doesn't.  There are actual photographs of the different phases of building.  The other books have hand type drawings in them.  I wish Alexander would have had that book out when I built my first rifle.  And as most everyone here will tell you...Research, Research, and Research.  Books, internet, handling original rifles and talking to these guys who built a lot of rifles.  Good luck!

Jason