Staples and keys

[Maurice]

    I am re-stocking  a production 50 cal. T/C Hawken style half stock rifle with a full stock (from a blank) and plan to use staples and keys to hold the stock to the barrel. I found plenty of discussion on the forum about staple hole depth, bore dimpling, staking tools (Y? or N?) and staples vs under lugs.
 
     My 2 questions are about the fit of the key in the staple and stock. Should the key snug up against the barrel bottom and fill in the entire open rectangular area created between the staple and barrel? Also, any suggestions on how to inlet the stock so the key makes a snug fit in the stock and is properly positioned within the staple?

[flehto]

The wood on top of the slot in the stock applies force to the key and the bottom of the key applies force to the staple thereby pulling the stock and bbl together.

A slot in the stock on  both sides is made and the bottom of the slot    is .005-..010 lower than the bottom surface of the staple slot.... but allows the key to enter  the slot.  Wood is then removed from the top of the slot until the key enters when the bbl and stock are held tightly together. The escutcheon can now be installed. If the escutcheon is located as in the middle pic , the key can locate it. But if the escutcheon is located as in the bottom pic, the slot of the escutcheon must be held lower  by   .012 when outlining the inlet..... because of the angle, the  escutcheon  will move upwards.

The  key has clearance w/ the bbl and clearance w/ the bottom of the slot in the stock. The  escutcheon covers up  the gap in the slot in the stock , but the bottom of the slot in the escutcheon has a few .001s clearance w/ the bottom of the key.  Don't want the escutcheon to interfere w/ the key applying force to only the staple.

A little difficult to describe, but that's the way I do it. .....Fred

[Scota4570]

I know you said you want to use staples.  Maybe some food for thought?  I prefer lugs.  They are a cleaner installation.   If you use lugs you can drill through the stock and lug at the same time.  You now have located the future slot.  It is easier to me. 

[flehto]

I've used both staples and bbl lugs  for keys and either way is OK but I prefer the staples which I make out of nails. After forming the staple, a narrow groove  is filed on each leg and bbl steel is peened into the  grooves which is fairly neat.  Hole depth is critical  and a drill collar is mandatory. I start w/ an angled drill point and finish w/ a flat bottom point for maximum useable depth.

Locating the slot of the staple  in the wood is easy ...a couple of measurements and it's located.  I also file a flat on the inside  bearing  surface  of the staple......Fred

[P.W.Berkuta]

I prefer dovetail lugs to staples . I've ruined a barrel drilling for staples even using a stop collar - the collar set screw got loose and the drill bit punched through into the bore . This can't happen when using a dovetial lug .

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I use my drill press with it's locking stop on the quill to prevent drilling into the bore.  With the barrel clamped to the table I bring the drill bit down 'til it touches the barrel and then run the locking nuts down.  Having determined how deeply into the barrel I wish to drill, I find a drill bit of corresponding diameter and place it between the nut and bottom of the quill stop and lock the nuts.  Now, as long as the table is locked, there is no way you can drill deeper than what you have set up.
When I use staples, I like using the staples sold by TOW.  They are castings and I bought a whack of them when they first came out years ago.  They are consistent and TOW's double punch matches them perfectly.  I do not use TOW's set though.  I have two of those, and both have pieces missing from around the bottom.  Also, those sets move too much metal at once and I feel one is more likely to dimple the bore with the heavy hammer you need to move that much steel all at once.  I made a set out of a nail set, simply grinding a bit of a flat on one side to slide up against the staple, then a single whack with a ball peen hammer squashes barrel steel down into the hole on top of the staple's foot.  I usually use three strikes forming a cloverleaf around the staple's foot and that so far, has worked very well.
But I use a dovetailed barrel tenon just as frequently.  I make my own out of .032" sheet steel or brass.

Here's a picture of a staple set into a .40 cal Rice barrel.