Rookie Barrel Mistake need advice

[SHARPS4953]

I did a stupid thing while staking my barrel tenon on a B profile swamped 50 cal barrel. While running a cleaning patch through it I discovered 2 small indentations under the middle tenon. Im sure it would load but Im wondering how the accuracy would suffer, if at all being in the middle. Any advise on a fix? Maybe ramming a lead slug down the barrel to possibly push out the indentations.  Or is it ruined?

Scott

[Clark Badgett]

Are you talking about the staple type tenons? If so, those bumps are not from the staking, they are from the point of the drill forming a bump due to the fact that the metal is thin there.

[SHARPS4953]

No its a dove tail tenon. I staked the corners, I guess I got a lil too aggressive .

[Bigmon]

Must be purty thin there.  Would you want yer kid shooting it?  Maybe best to make pistol barrels?
I did a similar thing with a front site.  There is actually a hole.  But it doesn't even effect the accuracy and clear out there an inch from the muzzle should be safe?

[SHARPS4953]

Must be purty thin there.  Would you want yer kid shooting it?  Maybe best to make pistol barrels?
I did a similar thing with a front site.  There is actually a hole.  But it doesn't even effect the accuracy and clear out there an inch from the muzzle should be safe?

    I guess your right,  I dont think its thin enough to blow out but Ill probably replace it..

[smallpatch]

Did the same with my first swamped barrel. Now I have a 29” and a 15” tapered barrels. Replace it.

[hortonstn]

I did the same thing kinda makes your stomach quizy
Now I solder all Tennens
I replaced the barrel that's one mistake we,ll never forget

[EC121]

My dovetails are only a measured .030", and I only tap the corners of the dovetail.  I never hit the bottom of the dovetail.  All that lug has to do is hold up the ramrod and pipes.

[Clark Badgett]

No its a dove tail tenon. I staked the corners, I guess I got a lil too aggressive .

You must have cut a might deep dovetail.

[alex e.]

Get a new barrel, and don't  do it again.
Lesson learned

[Lucky R A]

And that my fine young friend is why you solder that underlug on.  Actually I solder them all on,  easy fast and just as secure and never a disaster. 

Ron

[Scota4570]

Solder is good. 

I dovetail them.  I measure first, then draw pictures, then figure out what will work.  My "standard" dovetail depth is 0.062".  IF I want to get OCD about strength I use loctite shaft sealant.  I have not had to solder one on the outside yet.  I am allergic to using staples and other methods that involve beating my new barrel.  I also do not like drilling holes.  It is so easy to go to deep. 

A set of digital calipers will become your best friend in the shop.  I would be lost without mine. 

[Jim Kibler]

Solder is good. 

I dovetail them.  I measure first, then draw pictures, then figure out what will work.  My "standard" dovetail depth is 0.062".  IF I want to get OCD about strength I use loctite shaft sealant.  I have not had to solder one on the outside yet.  I am allergic to using staples and other methods that involve beating my new barrel.  I also do not like drilling holes.  It is so easy to go to deep. 

A set of digital calipers will become your best friend in the shop.  I would be lost without mine.

This can happen.  Shallow dovetails are best.  I favor something in the range of .030" or so.  If properly installed, there's no need to go deeper.  Better yet, is to go even a little shallower and use a chisel to form the dovetail and raise up material.  Just a standard cold chisel re-ground to a shallower angle works fine.  Make it so the lug slips in and then clinch the displaced material down on the underlug.  This is how originals were very often done.

Jim

[Scota4570]

Jim is right of course.

I picked that number based on the sights and tenons I have bought.  I want tenons to be even with the barrel flat after filing them flush.  IN the case of a front sight you want the blade to sit on the top flat.  So measure the front sight.    I also have a drawing on the wall behind my mill that tells me how far to traverse with the dovetail cutter for a 1/16" deep dovetail. 

[David Rase]

A depth of .030" is more than adequate for a dovetail.  All you are doing is supporting the THIN forestock wood.
David
 

[Cory Joe Stewart]

I am lazy enough that I do not make my barrel tenons I buy them and the ones I buy are .050 thick at the base, but I never fully inlet them.  I use the process that Mr. Kibler describes.  Mark Elliot posted in here some time ago what angles he ground his chisels to and it works great.  I do sometimes solder a tenon to the thinner area of the barrel. 
Right now I am working with a .62 pistol barrel from Rise that is very thin walled so I am going to solder the tenons on it. 

Cory Joe Stewart

[sz]

I has the same problem with a custom build one time but my dovetail was only 38" deep. So I cut the barrel in half about 1/16" from the dovetail and found the bore was grossly off center with one barrel wall being only 49" thick. and as Murphys law would have it, it was on the bottom of the barrel right over the dovetail.  I sent in the cut off piece to the barrel manufacturer and they were good as gold.  Send me out a new barrel the next day.

So you may be at fault and probably are, but before you go forward, knowing you are going to replace the barrel anyway, saw it in half and see.  Can't loose much at this point..........................

[borderdogs]

I cut dovetails .050" on a milling machine although I have cut them deeper, I cut them square then file the angle it.  On the previous rifle I built I tried raising up the ends with a cold chisel but I couldn't get it to raise no matter how hard I hit it. I am just about at the point on my current rifle to cut dovetails on the barrel for lugs and sights and I am probably going to see if I can mill a shallower slot than .050" and see if I can raise this one.

Right now I buy my lugs and sights but I will try making them on my next rifle I have lots of scrap steel, brass, and copper.
Rob

[SHARPS4953]

I've built 8 or 9 rifles now and have never made this mistake. This was a 50 cal Colerain B profile  so it was pretty thin in the waist. I think I just got a little aggressive tapping down the middle dove tail, so you live you learn. I think ill just make a pistol out of  it. Its a shame because I kind of like my engraving on it (as amateur as it was)  I just ordered the same barrel in a 45 caliber but I think ill solder the middle one in place this time.  Hey at least I got some supreme advise on my screw up from the the master builder Jim Kibler.  thanks to all for the replies.

[jerrywh]

My advice, Don't do that anymore.

[sz]

^
^
^
^
that's good advice.

[eggwelder]

Just soldered mine on to the barrel flat- no dove tails, and thats over 500 shots ago. No issues, has held up fine so far.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Raising a dovetail with a cold chisel takes some courage and some special tools.  I use a chisel that I reground to a more acute angle - sharp!  And I use a small sledge hammer with a short handle.  Clamp the barrel in leather or wood so that the slot is in the middle of the jaws.  Lay the chisel in the rectangular slot you've cut, and place the chisel so that it isn't square with the slot, but is going to start cutting on the outside of the barrel's slot first.  Lay the chisel into the slot so that its bottom angle is flat against the barrel's slot, and give the chisel a short hard strike.  Reposition the chisel to make a similar strike on the other side of the slot, and give it a sharp solid strike.  Now place the chisel in the slot to raise the centre part, the outside corners already having been started.
This way, you are moving less metal than trying to lift the whole wide of the dovetail at once.
You may have to do this several times to raise enough steel to form your lip.  But if your dovetail is only 1/32" deep, it should be fairly easy to lift the steel to form the dovetail.
Filing the rectangular slot with perfectly sharp bottom corners is far more difficult the cutting the 60 degree ends of the dovetail.

Perhaps someone will do a short tutorial on this useful job....hint hint.

[Dennis Glazener]

Raising a dovetail with a cold chisel takes some courage and some special tools.  I use a chisel that I reground to a more acute angle - sharp!  And I use a small sledge hammer with a short handle.  Clamp the barrel in leather or wood so that the slot is in the middle of the jaws.  Lay the chisel in the rectangular slot you've cut, and place the chisel so that it isn't square with the slot, but is going to start cutting on the outside of the barrel's slot first.  Lay the chisel into the slot so that its bottom angle is flat against the barrel's slot, and give the chisel a short hard strike.  Reposition the chisel to make a similar strike on the other side of the slot, and give it a sharp solid strike.  Now place the chisel in the slot to raise the centre part, the outside corners already having been started.
This way, you are moving less metal than trying to lift the whole wide of the dovetail at once.
You may have to do this several times to raise enough steel to form your lip.  But if your dovetail is only 1/32" deep, it should be fairly easy to lift the steel to form the dovetail.
Filing the rectangular slot with perfectly sharp bottom corners is far more difficult the cutting the 60 degree ends of the dovetail.

Perhaps someone will do a short tutorial on this useful job....hint hint.

Taylor,
Could you post photo of your chisel? Always wanted to try this but Oi can't get the chisel shape in my mind. It must take some aggressive grinding or  I have poor imagination.
Dennis

[P.Bigham]

Not Taylor and not a good photographer but here’s mine. Hope it helps