Am I overthinking this?

[KILTED COWBOY]

While reading the Gun maker of Grenville County, the author states that you should not leave your barrel out of the I assume unfinished stock overnight as it may warp.
My question is how do you do that when it looks like the barrel browning-blue process can take some time. Also when finishing the stock do you leave the barrel in or take it out.
Last question, do you finish the barrel first and finish the stock last?
Is finishing the stock first to seal it before bluing the barrel preferable to seal it to avoid this warpage possibility?
Ordering the Kibler Colonial .54 This Monday. My first. Excited and apprehensive.

[Scota4570]

A little warpage is no big deal.  The wood is very thin and it will conform to the barrel when you put it back together. 

Work along with Jim's videos and you will have a fine rifle. 

[M. E. Pering]

Though Mr. Alexander's admonition to leave the barrel in the stock is good advise, there are times when it simply is not possible.  I try and leave the barrel in the stock as much as is practicable.

I am usually working on finishing simultaneously... While waiting for a stock to dry, blueing parts, for instance.  And I always take the barrel out for finishing anyway, because I like to finish the insides of my stocks as well as the outside.  It is my belief that this helps the water resistance of the stock.  However, once finish is applied beneath inletted parts like a patch box or side plate, I immediately refit those parts, and wait for the exposed parts to get dry before removing them again to allow the covered parts to thoroughly dry.  This helps prevent the wood from swelling to the point where the iinlay cannot be refitted.

Matt

[rfd]

a stock should be naked for finishing, and just think what that will/would/could/should do to the delicate parts of the wood.

[Jeff Durnell]

It's safer if the barrel is kept in the stock, but IF the wood was properly selected and seasoned, it should be stable. I have a Chambers precarve I'm working on now. It was roughed out for the barrel in 2005, but never put in. I finished inletting it and set it in just a week ago and it's fine. The forestock curves down 1/8" or less, but moves back up against the barrel with barely a touch, and will be held in place just fine when attached with a pin or key.

[Frank]

Yes!

[Dave B]

I have found that while doing the barrel finishing I place an old broom handle in the barrel channel to give some rigidity to the thin wood. I am always on the look out on garbage day while walking the dog to see what perfectly good wood handles are poking out of the bins

[WadePatton]

It's as much about protecting the fore-end from damage as it is about warpage.

Really good old stockwood isn't going to move a lot provided the grain is sane.

BUT any stock can snap into two pieces if it gets knocked over or something falls upon it and there is nothing but a spindly little fore-end with no supporting steel or wood.  I've handled such guns at the show-SNAPPED and repaired that is.

Sure, the wood can be repaired, but most of us feel pretty bad when our stock breaks into pieces.  This is why I put a dowel or bbl back into any bbl channel where the stock has been pared down to near final shape. ESPECIALLY completed work. 

There's little risk when the blank is thick-if one is using a phat blank.  Of course folks of great organizational skills and a well-sorted shop might not have as much of an issue with this.  I am not one of those.

[Huntschool]

I have to go with Wade and Dave.  When I did really skinny SMR's I would tape a broom stick into the barrel channel while browning/ageing the barrel.  I also had a special place to store that stock that was way out of the way from anything that might interact with it while the barrel/hardware was/were out of the stock.  Might have been overkill but.....

Do whatever makes you feel warm and fuzzy......

JMHO

[KILTED COWBOY]

Thanks for the responses. Never thought about a dowel or broom stick. That is a great idea.
Hope y'all are not getting tired of this nervous novices questions.
Hopefully when I get started on the rifle I will be too busy to overthink it.
Thanks again y'all are very kind. 

[Dennis Glazener]

If it gives you any relief the Kibler Mountain rifle kit that I am putting together has had the stock leaning up against my work bench for at least two weeks while I was browning the parts (and no time to work on it). Its still straight as can be. I just put the barrel in, took about 20 seconds. Its about as thin and wispy as any forestock you will see and I so no warpage or movement at all.
Dennis

[Turtle]

Kiblers are also sent with the barrel and stock separated.

[SingleMalt]

I usually hang the stock by the forward ramrod pipe if the barrel needs to be out of the stock for an extended period.