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I am rebuilding an old Euroarms "Kentuckian" and would like to put her back together with traditional wedges instead of the 3/32 pins.
I need to know how they bare against the stock.
If someone out there has a left and right side picture of one installed on a gun it would help immensely.
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=...31&FORM=IDFRIR
The wedge plates in the image are also called escutcheons and are inlaid into the stock. Pins and wedges are always inserted from right to left through the stock. Pins should always be taken out from the same direction they are put in.
Yeah, but you gonna also need some stuff.
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/956/1
The staples are the best way to go. They can be blind riveted to the barrel, and the staple can be bent to tighten once installed.
To install a staple,
Mark the centers, then drill tight to the outside diameter. Drill only as far as the drill is angled. Get a second drill. Grind off the taper. This you will drill out the hole you made without going any deeper. Place the staple in the hole(s. With a set punch, sharpened to a point, bang down the edge untill it contacts the lip of the staple. Do this all around the staple. I do not use the "special" punch, as I find it more accurate to just peen down the metal to the staple. Those punches never fit right. The barrel metal is soft to rivet. A fast simple task.
You can get staples that are dovetailed in, but they are more work.
It is a fast job. As usual, measure, measure, measure then measure again! You should be able to use the escutchen holes to line up for the staple and wedge.
I make my wedges out of steel stock, and peen down the outside to make the end.
Escutcheons were not always used on Pennsylvania rifles, when keys were used. They are used if your drilling wasn't perfect!
My idea was to make the "staples" from heavy gauge body metal folded and bent into a 'Y' or 'T' shape. Then braze weld them onto the barrel the way Eroarms did.
I only need to make 1. The one pin 'staple' that holds the barrel in has enough meat to it that a square needle file can be used to transform it from pin to wedge.
So the top edge of the escutcheons bear the load of the wedge, as does the bottom of the staple?
How much interference do I want the wedges to pull?
Would it be possible to manufacture the staples from welding rod?
For staples you can use anything you want. I have used nails of proper diameter, cut to the right length then bent at the right places. Nails seem to be ideal for such uses- they are tough yet malleable and are excellent for many firearm applications.