Question: First gun build - Issac Haines

[JO49]

Question:  I believe I have the barrel seated as far as it will go, a portion of the tang is above the stock yet.  How is this properly handled?  I'm thinking it should be filed down to meet the stock, wait until after the tang bolt is installed?  Or ?? Asking for suggestions.

[JCurtiss]

I'm no expert, but I merely bent the tang with a large adjustable wrench.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

You have two choices:  you can file off the tang above the wood, providing there is enough inside the inlet - about 3/16".  Or two:  you can take the barrel out of the wood, and bend the tang, then re-inlet it.

It looks good so far.

[JO49]

Thank you!  I'll give it a little tweek.

[jrb]

Here's a link to a guy showing how he put a kit gun together;  http://www.airbum.com/NeatShtpix/HainesPart1.html

[JO49]

Thanks, this will be a great help!

[sleddman]

Be careful,  now that you have inlet the tang straight .  If you bend it too much you may have a gap at the back side.    You will be ok if you tapered the edges enough.

[Karl Kunkel]

Bend the tang a smidge and file off the rest.

[Jerry V Lape]

As a future reference.  On my current build I cut a piece of cardboard stock to match the top of the stock where the tang would be.  Then used a vise with three pieces of  1/4" round steel stock placed to cause the tang to conform to that cardboard shape.  It was quite easy to shape.  Then with the sides of the tang properly filed with a draft I inlet it full depth.   It will still get a little finishing on the top as the final contours of that area are established.  Someone else on here had shown how to set up to do this bending.  So I was borrowing the method.   

[Dave B]

Take a scribe and mark the portion of the tang still proud. remove the barrel and check the amount let if its too little bend to make it deeper. You don't need the tang to be full thickness at the tail end any way. Most originals are half the thickness or less at the tail end of the tang.

[Lucky R A]

    It is a little late now, but you should have checked the length and style of tang used by the original maker.  It looks like you used the tang at the length supplied by the barrel maker.  Tangs are supplied extra long to provide material to accommodate a wide variety of styles.  Few tangs exceed 2" and most fall between 1-5/8 and 1-7/8.   It is not a structural problem, but with an overly long tang you will run into problems when attempting to lay out the tang carving.   Something to keep in mind for your next project as you build your skill set.

Good luck
Ron

[Eric Krewson]

Being a newbie builder myself (working on#3) I always order the full sized plans from Track before I start a project. This way you have a good guide for tang bending and shaping.

I have an a Track Issac Haines kit waiting in the wings for my 4th build. I bought it at about half price from a guy who didn't want it after he bought it. The first thing I did when I bought the kit was to buy the plans.

[JO49]

Thanks every one!  Being my first build and starting with a pre-carved stock,  I mistakenly thought is was going to be a little easier. There is plenty of fitting to do.  Ron, I did leave the flared tang full length (2 - 7/16") I should have put some study in on the rifle I'm building.  I do have a full size plan from TOTW taped on the wall and the tang on the plan is only about an 1/8" shorter.  I figured I'd make some mistakes but I'm having fun learning. 

It seems my next challenge is just trying to remove the cock from the lock with out buggering it up.  Once the lock is seated tight against the barrel.  I'll have to remove some wood to allow for the cock to travel.

Thanks again

Joe

[PPatch]

Regards removing that cock - Take all the insides out of the lock except for the tumbler. Drill a piece of wood with a sized hole that will allow the tumbler to sit in it, and trim the wood so that the lock bolster will allow the lock plate to set level with the top of the wood.

So, you now have a block of wood that allows the lock plate to sit flat on it with the bolster hanging over one edge and the tumbler in the hole.

Note that once you remove the lock screw you have a square hole in which the axle of the tumbler is showing. If you have to make a mild steel punch (a piece of 1/4 round stock about three inches long will do) with which you have squared with a file to fit into the hole in the cock and sit flat on the axle. With a mallet or hammer you now punch out the tumbler thus freeing the cock.

Hope that helps.

dave

[Dennis Glazener]

It seems my next challenge is just trying to remove the cock from the lock with out buggering it up.  Once the lock is seated tight against the barrel.  I'll have to remove some wood to allow for the cock to travel.

I always had problems with inletting locks to tightly and finally, after chipping out wood a few times, I learned to make sure the lockplate goes in and out with proper pressure. Once I get the plate inlet to the right depth I drill and tap it for the lock bolts. I use two old hardware store screws (2" 8X32) instead of the nice high dollar lock bolts (NOTE make sure the front lock bolt misses the RR hole, very important). Leave them long enough where you can tap them lightly to loosen the lockplate  in the mortise. I use Prussian blue around the edges of the lock to see where the lock is too tight in the mortise. Each time you have the plate out relieve the area where its too tight. Fitting the lock plate like this helps me when inletting for the internals. Easier to know when the internals are binding in the mortise. Hope this makes sense.
Dennis

[JO49]

Thanks again guys!
Dave here's my interpretation of your instructions on that block of wood for removing the cock.  I worked real good!  The lock face sits flat on both sides of the tumbler.

[thimble rig]

Now put it all in a zip lock bag.tape youre screws to the parts that they belong to.Like tape the sear screw to the sear and the bridle screws to the bridle.Sometimes they are different lengths.And take the little fly and tape it to the inside of the bag so it dosent get lost.

[PPatch]

Ya done good JO49er 

Now do as thimble rig says and put it all in a bag etc etc. It sucks to lose the fly or one of those screws.

dave

[eddillon]

Bend the tang a smidge and file off the rest.

Best way to go IMHO.

[thimble rig]

Some of theses kits are not exactly right when it comes the location of the touch hole in relationship to the pan.You might have to move the barrel forward or back to get it to line up.measure the length of the threaded part of the plug and mark it on the side of the barrel then mark off about an 1/8 or a bit less in front of the plug That line should be in the center of the pan.Hope I didn't confuse you.I know because I had this happen to me once.

[JO49]

So Thimble Rig...are you suggesting that I need to remove the breech plug to measure the thread depth? I'm still working on my barrel & lock inletting but it is getting close.  If I have to move the barrel back I will but I think my tang inletting will be messed up a little because the tang is flared.

[Ky-Flinter]

...are you suggesting that I need to remove the breech plug to measure the thread depth?

Yes.  Pictures can be deceiving, but it looks like your touchhole, or at least part of it, is going to end up hitting the side of the breechplug.  The touchhole should be just in front of the breechplug face.

-Ron

[sqrldog]

You don't have to pull the breech plug. Slide your ramrod or something similar down the bore til it contacts the end of the breech plug. Mark the muzzle end and lay the rod along the side of the barrel realign your mark and the end toward the breech will show you the depth of the breech plug. Eventually you will need to unbreech the barrel to check the touch hole inside the barrel for snags and to see if the touch hole protrudes into the bore. Good luck with
Your rifle. Tim

[JO49]

Thanks, that makes sense.

[thimble rig]

Yep that's the first thing I do when I build  from a kit.You should always check to make sure that the face of the breech plug is getting a good seal on the inside of the barrel.If you don't have any books on building a long rifle .You might want to get some and read them.I t will save you a lot of trouble along the way and money to.Also google duelist 1954 on u tube he has videos on build a long rifle,that will also help you understand stand things a little better.Hes not a pro at it  but it helps out when you are first starting out.