barrel rib screws

[b bogart]

OK I'm going to start a half stock soon, and would like to know what size screws for this barrel rib. 7/8" 40 caliber barrel. Please give me a suggestion, and any other tips I should know about. Thanks in advance.
Bruce

[don getz]

Bruce....I normally used 6X48 sight screws.    You can buy them from Brownell's, along with the proper taps and tap drills,
....Don

[b bogart]

Thank you Don!
Bruce

[t.caster]

6-48, that's what I have used in the past as well. TOTW also sells the screws, tap drills & taps.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I use Brownell's 6 x 48 scope mounting screws too.  I bought extra drills (#31 I think) and ground the end of one square, so that after the tap drill hole is made, i can make the hole flat bottomed...it gives another full thread of so in the hole.  I did the same to a bottoming tap, by the way.


Also, I drilled and tapped a piece of 1/4" steel plate so i could run the screws in to the exact depth I wanted, then grind them off on the belt sander.  When I back the screw out of the plate, it cleans up the thread.  Then when I install the screws through the rib and into the barrel, they can be run in tightly.

I glue the rib to the barrel with a couple shots of CA (crazy glue), and drill the rib and barrel at the same time with the tap drill.  Then I give the rib a tap longitudinally to remove it, tap the barrel, and drill the clearance holes in the rib.

[t.caster]

D Taylor, good explanation. I forgot to mention bottoming drill & tap...very important to get as much strength out of the connection as possible.
I also use a tapped plate like you mentioned, for getting touchhole liners to desired length.

[T*O*F]

There are a variety of different styles of scope mounting screws.  They have different types of heads on them.  I've got the complete assortment and used up all the good ones already.

An alternative is to go to your auto parts store and get some 6-32 fillister head distributor screws.  They work well and you usually don't have to but special taps for them.

[holzwurm]

Perhaps this reply isn't germain to the original question, but, I had a conversation with Suzie of MLS at Friendship this week and she is using soft finishing nails as rivits to set barrel ribs in place. I've used screws a couple of times and didn't really enjoy the experience or like the results. Next rifle I'm trying the nail idea.

[don getz]

I guess it makes a big difference if you have a vertical mill.  I predrill clearance holes in the rib, as well as countersinking
the screw heads, I then clamp the rib to the barrel.  I place the barrel in the milling vise, run my tap drill down the hole
in the rib, then set my depth stop to whatever depth I want and then drill the hole.  I then replace the drill bit with a
tap and turn the chuck by hand to tap the hole......it's been many moon since I have broken a tap.  The mill makes all the
difference.......Don

[John Archer]

I also use rivets made from 1/8 round stock. It's a lot more time-consuming but I like the results and it takes the worry out of tapping the holes in the barrel. Having said that, I intend to use screws on my next build....just to see if going to the length of making rivets is really worthwhile.

John.

[flehto]

Using a drill press, I clamp the rib on the bbl and drill the tap hole thru the rib to the proper depth in the bbl....then a bottoming tap drill is used. With the rib still clamped to the bbl, the clearance hole and ctbr are drilled in the rib.  The bbl and rib assembly is clamped in a vise and the bbl holes are tapped and bottom tapped by hand using the rib clearance holes as a guide. Hardened  'scope  mounting screws work well but seeing the bbl steel is a lot softer and the fine threads are shallow, it's easy to strip the threads, especially if the screw is too long or the tap drill hole is too big....Fred

[Pete G.]

I built an Ohio style halfstock for the wife and used the finishing nail rivit method. I really don't like the look of the screws, plus tapping a small blind hole can be touchy. I'm never sure if I am feeling the tap cutting threads or if it is bottoming out. Once the tap bottoms in the hole it only takes another fraction of a turn to strip all the threads you just cut. I'm not sure how a rivit is more time consuming, because mine went fairly quickly, no more time than a tedius drilling and tapping operation. Now on some projects I can consume some time with the best of them, but this one worked out well, and I really like the look. The rivited studs are difficult to detect unless you are really looking for them, whereas a screw is almost always an eyesore.