What is the best way to attach a barrel lug. I'm getting close to finishing my 500A2 and am strongly considering putting on a foreward barrel lug. Interestingly, Pac-Nor indicates that they have had good success with synthetic stocks and good steel-bedding without using a barrel lug. Some have suggested making a barrel band to which the lug is attached on the bottom and to which express sights are mounted on top. This is taperer turned to the barrel, then silver soldered in place. This sounds pretty attractive to me,but wonder what others have done.-Rob

I like the mechanical advantage of mounting the lug between the receiver and the breech end of the barrel. This mount provides a physical/mechanical buttress for the gun to recoil against.

A tapered ring would be tapered in the wrong direction. No mechanical buttress here, just friction. Then, soldering is weaker than a physical/mechanical buttress.

You don't mention caliber. For .17 Bee the tapered ring is probably fine. For 700 Nitro Express, you'd better look to some mechanical means to transfer recoil from the barrel to the stock bolt.

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This Space For Rent.

Have a lug welded on using either the mig or tig method. With both these methods the heat is more concentrated to the spot being welded. By all means find a Gunsmith who has experience with this process & not by a well meaning welder who doesn't understand the
potential risk of ruining your barrel if it is not done correctly the FIRST time. You only get one chance at welding a lug on a barrel

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[This message has been edited by Bear Claw (edited 11-15-2001).]

I would NOT weld a recoil lug on. Even regular silver solder is to hot. Get some of that low-temp silver solder from Brownells.

MIG/TIG will warp the barrel.

Don

I have been wondering how the big boys approach this subject. I know the best way is to use a very large blank and machine the lug integral to the barrel. However there is bound to be a practical way to add a second recoil lug to a barrel already contoured.

I agree that welding even tig is risking warping the barrel or introducing unwanted stress or even worse causing scale in the bore from too high heat. As Don pointed out, high temp silver solder ( 1000 to 1200 degrees f ) is much too hot for a quality barrel. Even though if you mix lamp black, mineral oil and salt and coat the bore before heating it will prevent scale but it still doesn't protect it from warpage or induced stress.

I haven't actually tried it but my approach would be to machine a non tapered area the correct width and location for an oversized band large enough to machine the lug and a matching sight base, bore the band .002 over the machined barrel diameter, carefully tin the band and barrel with Brownells Force 44 low temperature solder. The temperature to flow the solder is only approx 400 degrees f. I know when you solder a full 360 degree band around something with a good fit it would be near impossible to beat it off with a sledge hammer.

Come to think of it that would be a great experiment, duplicate the above with a piece of scrap barrel or even a common piece of cold rolled round steel about one inch diameter with the lug soldered as described, then beat the hell out of it with a heavy hammer. Or more scientific try to press it off with a hydraulic press with a pressure guage.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

For what it's worth, my Whitworth .458 has a flat milled on the bottom of the barrel. The recoil lug sits in this flat. The cut in the barrel holds in in place front-to-back while a couple of small screws keep it snug and prevent any side-to-side movement.

I suppose you could build a fixture that would hold the barrel while it was TIGed and allow it to cool down, minimumizing any warpage. Purging the inside of the barrel with Argon would help with the scale. But that's way too much work for a one-off barrel.

Cut a dovetail into the barrel and solder the lug into it. Add a setscrew if it makes you feel better.

The sleeved on lug works well. It would be possible to weld on to either chromoly or stainless but I dont really like the idea.
The dovetailed in lug works good as does the lug set into a flat milled in. I have also added an extension to the front of the receiver and attached the lug to that.
A lug that encircles half the barrel and is soldered on with Force44 and has a couple of screws for added integrity is also fine. Regards, Bill

you can sleeve it then solder it with Force 44/40; you can dovetail it add solder or glass; you can drill and tap it and add solder or glass....Don't tig a barrel cuz you will get a soft spot and that ain't good IMHO, but some do and I guess it has worked.

theres more than one way to skin a cat, gents.

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

Good suggestions- I've deceided to machine a tapered sleeve for the barrel ( did this yesterday) tig weld a lug to the sleeve and Force 44 solder the sleeve or half the sleeve to the barrel.Thanks-Rob

Rob,

Thats exactly how I did it on my 458 lott, and it held up fine. Silver solder relies on surface area, even with a partial band, it'll take tons of force to remove it, plenty strong enough.

Rob and Paul,
I believe that is the best method and is in keeping with good British and Germanic ( The English copied this one from the Germans ) techniques, proven method and mighty good looking.

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com