Let us know how it goes but my vote is a relief cut in that barrel. Also make you a filler block to mimic the breech blocks so you don't crush the receiver. It can happen. Don't ask me how I know. And yes I was able to fix it as it was a cast receiver...



JMH

This must be a charmed project. Next youll tell us you found $100 bills rolled up in the buttstock

My lathe is too small so most barrels wont fit through the bore in the head. I know some friends with larger lathes, but figured why bother them if the hacksaw works. I figured worse case scenario I'd have to take it to one of them and make the cut closer to relieve pressure, but I got lucky and cut it close enough without touching the face of the receiver.

I tried the Schoyen barrel on the action, but even cranked down hard it wont quite make it. I'll take the barrel back off and stone the face of the action to get the last bit and not have to crank it down so hard.
I also tried the breech block and it closed, but too much crush, so I'll stone the rear of the block halves to get the proper crush on it also.
After that it's just polishing the action, lever, and breech blocks and send it all to Al Springer for CCH! I'll restore the stocks while the parts are at Al's so it will be ready when it all comes back.

well, that'll turn out to be a nice rifle, won't it? good way to end the year. and a good way to begin the next one

Got the bulbous forearm on a diet. My Stanley #4 plane quickly removed about half the excess wood, and then some file work got the forearm reshaped to eliminate that goofy forearm tip. 
(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

Sanded some more off the forearm with 60 grit to get it closer, and then opened up the already round channel some more to fit the larger Schoyen barrel. After that I sealed the channel with finish, and wet sanded the exterior with more finish. 
I packed up all the polished parts and sent them off to Al Springer for color case yesterday. While they're gone I'll do a Vee horn insert and finish up the forearm some more. I wont do final finish until the parts return and I assemble the Ballard for one final check on the forearm fitment.

bobw wrote yesterday at 12:57pm:


I finished the vee insert this morning Bob, and it's epoxied in waiting 24 hrs. for full cure. 
I copied what I saw on other Ballard rifles and made the vee from horn a friend gave me. I started by measuring the other inserts that were about 1" long, and 1/2" wide at the front. I laid the pattern out on the forearm tip and drilled a 1/8" hole at the end of the vee to give a place to end it cleanly. I then used my Dremel with a cutoff wheel and cut the along the lines halfway through the forearm tip. I used a small chisel to make the cut at the wide end and the piece popped out pretty clean. I put a small burr on my Dremel and cleaned up the front edge to make it straight and relieved slightly behind so the horn insert would lay perfectly flat at the exposed edge.
Once the opening was cut and cleaned I cut a piece of horn close to shape and just rubbed it on a mill file until it fit snug into the opening. It's much higher than the wood around it, so once it's set up I'll use my jeweler's saw to cut it closer, and then shape it down with a file and final sand it. The smoother it gets when sanding the darker it looks. The horn piece I started with is very black and was 3/8" thick and polished to a high gloss. Should look just as glossy when many coats of finish are applied to the whole forearm.
(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

bobw wrote yesterday at 8:01pm:


I have both a Dremel with flex shaft and Fordam, and use both depending on what I'm doing. The Fordam has a foot speed control that comes in handy in some situations, but in this case a middle level speed with the Dremel worked best for me. It's tough to cut diagonally across the end grain and also cut to the 3/16" or so depth without using a cutoff wheel. If I had a good milling machine I think it could easily be milled in.

a couple of questions for all three of you- Vall, Bob, and Dave to maybe answer for me.
First: Is horn easier to work than ebony? I have done a few in the hard wood, but never in horn. 
Second: Dave says that glue sometimes fails to hold on the ebony. Have you others experienced that? I have never had bad luck in that, and further cannot recall seeing a Winchester with the piece missing to leave a vee-shaped void in the fore end. 
Just curious about these things and having all of you gathered around, so to speak, a good opportunity to ask.