Low wall action repair lower tang - help request

[JDHasty]

I have a Low Wall action that someone has cut the bottom tang off. I’m thinking of just having a piece of steel welded back on and hand shaping it using hand files. Good idea? If so, is there some particular steel I should use. I thought I would use the existing screw hole and hole I need to have drilled in the new piece to tack it in place. It’s cut off right after the serial number on the lower tang.

[Reg]

Being a low stress part almost any lower carbon steel, 1018–1020, will do and files are a excellent way to shape it. If you want to be fussy you might find a original to copy and get dimensions from.

[gnoahhh]

You wouldn't be the first one to repair a tang in that manner. You can also snoop around for an orphan Winchester 1885 lower tang, the simplest fix (but not necessarily the cheapest). You might get lucky in that regard.

[country gent]

1018, 1045,3130 or 8620 I would get a small piece of each and finish see which matches the best.If it is case hardened getting a good match may be hard.

[Bent Ramrod]

I made a lower tang for a Highwall receiver once from a railroad spike. Used my Atlas shaper and my Unimat, set up as a drill press. A very instructive project.

The spike was, as far as I could determine, just low-carbon mild steel. It’s held up fine for nearly 40 years. Anything of the sort should do for your welded-on extension.

[marlinman93]

I use mild steel since this isn't a critical strength area, and mild steel is easier to shape. Tig welding should be done with mild filler also, so the tig weld will not be hard to file either.
Keeping the original tang with serial number is a better idea than buying a replacement, since that's the only number on an 1885 Win.

[Green Frog]

How much of the tang is missing? Is the screw hole still there? I have a high wall whose upper tang was shortened, and a friend in ASSRA was able to “lengthen it” for me. If a bunch of the tang is missing (say part or all of the serial number gone) then a replacement would probably be your best solution. Thick low wall is it, early panel side with flat mainspring, smooth side, flat spring, panel side coil spring, or?? Each takes a slightly different lower tang, believe it or not!
Keep us informed and add a few pix if it’s convenient.

Froggie

[quack1]

I'll bet someone shortened that tang to fit a stock with a pistol grip. Being a low wall, with little recoil, the upper stock screw would have probably been enough to keep keep action and stock together.

[Gunlaker]

I have a rifle with an upper tang that was shortened just a bit too. Thanks for the useful info. I'd like to fix it one day.

Chris.

[WILCO]

I made a lower tang for a Highwall receiver once from a railroad spike.

Is it possible to share a pic of it?
The direct link to the railroad made my heart skip a beat.

[JDHasty]

I will get a photo of it.

I’m immersed in another project right now, but my mind is always busy thinking about how to skin the next cat in line.

I’m going to have to lay the large bench stones to it to clean up some minor pitting, but other than that I think it is a real nice action. It snaps closed good and tight. It’s been blued and has a new 22 Hornet barrel fitted to it. I am going to have someone with knowledge and experience take a look at the breach block to judge the quality of work that has been done on it.

The guy that gave it to me had it sitting for decades.

Thank you for all of the kind responses. There is a really top notch welder local to me who I will have weld it up.

[JDHasty]

Here are some photos


It is going to need some draw file work. The barrel is supposedly new. It sure looks new. I need it slug it and find out if it is a .224 CF or a RF barrel and twist rate on it. That will determine if I use it or give it away.

[marlinman93]

Be sure to write down the serial number before welding as welding will destroy part of the number. Then after it's shaped and polished you can get the lower tang to an engraver and he or she can return any missing numbers. I've had this done twice, and the local engraver here did a perfect match.

[JDHasty]

Thank you for the tip. I'm thinking of making this up for one of my kids. I wouldn't give them a gun I wouldn't be proud to own myself.

I have had folks suggest that I just go with the short tang and not try and have it welded back on. I'm reluctant to go that route w/o getting input from others who have real actual knowledge gained from experience vs theoretical conjecture regarding that being a good idea... or not.

I'm not at all adverse to having it welded back on and inclined to do so, but am open to considering going with it as it is. My inclination is that having the long lower tang and wood screw was done in the interest of not having the stock break at the wrist if a person carrying the rifle were to trip while carrying the rifle by the wrist and fore end the toe of the stock would naturally be the first thing to hit the ground putting quite a bending moment on the wrist.

[gnoahhh]

Re: .22 bore dimensions. Even if it's a rimfire barrel it'll still shoot Hornet ammo ok. In fact one of my most accurate .22 cast bullet barrels has a 1-16" twist and .223 groove diameter. As a Hornet it handles the 225438 Lyman with aplomb ( have three iterations of that mold as it changed throughout history). The same gun slings Sierra and Speer semi-spitzer 40's & 45's into tack holes.

Thoughts about having the screw in the lower tang: any little bit extra anchorage of the butt stock is always a good thing, no matter the gun. Vibrations from a teeny bit of otherwise undetectable wobble can and do contribute to stinky accuracy. I would weld the extension on and add the wood screw. After all, Winchester deemed it necessary way back when.

[JDHasty]

"Winchester deemed it necessary way back when."

My feelings exactly.

I worked on it a bit yesterday evening. The pitting wasn't bad, but there was some that was a little deep. Sometimes things look worse before they get better. Once I draw file it with a fine cut file and polish it up it's going to look pretty good. I scratched it up pretty good with a second cut mill file, I suppose I could have spent half the night with my fine cut file, but my fine cut file is very fine and the scratches look deeper than they are in the photos. That right rear screw hole was the only thing some previous owner damaged. It is going to come out though. The lines are straight and haven't been too badly broken over. I'll smoke it up with my carbide lamp and get them all nice, sharp and flat. My screws and pins are all good.




I have absolutely no experience with these Winchester Single Shot rifles. I don't even know if the bolt has been converted to CF.

I like the Midrange Shotgun for a stock and the second fore end down. I'm waiting on my book to get the dimensions right on the tang and will have Treebone cut the lower tang short to make sure I don't end up with any gaps.

[marlinman93]

Might just have George cut the tang inletting normal, and don't repair the tang until he sends you the stocks. That's the way I usually do them, so I can fit the tangs to the wood, rather than wood to tangs. Then once the tangs fit length and width I can work the rest of the wood down to fit them.

[JDHasty]

Thanks for the suggestion!

I took a bit of time out of my chores this evening and worked the file marks out a bit. I’ll finish it with 400 wet/dry from here in out on the flats. There are a couple of the pits I used as a depth stop still need a little. I like to quit draw filing just short of the deepest pits.

I’m reluctant to do anything with pits that formed where the sharp edges had been broken over from wear and tear. In my experience breaking the edge over any further always looks far worse than a couple minor pits.






None of the sharp edge is badly broken over. They look pretty good, glare from my light makes it hard to see in the photos. I swiveled the vise to a more comfortable position, where I had it positioned yesterday I wasn’t getting the glare. I’m pretty satisfied with it right now. I’ll probably mask off the flats tomorrow just to keep them from an inadvertent scratch and work on the top and bottom a bit. They won’t need much.

[Chill Wills]

I use mild steel since this isn't a critical strength area, and mild steel is easier to shape. Tig welding should be done with mild filler also, so the tig weld will not be hard to file either.
Keeping the original tang with serial number is a better idea than buying a replacement, since that's the only number on an 1885 Win.

I think the cut off part has the SN on it. I think it is lost at this point.
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Lower tangs are not too much money. I would just replace the whole lower tang. MVA has new ones in the white, $145.00 and by the time you mess around and try to do it, you can have one that is perfect.

[ulav8r]

I think the cut off part has the SN on it. I think it is lost at this point.
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According to the original post the serial number is still there.