Author Topic: Barrel shim jig  (Read 755 times)

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Offline Dinny

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Barrel shim jig
« on: January 02, 2010, 01:11:17 PM »
Hello fellow Handiaholics,
  If it may be of assistance to someone, I have posted a few pics of the "jig" I assembled to allow a newly epoxied barrel shim to set. I'm using a Gerber knife sharpener to seat against the shim because it has a perfect fit inside the channel. I'm gonna let it sit overnight and tomorrow I hope to have a permanently fitted .35 Whelen barrel. This time I used a brass shim that is .006" thick, it should hold up a little better than the aluminum can I had used before. The rubber bands were placed to hold the sharpener in place while I cinched it into the vise. They could be removed/cut now. I also placed a plastic flat waher on the chamber end to prevent any galling of the metals. Let me know whatcha think. Could I do something better/easier?

Thanks, Dinny





Handi Family: 357 Max, 45 LC, 45-70, 300 BLK, 50 cal Huntsman, and 348 Win.

"If there must be trouble, let it be in my day that my child may have peace"
Thomas Paine

Offline burntmuch

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Re: Barrel shim jig
« Reply #1 on: January 02, 2010, 01:15:43 PM »
Good Idea. Thanks for sharing
I dont care what gun Im using as long as Im hunting

Offline LaOtto222

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Re: Barrel shim jig
« Reply #2 on: January 02, 2010, 01:25:05 PM »
I like it. Did you rough up the back side of the shim and the hinge face to hold the epoxy? How much pressure do you apply - I mean does all the epoxy ooze out? Would one of the so called "super" glues work for this application, since you can polish the surfaces and it wants zero clearance? Why wouldn't you use a stainless steel shim, it should last the life time of the barrel. I really do like the concept, it is the best one I have seen so far. It makes me think about fitting a barrel for the first time.
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Offline quickdtoo

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Re: Barrel shim jig
« Reply #3 on: January 02, 2010, 02:17:46 PM »
Reinventing the wheel, eh Dinny!! ;D I just use a C-clamp.  ;)

Tim
"Always do right, this will gratify some and astonish the rest" -  Mark Twain

Offline Dinny

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Re: Barrel shim jig
« Reply #4 on: January 02, 2010, 02:24:47 PM »
Reinventing the wheel, eh Dinny!! ;D I just use a C-clamp.  ;)

Tim

I don't have any C-clamps. :(  They're on the list now. ;)

-Dinny
Handi Family: 357 Max, 45 LC, 45-70, 300 BLK, 50 cal Huntsman, and 348 Win.

"If there must be trouble, let it be in my day that my child may have peace"
Thomas Paine

Offline Dinny

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Re: Barrel shim jig
« Reply #5 on: January 02, 2010, 02:30:19 PM »
I like it. Did you rough up the back side of the shim and the hinge face to hold the epoxy? How much pressure do you apply - I mean does all the epoxy ooze out? Would one of the so called "super" glues work for this application, since you can polish the surfaces and it wants zero clearance? Why wouldn't you use a stainless steel shim, it should last the life time of the barrel. I really do like the concept, it is the best one I have seen so far. It makes me think about fitting a barrel for the first time.

LaOtto,
  I did rough-up the mating surfaces with some medium grit sandpaper. I screwed down the vise until I noticed that the shim was perfectly positioned all the way around. Some of the epoxy did ooze out and I scraped it away before it hardened. Tim has listed a few different epoxies to use, I couldn't find any of them so I used Elmer's Glue. ;D No, really I used a permatex epoxy made specifically for metals to include brass. I had first measured everything and prepared a shim from a set of feeler gauges. I found that the blade was difficult to bend into place so I decided to use brass instead.

Good luck.

-Dinny
Handi Family: 357 Max, 45 LC, 45-70, 300 BLK, 50 cal Huntsman, and 348 Win.

"If there must be trouble, let it be in my day that my child may have peace"
Thomas Paine

Offline quickdtoo

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Re: Barrel shim jig
« Reply #6 on: January 02, 2010, 02:37:04 PM »
C-clamps are good for prefitting/shaping annealed steel shims to the pivot too, it even worked fine on the .026" stainless shim I used on one barrel I shimmed, you can pick a cheapie up for less than $5, good ones for less than $10.  ;)

Tim
"Always do right, this will gratify some and astonish the rest" -  Mark Twain

Offline Dinny

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Re: Barrel shim jig
« Reply #7 on: January 02, 2010, 02:56:52 PM »
C-clamps are good for prefitting/shaping annealed steel shims to the pivot too, it even worked fine on the .026" stainless shim I used on one barrel I shimmed, you can pick a cheapie up for less than $5, good ones for less than $10.  ;)

Tim

Thanks, I'll have a few before this next week is through.

-Dinny
Handi Family: 357 Max, 45 LC, 45-70, 300 BLK, 50 cal Huntsman, and 348 Win.

"If there must be trouble, let it be in my day that my child may have peace"
Thomas Paine

Offline bigvarmnt

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Re: Barrel shim jig
« Reply #8 on: January 02, 2010, 03:00:24 PM »
Dinny, I LIKE IT ;D  Don't let them old timers get you down. :( I like your new fangled gadget. 8) I have a vise similar to that and may use it if I ever fit a barrel ;) Tim just don't want you to become the Bill Gates of Handisoft ;D
Keep us posted on how it turns out and shoots :)

I did a little filing on mine today. I probably ruined it ;D

Offline Dinny

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Re: Barrel shim jig
« Reply #9 on: January 02, 2010, 03:04:11 PM »
Handisoft ???  Oh I get it, now. LOL  ;)  I wouldn't say that just yet. I have another project in the works.....


-Dinny
Handi Family: 357 Max, 45 LC, 45-70, 300 BLK, 50 cal Huntsman, and 348 Win.

"If there must be trouble, let it be in my day that my child may have peace"
Thomas Paine

Offline zoner

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Re: Barrel shim jig
« Reply #10 on: January 02, 2010, 03:14:45 PM »
i use the c clamp method with a proper size drill bit holding the shim in place

Offline STUMPJMPR

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Re: Barrel shim jig
« Reply #11 on: January 02, 2010, 04:41:17 PM »
I use a C-Clamp and a 3/8" bolt.

Offline yukondog

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Re: Barrel shim jig
« Reply #12 on: January 02, 2010, 05:37:46 PM »
I USED 3/8 WOOD DOWEL AND VICE.
an unloaded wepon is equal to the same mass and volume as a rock.

Offline necchi

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Re: Barrel shim jig
« Reply #13 on: January 02, 2010, 06:36:42 PM »
Well it's good to see that the "nessecity and invention" thing is still alive and well.
 brass, hmm,, should work, put a drop of oil on it from time ta time. Oil the pivot, keep the shelf dry is the rule. I still like the feeler gauge thing, plenty of sizes to choose from and ya don't hafta cut that much off for a shim. And you have the .001 and .002 to check head space.
Too keep the epxoy from sticking to places it shouldn't, just put some cooking oil on a q-tip and apply to those areas. (it works)
When yer pickin up those c-clamps, git a 3/8 drill bit, the shank is .375, same as the pivot pin. I cut and glued (contact cement) small pieces of leather to the faces of the clamp to protect the barrel and give better purchase to the clamp on the metal.
found elsewhere

Offline quickdtoo

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Re: Barrel shim jig
« Reply #14 on: January 02, 2010, 09:18:42 PM »
Ace and True Value have .375" steel pins in their nuts and bolts section, cheaper and more practical than buying a 3/8" drill bit unless you happen to need one.  ;)

Tim
"Always do right, this will gratify some and astonish the rest" -  Mark Twain