Renegade loose barrel lug vs flyers..?

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exarcher

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Shooting my 54 cal today, & was "losing" some shots. missing target completely & unexplained.. When i went to clean i noticed the barrel lug was crooked & loose.. Hope this explains the "flyers"? I've got it repaired & ready for the next session, then i'll know. I've decided i need a rice barrel now though in any event!!.
 
I have seen a few Underlugs in Stock 1:48 Twist TC Barrels that were fairly loose, they could be pushed in & out by hand. A simple fix for this is to remove the UnderLug, Cut a Shim from a Pop Can (or similar) that will sit flat in the Barrel underlug Dovetail, Now simply drift the Underlug in :lewis:
 
You can also tighten the dovetail by using a punch on the edges of the barrel dovetail to slightly close the dovetail down on to the underlug and snug it up.
 
Scott - your procedure has worked quite well for me in the past and it really is a simple procedure.

This is done by many, and it will work most of the time, But it is NOT the preferred way of doing it by Folks such as Gunsmiths, Serious Hobbyists like myself, Etc. that actually know what they are doing, The correct way to fix a Loose Barrel Dovetail is to Build up the Bottom of the Sight, or the Bottom of Barrel Dovetail. instead of using a punch and “Denting” in the Edges of the Dovetail, Which is more of a “Bandaid“ Fix
 
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This is done by many, and it will work most of the time, But it is NOT the preferred way of doing it by Folks such as Gunsmiths, Serious Hobbyists like myself, Etc. that actually know what they are doing, The correct way to fix a Loose Barrel Dovetail is to Build up the Bottom of the Sight, or the Bottom of Barrel Dovetail. instead of using a punch and “Denting” in the Edges of the Dovetail, this is more of a “Bandaid“ Fix
It would depend on how "loose" the underlug is in the dovetail. I was assuming that it was just slightly loose not sloppy. If it was very sloppy I would check to see which was the problem, i.e.- the dovetail oversized or is the underlug worn out and undersized. If its the underlug, I would replace it with a new one that is the correct size.
 
I have a slight concern about using Loctite in this instance, in that the recoil could in time break the bond. By reshaping the leading edges of the dove tail I am thinking and have shown in the past that the lug will remain tight and in place. But then in addition to reshaping the dovetail the addition of Loctite would certainly add to the durability of the joint.
 
time will tell,, it seemed quite tight when i got it in the middle again, (by driving it with nylon punch.) I think the loctite will be plenty,, if not i'll find out before too long. I'll be putting a new barrel on it before too long in any event..
 
time will tell,, it seemed quite tight when i got it in the middle again, (by driving it with nylon punch.) I think the loctite will be plenty,, if not i'll find out before too long. I'll be putting a new barrel on it before too long in any event..

As @eekjellander mentioned above, Lee Shaver does recommend the use of Loctite on a SIGHT that is not quite “Snug“ enough to Trust not to move. Of course there are Variables here, It really depends on how loose the sight is? (In your case Under Lug) If you can Push it out really EASILY? Refer to my Post #8, That is the right way to Fix it.

The LAST thing that I personally would do is use a Punch on the Edges of the Barrel Dovetail and permanently “Dent” the Barrel Dovetail Ears. A much better solution than that is With the sight/underlug out, You can use a punch inside The Barrel Dovetail in the Center, Give the Punch a Light Wack, This will create a “Divet & Lift” Now when you replace the Sight/Underlug when you come up against this “Lifted” Divet you created with the Punch it will get tight when the Sight/Underlug goes over it
 
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That underlug must have been loose from the get go. Just got worse over time.
I've done 4 or 5 kit guns over the years and I can say that the hardest part was installing the sights and lug. It takes a lot of filing and fitting to get them in the dovetail slots. Several hours of work. I never considered trying to alter the dovetail itself to make my life easier. Way too risky to f-up the barrel.
 
Shooting my 54 cal today, & was "losing" some shots. missing target completely & unexplained.. When i went to clean i noticed the barrel lug was crooked & loose.. Hope this explains the "flyers"? I've got it repaired & ready for the next session, then i'll know. I've decided i need a rice barrel now though in any event!!.

I shot the renegade again today, & it is holding just fine,,(first shot right in the group from the other day) , The loads are as heavy as i'm going. 80 grains (weighed) 3f which is almost 90 by volume.. with the no excuses 535 grain bullet.. i'm shooting 80yds & grouping is right at 2 inches... By the way,, if you are shooting the same bullets,, what he has in stock now is all there will be,,, the mold broke! He has a new mold, the weight is lower i think he said 525??? I must have deleted the email.. I'm sure they will be fine too, but i know how "finicky" some people are... looks like the loctite is going to do the job..
 

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