doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion German & Austrian Sporting Guns @ doublegunshop.com einstecklauf installation project

Purchased a used Krieghoff 22. cal. short insert barrel a while back. It was my first venture into insert barrels and a pig-in-a-poke. I bought it just to try it, with no return privilege. The education that followed was enlightening. First, no two barrels are usually just alike in chamber dimensions. When buying a used insert, the "pads" have been fitted to the I.D. of the last gun. By pads, I mean both the fixed two raised points near the extractor end, and the two floating ones in the milled grooves. They were filed to fit the last barrel. It would have been grand luck if the last owner's barrel chamber was smaller in diameter than mine. Unfortunately, in my larger dia. chamber it is just loose. So, what to do...Tig welding would be one alternative to replace the metal and give adequate meat for filing to proper fit. It would also necessitate rebluing, it is not particularly cheap, and there could be unfamiliar complications to the application of such heat. I risk being labeled a bottom-feeder, but what is wrong with building up the rear solid pads with Devcon Steel-Bed material? It is used to bed rifles, and will only be providing a snug fit to the sides of the chamber. ("And no, I am not of the JB weld will fix anything school!") Honestly, though, some material must be used to build it back up again, else I now have an insert shaped paper weight. Is tig welding the only viable option?...Steve

Your "inserted barrel" project is most interesting-- what model and series Krieghoff do you have? TIG welding will stress the barrel pads and OD and maybe pull it out of round- Nicht zer Gut, Ja?-- I might try silder solder, as there is zero recoil with a .22 short cartridge--just a shot however-- Viel Gluck!!

Steve, I may just have some spare pads for Krieghoff Einstecklaeufe. Don't do anything until I check it out. I may have a 20 gauge ESL or two lying around as well. Back in the '70's I used to sell them.

RWTF: the caliber is 22lr, the length of the insert barrel is short, as opposed to a longer alternative also offered by the manufacturer. I don't know the exact model--it says kreighoff on it.

xausa: Thanks for the pad offer! Don't need a 20 ga. but will keep an eye out for anyone who does. Steve
I decided to try the SteelBed on the fixed (part of body)pads, before reading the posts this morning. Seems to be a viable material, especially as it is only a 22. after shaping to "close," the material smoothed slightly to a well-shaped fit upon closing the action. Yes, it is softer than either solder or steel, but I think maybe it doesn't HAVE to be any harder just to position the housing for sight in. It will also be possible to redo it if it becomes necessary. Will update on success or failure of the project...still would like to have the new floating pads in the milled recesses, xausa...Steve

BTW, is firing an insert barrel from the right shotgun barrel automatically introducing "barrel cant" as it lies to the right of the sighting plane? Steve

Steve,
The einstecklaufs are usually made for the right barrel and if you want one for the left,it is made differently.This seems that they are made to account for the barrel convergence. At the rear of the EL, there should be a third pad that moves back and forth by a screw that turns by a "key",that you may not have recieved since you bought it used.This pad moves on an inclined plane and tightens the EL up.There should also be a large screw head looking part that, I believe sets the headspace.This is usually set correctly, but the shotgun rim recess usually has to be recut to fit the bottom of this part,in other words the radius in that part of the rim recess needs to be cut square.This is usually done with the help of a jig that looks like the back of an EL with a cutter in the place of the headspace setting screw.Other methods of cutting it square can be used however.If the extractor has not been cut for the locator stud in the EL extractor, this will have to be done;or some people drive this stud out and scribe a witness across both extractors to locate the EL the same way everytime. Check the EL again and if it isn't like I described, post photos and I will try again.BTY the two moveable pads at the front are for adjusting the point of impact to the sights.
Mike

I also bought one used and am suffering from the same problem, I believe, in addition to the adjusting pads being too much filed to adjust in my chamber. Mine is also a 10 inch einstecklauf. It fit into my drilling quite easily and once solid shot quite well for my purposes, squirrels at about 25 yards, but I couldn't get it adjusted even remotely close to the sights. I'm anxious to see your results Steve.

Vic

Vic, Steve,
If you make an adjustment and the bullet impacts opposite the adjustment-suspect that the bullet may have hit the side of the barrel and ricochets to the other side( don't ask how I know this can happen).The The point of impact adjustment pads usually are secured with 2 screws. If you have to, you can take one out to get a little more adjustment.
Vic, see if you can adjust it to 50 yds. My 22MRF is sighted at 100 meters,you may be trying too close.
BTW, you did boresight first didn't you?
Mike

I learned about that "bullet hitting the side of the barrel" thingy. Let me see.....I'm certain that I couldn't get the insert in a correct enough position with the tightening wedge. It kept heading toward the barrel wall or it was too loose. That is that the barrel of the insert was angled too much one way to get it on with the adjusting pads. As far as bore sighting, that's how I learned the bullets were hitting the inside of the shotgun bore, after I couldn't find where it was hitting. I don't know how high the pads are supposed to be originally but mine appear to be filed quite a bit. Are there replacements available?

It might be made for 50 yards, I truly don't know....but from what I remember I don't believe there is enough adjustment anywhere on the device to make up for where it was printing. I really need to try it again because I didn't make notes.

Mike--it is as you say, but I do have the moving wedge that is adjusted with the square key. (which was missing so I had to make one) I had the same trouble as Vic in that things were not lining up properly when the wedge was tightened. I have added to the two "rear" non-moving pads with the SteelBed, and have to see how best to adjust the front moving pads held in place by a screw. I bought it rather cheap because one of the moving pads was missing. I made one by cutting off a tiny file. The file flat I shaped for the long narrow portion, and the fatter round metal handle of the file (only 3/16 of it) became the "pad." Looks about the same as the other. I had to remove the temper and drill a hole for the screw. I have also thought, Vic, that a shim could be placed beneath the movable pad and either could be drilled for the screw to hold it in place, or could just be trapped inside the slot underneath the pad. It would move the pad outward, and could give a measurement of how much of the pad was missing, especially if one made the shims out of a set of spark plug shim guages. You would know exactly how many thousandths was required to sight it all in. Otherwise, you must get new pads or material added back to the pad. Since it is removable, heat is not an issue, but set-up cost for a tig welder might add too much to the overall cost. One would think that as long as all 4 pads were equal, the wedge would tighten it up straight, even though it might be slightly off center, yet parallel to the inside of the barrel. If it doesn't bore sight very close, I for one will not be firing it until it does. It would be my luck to dent the barrel from the inside! Glad to have several minds working on the problem...Steve