Hi all

Quick question re: barrel profiles and the Dakota quarter rib blanks as sold by Brownells. These are prefit to Shilen and Douglas #3, 4, and 5 contours.

How close are any of these contours to the standard Lothar Walther profiles 722, 724? In other words, how much modification to the quarter rib blank to fit it to an L-W barrel? OR, would I be better off getting a .404 blank and contouring it to fit the quarter rib?

Thanks,
Todd

You make a quarter rib to fit a barrel, not the other way around. I have seen one of the Dakota Q ribs and I honestly don't even know why they are made. You can't "pre-fit" a quarter rib. Proper fitting of a rib requires a lot of "smoking it in." There is not a one-size-fits-all rib, given the tolerances in all of the parts out there. It can't be done.

If you want a quarter rib, you either have to be able to make one, or pay someone to make one for you. With the amount of work it would take to make a Dakota properly fit, you could just about have a Q rib made from scratch. And the final result would look a hell of a lot better than that Dakota rib to boot.

Sorry there is not an easy answer for you on this one. Brownell's and Midway have set the stage so many people can be what I call "Brownell's-parts-changers" and "catalog-cowboys." It is not meant in a bad way, but it defintely does mean that there is an incredible gulf of difference between someone who can bolt together things from a catalog vs. a professional who can properly do a job and make what needs to be made. Quarter ribs require the professional end of the spectrum.

It can be very hard to understand tone in written words, so I just want to clarify my post. First a couple of context comments-I wrote that post after my typical bed time. I stayed up to watch my side lose our THENTH STRAIGHT All <ajor League Basebball All Star Game. And our best payer never even took the field, even though we had the go-ahead run in scoring position. How stupid is that?

OK, I am getting fired up again and better get back to guns. Just wnated to be sure anyone reading the post knew that I was not trying to be negative or putting down when I wrote that. WHat Brownells and Midway have done is great in my book. Now lots of folks can do much of their gun customize themselves. I think this makes for happier gun owners which I see a GREAT thing!

The problem arises when folks get the idea that all you hvae to do is order some parts and bolt,glue/solder them together. Much of the work still requires a professional. This can be either a full or part time professional, but a professional with the tools, experience, and know-how.

If someone does not know soemthing, then one of th ebest things you can do is ask a question on a board such as this. Many of the answers would require a book to truly answer some of the questions.

Using the quarter rib fitting as an example, I can only think of a couple books that speak much about them. One is Mark Stratten's book and the other is The Modern Gunsmith by James V. Howe. I think Howe's book is the best gunsmithing book out there, but even it does not talk too much about how to make a Q rib. I tell people it is just like making a stock from a blank. If you can do one, then you do the other, as it is the same principals and procedures. It is a labor intensive and expensive operation to get a custom Q rib made. This is one of those deals where there are no "bolt-on" options.

Good luck with your project!

I'm with you Marc, in an earlier interview Tony said he was saving Albert and serious about the NL winning, then they make a great almost come-back and don't pinch hit Pujols??? only to lose by one run with two men on base?!?!
But I'm an AL fan anyway.
As for the Dakota rib, I'd be surprised if you could find one, Dakota's aftermarket products don't seem to be reaching the dealers shelves. and after you got it fit you'd probably have to mill it true with the bore.

Another brief but excellent description can be found in Mr Wiebe's excellent documentation of his contributions to the Sheryl Searcy rifle.

Roger

I would have Rick Stickley make the barrel with the quarter rib machined into the barrel blank. There is no better1

Steve Heilmann in California can do a perfect job for you. He is one of the best.

Thank you for the replies. I did this one before with an actual Douglas barrel and the Dakota rib, and it looked very nice.

Seems like too much work to make it work with the L-W, so maybe I will just go with an island base and three leafs.

Todd