Nose cap strategy?

[Scota4570]

This is an original Vincent halfstock.  I am making a replica.  I am guessing that the cap was cast of pewter. I want to use pewter regardless.  The tip is short giving less than normal pewter purchase on the stock stub.   I do not like carving the stock away.  How about I flat off the forend tip.  Then install a couple of 3" drywall screw dowels with epoxy.  Then cast around the screw heads?

Thanks,
Scot

[rich pierce]

High heat destroys epoxy. Are you planning to drill a couple holes through to the barrel? Countersink those on the barrel channel side and it’s not going anywhere.

[smallpatch]

I did the same thing a while back, and did just what you suggested(without the epoxy).  Just drilled pilot holes, and carefully drove in  wood screws, drilled and countersunkholes onto barrel channel like Rich says, andmade the pour. Worked great.

[Scota4570]

I am not visualizing part of this.  Nix the epoxy, got it.  I install a couple of screws, or threaded studs, near the bottom-side flats, got that.  Do it like installing an ebony forend tip on a modern rifle? 

Where would I fit additional holes that break though  to the barrel channel? 

Or?  Is the suggestion to put two holes where the studs would be, and make a tapered holes to the barrel channel?  It would end up as posts cast as integral part of the nose cap.  Pewter is not strong, will that last? 

My puzzle is that the forend tip here is too short to cast around wood.  I see it as needing to be installed on the flatted off end of the forend. 

[Mike Lyons]

Scot,
I see what you mean about it being short.  I’m not that experienced and surely not with a nose cap like this one but I drilled some small holes in the end of the stock and then connected the cavity with countersunk holes from the stock channel.  The pewter flowed fine.  The screws sound like they would work.

[Hungry Horse]

 Rich is right. A short platform with a slight taper toward the triggerguard, bored through to the barrel channel, and countersunk slightly inside the channel will do the job. You don’t have to rethink existing solutions, or re-invent the wheel. Look at the example you pictured, it been around for over a hundred years.

  Hungry Horse

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Let's say that original cap is 5/8" long.  Cut away the wood on your forestock so it is 5/16" long sticking past the shoulder of the cap.  Reduce it so there is pewter along the sides and over the end.  Drill (1/8" - 3/16" dia.) into the end of the stock about an 1" or so, and connect those two holes with holes through the angle flats in the bottom of the channel.  That will give your cap lots of support.  The cap suffers no forces that would endanger it from breaking off.

[sqrldog]

One other way to do it is to drill 1/8" holes into the squared end of the stock and insert short  lengths of 1/8 round stock into the holes leaving enough to anchor the nose cap. File grooves on the end to be in the metal to anchor the 1/8" rods in the nose cap metal. Pour your cap. After cooling slide the cap off rough the part of the pins going into the stock wood and epoxy it to the stock. Just file a small flat on the pin as you groove them to let the epoxy out as the pins go in. The best part is if you dont get a good pour you can remove and melt the metal and do it again. Faster and easier than typing this. Picture is one I did 30 yrs ago.

[jerrywh]

There is no need for screws.  Rich has a good idea in my opinion,

[BJH]

As Rich said step the forend down just the same as you would do if installing a brass forend cap, just a little deeper. Then drill a couple of 1/8 inch holes through the tennon, counter sink the barrel channel side. These form rivets when you pour the cap. Also chamfer the top edge of the barrel channel part of the tennon, this allows the cap to lock over the tennon when poured. I’ve been known to drill a couple of 3/32 holes diagonally from the shoulder of the tennon, into the barrel channel. For pewter “pins” to help hold the cap in place. All easier to do, than explain in print. BJH

[mikeyfirelock]

I just finished pouring my 1st pewter nosecap on a 1/2 stock muzzleloader I am building.   Drilling a couple of small holes seems to be the accepted way of anchoring the nosecap.  Mine is very firmly anchored.   I will mention that your form must be sealed very securely.....any spots that are not well sealed will have a rivulet of molten pewter running down the stock.   Same applies to barrel channel.  At the suggestion of several posters on a longrifle site I used a cereal box for my source of form material, and multiple layers of wide masking tape to secure and seal.

[mikeyfirelock]

Forgot to add......make sure that the ramrod hole is ABSOLUTELY TOTALLY SEALED TIGHT