Building an Alexander Henry Target Rifle from a Rod England Kit

[Curtis]

I will soon be inletting the lock, however before doing that on a build I like to secure the barrel at both ends so it is in it's absolute final position when the lock goes in. Especially with a patent breech and a drip bar. I marked the lug location, placed the barrel on a flat surface wit a file under the lug area, and slid the barrel back and for once keeping the bottom flat of the breech flat on the surface. This gave me a center mark to work from.



I marked the limits of my cuts, then using a new 14tpi hacksaw blade I cut a row of slots to depth, chisel the extra metal out and file the flat for the underlug.







To my eyes the slot looks perfectly level. BUT IT'S NOT! It is a good thing for the underlug to be straight, and it is critical for sight dovetails to be on the same plane. It is difficult to accurately judge a flat in a convex round surface. So I used a trick Jack Brooks had told me about in class one time, sighting down "winding sticks". An age old technique that works. I used a couple of parallel sided files as my winding sticks and here is what I saw:






So I did some corrective filing until the winding sticks looked like they were happy:



Next I filed the dovetails into the slot and fit the underlug:

 

[Curtis]

Once I was happy with a tight fit, I tapped the lug out with a hammer and punch, carefully and thinly coated the slot and bottom of the lug with low temp solder paste. After re fitting the lug, I staked it in tight and used a propane torch to heat the barrel and lug until the solder melted. Since I will be shooting heavy target loads I want the lug to be solid as a rock.



To reduce the amount of filing I chiseled off most of the overhang. It also was a good test to see how solid the lug is! Then I cleaned up with a file.





Then it's time to put some inlet black on the underlug, replace the barrel in the stock and mark the beginnings of the mortise.



I made reference marks with dividers and relieved the mortise a bit and refit the barrel for another marking.



Utilizing a mortising chisel I cut things deeper, and repeatedly inserted the barrel to mark material to remove. After a few fitting and cutting sessions the mortise is complete!





Next item will be to cut the slot for the barrel key.

Thanks for looking, Curtis

 

[Curtis]

In preparation for installing the barrel key, I start removing most of the excess wood on the sides of the forestock. I am not finish shaping yet, just getting rid of the bulk of excess.



Next I get an accurate measurement of where the center of the slot in the underlug is. Here I am using a pin locating guide made by Dave Kanger years ago, it is a great tool for such tasks. The masking tape is my addition, helps me keep track of the correct hole in the guide. Since the barrel is round at the location of the underlug I used a flat rule clamped to the octagon portion of the barrel to keep the guide square with the world.




The barrel is replaced in the stock, held firm in position and a line scribed on both sides of the stock. I also pricked a point on the vertical centerline of the lug, again both sides.



Utilizing the prick points, I drilled a 1.16" hole using a drill guide. For small bits like this I clear the chips every sixteenth inch or so, it goes a long way in helping the keep the hole straight.



Once the hole was through, I verified the location was good, then drilled the hole a tad larger using a 5/64" bit. Next I used my barrel key tools manufactured from old needle files. One is a small mortise chisel, the other a saw that cuts on the push stroke.




Once the slot is through I check it with a flashlight. Looks pretty good!





Curtis

 

[Curtis]

I work the slot until the key almost fits, then I heat the key with a propane torch and "melt" it through the slot. The metal is just hot enough to barely burn the wood, not so hot as to char it or catch it on fire!



There it is! All the way through. Now the barrel is secure and I will move on to the drip bar and lock.



Thanks for looking, Curtis

 

[jims]

Impressive work.

 

[BuckDoeHunter]

Good stuff, looking forward to your future posts!

 

[Curtis]

Thanks fellas! Should have more in a day or two.

 

[52Bore]

Looking good!
I file the slot in the underlug after inletting into the stock and file to fit through.
Is there not enough material on the underlug to file everything flush with the bbl contour with the exception of the rectangle part that the criss key goes through? This dovetail is not typical of Henry or other British makers on these rifles.
I assume you heat your tapered screws (tang screw) as well?
Good pics.
Thanks

 

[Curtis]

Thanks 52Bore. The slot was already cast in the underlug. There is plenty of material on the lug to have filed it entirely flush to the BBL contour, just chose not to do it. This is the heaviest lug I have ever used! I usually make my own lugs however this one came with the kit and made it easy for me. I wasn't sure how the lug was done on the originals, it is hard to find photos of such things for originals on the web. You wouldn't happen to know anyone with access to an original, would you? I would love to be able to see how those original stalking safeties are slotted into the lockplates and try to make one.

Curtis

 

[45-70]

best guy on here to talk to.

 

[52Bore]

Here is my Rigby Match Rifle.
If you could imagine a 1/8 slot cut into the bbl, the upsetting the ends to fit the lug that has extended & tapered ends flush with the bbl. Then the displaced metal is peened back down (ends) and evening filed flush.
I like the dovetail when it’s flush like the Brits.
I can show you more examples as my AH is the same - although octagon.

 

[Curtis]

Thanks for the photos Rick! I wish I had seen those before I inlet the lug into my stock. I will definitely emulate that on my next Alex Henry build, probably one of the stalking rifles.

Thanks again, a lot of valuable information contained in those photos.

Curtis

 

[Curtis]

I assume you heat your tapered screws (tang screw) as well?

Realized I never answered the question.... I didn't heat the tang screw, to create the tapered hole I made a tapered reamer from an appropriately sized file tang. The tang screw hole was reamed a bit more on the rearward side to promote drawing the standing breech tightly backwards.

Curtis

 

[Curtis]

After cleaning up the insides of the drip bar it is time to solder it to the barrel. I wanted to insure that it would be tight against the patent breech, and I did not want any solder to stick to the breech or find it's way into the plug threads - so I used a sharpened soapstone marker to fill the joint between the patent breech and barrel, and coated the front of the snail while I was at it. I put a thin coat of self fluxing solder paste on the inside of the drip bar and the barrel where the drip bar will sit. The drip bar was clamped in place and I cleaned up the solder that squeezed out. Then I heated the parts with a propane torch.





Then the drip bar was filed flush with the breeches:



Next I begin the process of inletting the drip bar. The standing breech was put back in the stock and then the barrel was put in place until the drip bar contacted the stock. I remove wood where the inlet black leaves a mark. The process is repeated until the barrel is all the way down.





Once the barrel is seated I begin inletting the lock. After some careful positioning and test fitting with the hammer in place I determined that the some metal will have to come off the lock bolster area as indicated with the blue marker.

 

[Curtis]

Holding the plate tightly in place I scribe around the plate, then stab in the scribed line with some shop made tools. The straighter lines are "roll stabbed" with the larger tool.









As the lock started to go in I painted the surfaces contacting metal with a blue Sharpie and carefully filed where interference was indicated.



Tapping on a wood block helps to seat the lock in the inlet and gives good color transfer.





The lock panels are tapered towards the wrist, so once the bolster contacts the standing breech, I file the bolster to reflect the appropriate angle. This will require some adjustment as I go deeper with the lock. The angle of the bolster can be seen against the machinist's square leg. The front face of the bolster requires some tapering as well.

 

[Curtis]

Once the lock plate is close to being down I positioned it firmly against the standing breech and drip bar and clamp it in place. I then drilled through the side panel into the lock bolster with an undersized drill, then a tap drill, clearance drill in the wood and then tapped the lock plate.



When I drilled for bolt clearance I used a numbered bit one size below the recommended clearance drill, then slightly relieved the top and front side of the hole with a small file to encourage the plate to be pulled slightly up and forward.



Now I can use the lock bolt to pull the plate tight into the mortise and remove any markings that show interference. I inlet the plate with the bridle and tumbler installed.





It fits tightly in place and I am ready to install the remaining lock internals and adjust the inlet to fit them.



Notice how the nicely tapered spring sits low on the plate, for barrel and ramrod hole clearance. Also note how the tumbler rests on the bridle and prevents the spring from being able to bust out the bottom of the lock mortise if the lock were accidentally tripped without a hammer or nipple in place.



Thanks for looking,
Curtis

 

[52Bore]

Looking good.
The drip bar needs a thou or 2 clearance from the breech plug, if not it may stick/catch when removing the plug and come off.. been there done that. Just a #6 file strike or 2..
Also, are you going to put in a Platinum vent plug?

 

[Curtis]

Looking good.
The drip bar needs a thou or 2 clearance from the breech plug, if not it may stick/catch when removing the plug and come off.. been there done that. Just a #6 file strike or 2..
Also, are you going to put in a Platinum vent plug?

Thanks! Your comment on the drip bar clearance is duly noted! I will be certain to give it some the next time I have the plug out. Hopefully without having to solder it back on first!

The kit came with a stainless vent plug. Do you happen to make platinum vent plugs? If so you can email me the particulars. Or if you could post an appropriate source for platinum I could probably make one from a proper sized platinum rod.

Curtis

 

[Curtis]

This is truly an exceptional quality lock, the nicest I have ever handled. (never had the opportunity to handle a Roller lock yet) The tolerances of the tumbler fit, as well as the sear pin are very tight, basically a press fit yet the parts all move freely. The lower leg of the mainspring remains and flat in the loaded full cock position.



I cleaned up the trigger casting a bit and drilled holes for the trigger screw and spring.



Then I drilled and tapped the trigger plate for the trigger screw, and reamed the clearance side with an 1/8" reamer. After completing that I recessed the trigger screw head with a mill so it tightened at the screw shoulder and head at the same time. The screw was filed down nearly flush where the threaded end protruded.







Next the trigger was installed in the gun and the lock was replaced as well as it would fit. I had put some inlet black in the end of the sear to mark where it was hitting the trigger blade.



The trigger blade was filed till it slightly cleared the sear.

 

[Curtis]

Everything was assembled and the trigger was test fired. It works!!

Now I am ready to move on to the next phase....




Curtis