Rails for inletting Barrel chanels

[Eric Smith]

While browsing my local Lowes, I bought some steel for making trigger plates and triggers, but came up short when looking for something suitable for making barrel channel guides as used by John Bivens and others. What do you use that will flex inward?

[KennyV]

I've used angled aluminum that I bought at the local Lowe's.

[J. Talbert]

Mine are steel 1/2 inch square rod.  The screw holes are along the outside edge.

Jeff

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I used 1/2" cold rolled key stock, followed John's recommendations to the letter, and came up with some very useful jigs. 
When you C clamp the rails to the barrel, they conform to the shape of the barrel easily.  And they do not take much of a set, even with holes all along their length.
Now I get Dave Rase, Mark Weder, or Mark Wheland to inlet my barrels, and cut the ramrod channel and hole.  That's about eight hours of work you get done better for about 100 clams...worth every nickel to me.  But a person should do a few the hard way first, so that they appreciates their service.

[Don Tripp]

I used 1/2" cold rolled key stock

Is cold rolled better than hot rolled for this application?

[Eric Smith]

Did a google and found some 1/2 inch square 1018 cold rolled steel at "Speedy Metals".com. It can be ordered in custom lengths. Will that work oK?

[greybeard]

If doing a lot of guns 1/2 "steel but I have had good results with 1/2 " oak.  lay on the barrel and clamp both ends. lay on a bead of glue. set the strips of oak. a few c.clamps holding the oak to the barrel and a few more holding the oak to the stock.    once the glue is set remove the clamps and the barrel and go to work.  Once done you can saw or split the rails off.
Thats how I did this one.  I wish the rest of the build had gone as easy.  Bob
 

[4ster]

Is there a DVD or post that shows these rails and how to use them?  I've looked at all the titles in the "Tutorials" section and didn't see one that mentioned rails, but I may have missed it.  This seems like something I should know for my next build.  Thanks!

[Hungry Horse]

I use 1/2" angle iron, with a"C" clamp brazen to the ends of the rails. These in combination with one of those portable work benches, like a Work Mate are about as easy as it gets. It is totally portable as well. I have done demo's in several places with it. Any place with power for the lights, and router, are good to go.


                        Hungry Horse

[Jay Close]

Agreed: no need for metal rails.

In my gunwork days I used hickory about 3/8" thick and  3/4" wide. It can conform very tightly to a radical swamp even laid down with the broad dimension against the stockblank. Positioned like this, you can place the screw-down holes well away from the inlet.

If the set is removed from one side of your inletting saw and you use that side against the rail , these wooden rails are remarkably long lived. They also seem a bit more "oldey timey" than angle iron or bar stock, certainly lighter in weight and cheaper if you have some scrap wood to use.

A good hardwood like hickory or oak would be best, but I imagine even pine would work for an inlet or two.

[bob in the woods]

Mark Silver's DVD has a demonstration.

[Don Tripp]

Is there a DVD or post that shows these rails and how to use them?  I've looked at all the titles in the "Tutorials" section and didn't see one that mentioned rails, but I may have missed it.  This seems like something I should know for my next build.  Thanks!

Peter Alexander demonstrated this in his VHS Tapes but they are no longer available.

[Habu]

I didn't want to be the first to admit to using wood, but since others already have . . .   I didn't have much luck with pine from the local lumberyard, but that is all fast-growth white pine.  Oak and ash have both worked well for me, and I wouldn't hesitate to try maple.  If you can't source the stuff you want locally, most cabinet shops can rip you a couple strips this size.  The last time I checked, going rate was a box of donuts delivered about morning coffee-break time.

[Long John]

I don't use rails.  There is no need to.  I prefer to let barrels by hand rather than having some one else do it - nothing against the folks that do barrel inletting - I build rifles for fun.  I have an MSWord file I have shared with a few who have asked for it that tells how I do it.  If you want ti let me know.  Rails simply aren't worth the bother.

Best Regards,

John Cholin

[Daryl]

I don't use rails.  There is no need to.  I prefer to let barrels by hand rather than having some one else do it - nothing against the folks that do barrel inletting - I build rifles for fun.  I have an MSWord file I have shared with a few who have asked for it that tells how I do it.  If you want ti let me know.  Rails simply aren't worth the bother.

Best Regards,

John Cholin

to you, perhaps, but obviously they are worth the bother to others.

[Acer Saccharum]

Once I discovered Dave Rase, I never looked back!

[Habu]

I don't use rails.  There is no need to.  I prefer to let barrels by hand (snip)

In the procedure described by Bivens, rails guide the (modified, hand-powered) saw to make initial cuts, as well as planes and chisels that finish the inletting.  I've always thought of them as "raised layout lines" rather than cheating. 

[bob in the woods]

I have never used them myself, simply because rather than sawing the outside lines, and working inwards , I hog out the middle first, and work outwards [ if that makes sense ] That makes the outside lines much easier to do with a chisel , and get a nice clean cut. The whole thing actually goes pretty fast .

[Acer Saccharum]

The whole thing actually goes pretty fast .

For me, it takes about a week.

I would starve as a gunsmith, or be black and blue from the beatings from the master.

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

There are lots of really fun things about gun making. Hogging out barrel inlets and trying to drill RR holes 2 or 3 times a year is not my idea of fun. It is worth the money to have one of the experts do it.   It does help if they are close by and you can avaoid shipping a big heavy blank around the country though........

[Bernard]

I agree with John Long. By the time you get the rails in position and screwed or glued down and ready for work I'll already have my barrel half inletted and I've compared the fit I get with some I've seen done with rails and IMHO my barrel fits better than many of the others. I only inlet barrels if the customer wants a completely hand crafted rifle. Otherwise I get it done by one of the many very competent service providers.

[Daryl]

When any of these guys do it, it looks like it grew there. Dave Rase, Mark Weder, Mark Wheland - That is why makers such as Dave Rase and Taylor use them. Quick and painless - leaving more time to the intricacies of building and carving.

[Keb]

I'm in the dark. I've no idea how a barrel channel can be cut with aluminum, 1/2" key stock or anything other than a mallet & some gouges & chisels. I have to assume a router is involved. :/

[rich pierce]

I'm in the dark. I've no idea how a barrel channel can be cut with aluminum, 1/2" key stock or anything other than a mallet & some gouges & chisels. I have to assume a router is involved. :/

In the "rails" method, the barrel is placed on the sawn top of the stock.  Iron rails are placed beside the barrel exactly following the contour of the side flats and are screwed down to the top of the stock.    The screws are small and lie outside the finished width of the forearm and fore-end.  The barrel is removed and a saw with no "set" is used to make vertical side cuts straight down to the required depth.  Rails are removed and the barrel is inlet by hand but the sides of the inlet, which are perhaps the most important and difficult to achieve, are established and the rest goes quickly.

[DB]

What do you mean when you say no set on a saw?