Ok. After using my bbls as a sample to build some wide benchrest forends I have a Dovetail lock that has come out.
Has anyone else experienced this problem?
How do you guys keep these in place? Or, do you just slide them back in and hope for the best.
I'm sure I can figure it out but thought it might be a good topic that could offer some diffrent ideas.

If you would like to take a look at these forends and read a few comments from "The Den" then check this out here
http://ktsammo.250x.com/stocks1.html

It's kinda slow as I ain't that great with the pics yet.

Butt Ugly Wes

Wes,
You beat me to this question. I was at the range with a friend yesterday and his 10 inch 44mag laid on the bench while he shot his 223. The lock was missing and upon asking about it I was told it has been loose for some time and he just slides it in when it is time to attach the forend.
I think that sooner or later the lock is gonna come up missing and would rather see it in the dovetail on a more permanant basis.
Rick

Wes, are you planning to offer Encore Wood anytime in the near future?
Dave

If you use the same forend all the time, just put a dab of silicone sealer under the dovetail and your'e good to go! Later you can still get it out if you have to. mvm

Well thanks so far, I was messing with the 35 rem bbl while we was on the down time here and noticed both dovetails are loose and will slide right out. I will try a diffrent method on each one and see what happens.

On the subject of forends for Encores....

We have wood for about 12 more pieces and then I believe that will be it. We did not have an Encore frame/bbl. to use as a pattern/test so I would have to say no, there won't be any for the Encores, Sorry.

When I find deals like this I offer them to the LRHA 1st and then the rest go out to the public, meaning I post it here and on E-bay.

If your intrested we have some V.V.C.G. 6 screw bases for the contender listed on the sight and we have a couple of the Rimfire conversions for the Encore. Mention the Acc. Reloading forum and take an additional 10% off.

The L.R.H.A.

Butt Ugly Wes

Wes,
I was thinking about this and you can do a couple of things without making it look like you did something. Put the dovetail in place and center punch once using the id of the lock as a guide. Part won't slide out and no one will see the detent. The other is to deform or dent opposing corners of the small dovetail piece itself rather than deform any part of the barrel. This should cause enough effect to swedge itself in when installed.

Just an opinion,

Hi Wes,

Your best bet is to lighten the forends some.
As far as what others have said, it should work.

But, lighten the forends.

And in the event you strip the lips off the dovetail in the barrel, you can mill the slot wider for a larger dovetail lock.

Last time I had dovetail locks run, I had a quantity made with a 7/16" diameter. Standard dovetail locks are 3/8." The 7/16" dovetail locks can be left round and used in a 7/16" slot to save a barrel with the slot stripped out.

Mike

KTS1;

As you know I riped the dovetails out of my Bellm barrel rescently with one of the protype forends. After a complete check of the barrel monuting system, I determined that the fault was mine not the forends. I had not trimed the socket head bolts that I use to mount my forends, and just cranked the dovetail out of the barrel slot.

On my Bellm barrel, I used a center punch to stake each corner of the slot. Both dovetails will move just a little with thumb pressure, but will not come out. My .223 barrle though the dovetails are tight and require a drift to move them.

Weight of the forend's in my opnion had nothing to do with my problems. As you know , and anyone who visits Wes site and looks at the pictures of my .223 knows, LOOONG forends are my passion. The forend on my 16 1/4" .223 barrel is 1/2" shorter than the barrel, and is free floated. I beded a brass flanged bushing at each barrel dovetail, to hold the barrle 1/16" off the wood for the entire length. Yes, drilling the vent holes did reduse the weight of my forend, but only by a few ounces.

The new forend that I have not sent picture to Wes for my Bellm barrel is long also. It stops just short of Mike's break in the barrel. I vented it in the same manor, and free floated it the same way. With no problems with the dovetails.

Good Shooting!

Also Wes; the scope shade project for the Bushnell 2-6X Trophy pistol scope is doing very well. Once live fire testing is done, I will forward pictures and write up.

LRHA-Shooter,

I share your passion for long and unusual forends! I just reciebed two forends I ordered from the "Den" and will begin forming them to my likings: thanks to the LRHA for supplying such a great semi-finished forend for our use and expiramentation

Also, where are you getting your "brass flanged bushings" ? Got a pic of them? I'd like to try that method of free-floating with these two forends!

Hey guys, Good topic that I've been meaning to bring up. Glad to see someone has beat me to the punch. Amongst my many Contender barrels, I've got only two w/ dovetail lock problems: a 6.5 JDJ SSK w/ a loose rear dovetail lock and a T/C factory 223 Rem where the front lip of the front dovetail is partially stripped away. I've always used Pachmayr forend adaptors w/ both barrels. Haven't really noticed whether the forend mounting screws are too long or not. Will need to check this out. Now for my questions: other than a too long forend adaptor screw, what causes these problems? Mike, what do you charge to remedy the problem w/ a stripped dovetail lip? Gary T.

Sean;

"True Value Hardware Stores"

The part is actualy a "brass/bronze sleeve bearing with flange". I use the smallest one that my store carries, and drill out the flange end to accept the sleeve from the dovetail. I then cut off approx. 1/4" and expoy the flange end into the forend. If you use a roundhead machine screw instead of a socket head machine screw like I use, you don't have to cut off the barrel and can use "Accuglass" to bed the flanges.

Good Shooting!

OK. I peened in the locks at the corners so to speak as I set the punch back to the edge of the screw hole.

Den I had some of those flanges your talking about that I played with on a stock forend. Didn't work to well and I set them aside and forgot about 'em.

Think I can find them now?

Those long stocks look cool and I looking forward to posting up the new pics.
However, I have been thinking about going the oppisite way and cutting one off just forward of the rear lock, or about the width of those Caldwell rests we're using.
We'll see. The possiblities are only limited by imagination.

Wes

A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any invention in human history-with the possible exceptions of handguns and tequila (Mitch Ratcliffe)

KTS1;

I too tried these flanged bushings on factory forends, and didn't like how they turned out. But with the KTS semi finished BR style thier is more wood at the mounting bolts to play with.

BTW; I know where you can get a 7-30 Waters 14" with factory break. Less than 100 rounds through it $175.00, with 100 pcs Federal brass, dies, 2 ammo boxes, and some Serria & Nosler bullets $200.00. PLUS SHIPPING

Wes
It has happened to me & I just put a little locktite on the channel & then put it back in place. Then I put some locktite in the lock at the bottom & let it dry. They stay for a while. I'm sure that there is a better/right way to do it,but it works in a pinch. I never asked this question because I wasn't sure how to phrase it.
Rich Jake

[ 09-09-2002, 06:27: Message edited by: Rich Jake ]

I stake them in by using a pointed punch. Install the lock, then punch a "dimple" in one or more corners of the dovetail slot. (Depending on which end or both the lock slips out from.) Take care not to let the punch slip with the first hammer blow. Once you make the indent, the punch will stay in place. This will allow the lock to "move" ever so slightly when you are tightening the forend screws or Pachmayr bedding bar and they will center themselves. With a hanger bar, you could stake them in firmer if you don't want them to move at all except under tapping pressure with a drift punch.

Don't go wild doing this, sometimes very little is needed to stake them in.

I have seen people attempt to pean over the lip of the dovetail slot with a flat pin punch but the staking seems to work better and moves much less metal and is very unobtrusive looking. The peaning damage from the other method can really mess up the dovetail lips and can still allow the locks to slip out. Plus, it looks like a real cob job.

FWIW

[ 09-09-2002, 07:46: Message edited by: Headstamp ]