field repairs

4

4V50 Gary

Staff
Presently I am working the NRA Whittington Center Adventure Camp as an assistant muzzle loading instructor. At the end of each range session, the kids are instructed in how to clean their muzzle loaders. The arms provided are either Thompson Center Hawkens or Lyman Great Plains. There are a few others (not sure which make) but they are the shorter ones (great for smaller kids).

We had a wedge that kept falling out of a Thompson Center. As a remedy, it was peened along its side. Another T/C's wedge fell out. It was caved in and could only be widened so much with what tools I had at hand. Used a file to increase the opening so as to allow the wedge to fit in. Yesterday a kid cracked a stock and that will need to be pinned and acra-glassed, but I don't have a drill, pins or acra-glass. Whittington's shotgun range manager has the acra-glass, but I'll have to get a drill from home.
 
Gary, the wedge in my T/C was dead loose also, instead of peining it, I put a slight bend in the center...problem solved for going on 12 years now, just a suggestion.
 
I'm bad at field repairs !!!

The TC "single" wedges can usually be tuned as previously described. My first pass is to bend the wedge. Now then, you will see more of a problem on a "double" wedge. They are harder to tune and they can fight each other. That is exactly what a friend of mine was having with his Lyman Great Plaines. He hunts with heavy loads and it got to a point where he had to take extra wedges when he went hunting. No matter how hard we tried, the wedges still started to work out. I finally had to key and pin the wedges and the problem was resolved as he should never loose a wedge. ..... :)

As far as field repairs, I don't care for them as I mostly do not have the materials I need. When repairing cracks in stocks, I have had excellent success using round toothpicks and TireBond-III.

Enjoy and;
Be Safe !!!
 
Instead of bending the wedge, tap a slight bend in the bottom of the barrel tennon. So much easier, and has the same effect.
 
Lightly Tapping

Instead of bending the wedge, tap a slight bend in the bottom of the barrel tennon. So much easier, and has the same effect.
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That certainly can be a good fix but a word of caution. On two occasions and it is rare, I have seen a lug welds break loose. Some lugs are anchored by machined screws and these lugs can be removed and then bent. .... ;)

For the most part, wedge fits are never a big problem and I can usually make the fix by working the wedges. After I get a good fit I reference mark the wedge on a right to left or left to right fit as well as the barrel side. I do this because basically, my memory sucks ..... ;)

Be Safe !!!
 
On two occasions and it is rare, I have seen a lug welds break loose. Some lugs are anchored by machined screws and these lugs can be removed and then bent.
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I should have specified that I'm speaking to the T/C Hawken only (as that's what the op is having trouble with), for which the wedge tenons are dovetailed in.
 
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