Drilling bbl lug and RR pipe holes

[flehto]

After laying out the 4 bbl lug holes and/or the 3 RR pipe holes, the drillpress setup is shown w/ the bbl/stock ass'y clamped in a very square vise and the top bbl flat  is against the permanent vise jaw . A parallel is used somewhere under the muzzle  end to maintain the stock/bbl ass'y's horizontal position.

2 parallel clamps are used to ensure the stock/bbl ass'y is held tightly together and  are  on both sides of either the bbl lug or RR pipe and after the hole is drilled through, the pin is pressed in and the clamps are moved to the next location.

All the pins in my builds are lengths of 1/16 dia.  music wire and a 1/16 drill is used . Once the ass'y is positioned w/ the center punch under the 1/16  drill, the hole is drilled through to the other side w/ many chip clearing withdrawals.

Drilling the  4 bbl lug holes takes approx 15 mins and the 3 RR holes a little less. Never timed the  hole layouts {goes pretty fast} but the vertical dim mark is done w/ a depth mike ....the webs are only 1/16" at the breech and 5/32" at the muzzle so some accuracy is req'd.

This same setup is used for  drilling the front and rear lugs  of the TG and the pivot pin for the trigger. Also the ass'y has to be repositioned end to end for the bbl lug and RR pipe at the muzzle.....no big deal.

Have tried other ways to drill these holes but prefer doing it as  described because of the excellent  accuracy and speedy time......Fred

[Cory Joe Stewart]

Thats a neat set up.  Im going to have to try something like that.

Cory Joe Stewart

[heinz]

Fred, I am envious of your jigs and fixtures.  They are awesome.

[Mike Brooks]

I measure where the pin ought to go and pick up my trusty dewalt and blast her on through.

[Not English]

Fred, as mentioned in other threads, It's a heck of a  lot easier leaving the stock square before drilling. If you're using a precarved stock, I can see doing all the extra fixturing to a point. Other than using a drill press I keep it simple like Mike.

Dave

[flehto]

If you and Mike can drill the holes w/  a holeshooter and do it accurately, my hat's off to you. The web at the breech is 1/16" on all my LRs and there's  no room for error....also drilling the 4 bbl lug holes in 15 mins is not too bad. I guess having been a tool and diemaker  determines how I do the various tasks accurately.....Fred

[flatsguide]

Fred, That is an accurate setup, do you use stub/screw machine drills or carbide drills for the added stiffness?
Cheers Richard

[flehto]

I use quality regular length 1/16 dia   HSS drills.....and most of the time they were hand sharpened....can no longer do that because of poor eyesight. If the holes are drilled in a square blank, the drill I use won't drill through to the opposite side. Also if the stock is square, it interferes w/ clamping flat w/  the top bbl flat against the permanent vise jaw.  .....Fred

[Jim Kibler]

If trying to drill on a curved surface with a small drill it's best to spot it first.  In this case I use a 1/16" endmill.  A single or two flute work best.  Go in maybe 1/4" before drilling with your twist drill.

Jim

[jerrywh]

1/16" drills in any machine or handheld device flex a lot.  There is only one way to compensate for this that I have found. The drill must be chucked up very short in the chuck to start the hole.  Even this does not seem to determine exactly where the drill will exit the opposite side every time. Therefore I have always drilled the holes from both sides. I position the stock the same way as Fleto does but then drill from both sides. When things go wrong I have never been able to find a way to hide the out of position hole except to install fancy inlays over the pinholes.  One of the good things about being old is you learn good ways to fix a lot of mistakes.

[flatsguide]

Fred, thanks! In the very few times I had to drill small diameter deep holes in wood I seem to have problems. The drill bits are not cheap ones but it seems like they drift in the wood grain even if I peck drill. Maybe I don’t hold my tongue correctly. Another think is drilling into a wood steel wood setup is the first wood hole gets opened up a bit larger in diameter than the drill dia. Because the metal chips appear to scrape the wood hole larger.

Jim, I like the idea of starting the hole with a endmill, I have a few 1/16end mills and I’ll give that method a go...thank you.

Jerry, chucking the drill up short is a good idea. Maybe extending the drill bit a short amount like 1/4 or 5/16 at a time will help the drill from wandering as much. Along with flipping the gun as you said. Fixing mistakes can develop into a fine art. A fellow here, I think his name is Curt fixed a problem in the tang area with a plug. After matching the wood and putting in the. Plug and then carving the pattern around the tang you could barely see the plug .
Thanks for your thought and advice,
Richard

[Berksrifle]

flatsguide, I use a set-up like fleto. I have a 1.5 MM CARBIDE end mill to start the hole. Works great, even on curved surfaces. I then re-drill with a 1/16 drill bit and get a nice tight hole. I am also a retired toolmaker.

Ken

[B.Habermehl]

I use a drill bit chucked in a modelmakers pin vise and start it exactly where I want it to be with my fingers. Then move to the drill press and finish. I seldom have any issues this way. I do this working from the square as well as the round. BJH

[Not English]

Fred, I do not use a hole shooter for drilling anything on a gun. A drill press or milling machine is it. I have my stock cut to maybe 1/16" of shaped dimensions, but it is still square. Leaving it square makes for very accurate layout. I am a retired instrument  maker, which is a tool and die maker that knows how to weld in the scientific community.

Dave

[flatsguide]

Thanks again fellows, all good advice. I ll make a few dummy setups a play around. I think the big key is the pilot hole for the drill that way you have some wall to support the drill from wandering.
Cheers Richard

[Mike Brooks]

I measure where the pin ought to go and pick up my trusty dewalt and blast her on through.

You all should keep in mind that I live life close to the edge. Everything I do is right on the edge of outstanding success or total disaster. I got pills to keep me right on the razor's edge.

[rich pierce]

Keep up the meds Mike. Got any extra? Whatever you’re doing is working. But you’ve paid your dues and could do this stuff in your sleep, probably.

[flatsguide]

I measure where the pin ought to go and pick up my trusty dewalt and blast her on through.

You all should keep in mind that I live life close to the edge. Everything I do is right on the edge of outstanding success or total disaster. I got pills to keep me right on the razor's edge.

Lol, I’d rather be lucky than good any day...but the pills are a good back up.
Cheers Richard