Ian M
Well-Known Member
I spent the morning trying to tighten two bolts that hold a forearm onto my Encore. This is an old Encore, way before plastic stocks and stainless steel came along - so it is walnut and blued steel. Anyhow I got a new barrel and forend and the new forend did not want to attach. Checked the amount of threads sticking through the little holes and one bolt was not protruding at all. No sweat, just have to take a little wood off so it comes through and would thread into the barrel.
First thing is to get my trusty Dremel. One small problem, I have destroyed all of the bits except some odd-balls. One will hold little round sandpaper drums so that looks good. Very coarse drum on it, man does that sucker ever make the walnut sawdust fly! Crank it up to full speed, 20 or 30,000 rpms. Go back and forth, more attention to the end that was high but have no idea what I am doing. When I am finished try to put it on barrel - no way. Take off some more, check, no fit, take off some more. Do this fifty or sixty times... Notice a little metal washer in one hole that seems offset - put on a little grinding doodad and nail the washer, make hole more centered, lots of metal filings and walnut flying for a while. Barrel channel starting to look like an epileptic beaver had been gnawing on it, but the forend almost fits, one screw tightened. More Dremel, then get some sandpaper and a piece of dowel, start sanding the channel, again not sure where or what the hell is going on. Learn that coarse sandpaper eats hell out of soft walnut, switch to medium and the barrel channel starts to look pretty smooth. Drop the bolt in the hole and now about 1/4" sticks out. Didn't realize I took away so much wood! Put forearm on barrel, both freaking bolts catch and screw in. Rifle is upside down in my vise as I am doing this. Take it out of vise and - the **** forend is drooping at a nasty angle, looks like hell. Remember the old business card trick, check and the card goes halfway down the barrel, stops dead. Getting tired of this, get the Dremel and have at where the card stopped. Sand the gouges and it looks good again. Back to the vise where the barreled action is clamped upside down. Freaking son of a $#&^ won't fit, neither bolt will tighten. Forend isn't quite so wonky, what the hell, take off more wood with the dowel and coarse sandpaper, then straighten and smoothen with medium. Back to the vise for the five thousandth time, both bolts fit OK, forend is still tipped down a bit but what the hell. Drop brand new forend on the floor during all this, first war-wounds.
Three hours later the son of a b!tch is sort of on.
Lesson from this - tightening two bolts is somewhat over my head, but I got 'em.
First thing is to get my trusty Dremel. One small problem, I have destroyed all of the bits except some odd-balls. One will hold little round sandpaper drums so that looks good. Very coarse drum on it, man does that sucker ever make the walnut sawdust fly! Crank it up to full speed, 20 or 30,000 rpms. Go back and forth, more attention to the end that was high but have no idea what I am doing. When I am finished try to put it on barrel - no way. Take off some more, check, no fit, take off some more. Do this fifty or sixty times... Notice a little metal washer in one hole that seems offset - put on a little grinding doodad and nail the washer, make hole more centered, lots of metal filings and walnut flying for a while. Barrel channel starting to look like an epileptic beaver had been gnawing on it, but the forend almost fits, one screw tightened. More Dremel, then get some sandpaper and a piece of dowel, start sanding the channel, again not sure where or what the hell is going on. Learn that coarse sandpaper eats hell out of soft walnut, switch to medium and the barrel channel starts to look pretty smooth. Drop the bolt in the hole and now about 1/4" sticks out. Didn't realize I took away so much wood! Put forearm on barrel, both freaking bolts catch and screw in. Rifle is upside down in my vise as I am doing this. Take it out of vise and - the **** forend is drooping at a nasty angle, looks like hell. Remember the old business card trick, check and the card goes halfway down the barrel, stops dead. Getting tired of this, get the Dremel and have at where the card stopped. Sand the gouges and it looks good again. Back to the vise where the barreled action is clamped upside down. Freaking son of a $#&^ won't fit, neither bolt will tighten. Forend isn't quite so wonky, what the hell, take off more wood with the dowel and coarse sandpaper, then straighten and smoothen with medium. Back to the vise for the five thousandth time, both bolts fit OK, forend is still tipped down a bit but what the hell. Drop brand new forend on the floor during all this, first war-wounds.
Three hours later the son of a b!tch is sort of on.
Lesson from this - tightening two bolts is somewhat over my head, but I got 'em.
