Need advice on barrel dimensions

I have seen them 1.25'' height and 1.75'' width with no problems on a 55'' barrel with 2- 5/8'' bands.
Dan has built a couple of thin guns, you should ask him or try and find the dimensions on his threads.
I just remembered, I did one 1.125'' wide (that's one inch and one eight) by 1.75'' tall. Also 2-5/8 bands.

if your using wood I wouldn't worry about it bending unless you make it really slim in which case there wouldn't be room for the trigger mech anyway

My last gun is 2.9cm wide and 4.0cm tall, something like a Riffe competitor series stock. There's no flexing with two 16mm bands, and I suspect there won't be with another band or two. Like Jarey said, by the time it will flex it will be too thin to accommodate a trigger mechanism. I really can't see a reason for going thinner than my gun. I'm looking for it to be easy for me to grip around and swim with. I did wonder in the past though how thin a wood stock can be, like if a thick broomstick handle will hold two bands. Davie (seaweed) made a very thin gun once.

My first build was slightly less than 1.25" tall, with horizontal hickory lams. It bent a little under 2 5/8" bands, and the effect on accuracy was noticeable. That gun is now retired, unfortunately, but it was a good learning experience. With vertical lams and different wood your results could be better, though.

Besides bending, also consider the potential recoil of a 7mm shaft, and the need for enough gun mass to counter it.

Good luck, and post pictures of the gun build, as well as the fish you wind up getting with it!

Beautiful lines very Scandinavian, nice.

Cheers, Don

Very nice lines, simple, elegant. My kind of gun.

That's a real nice looking gun, very elegant.

Quote from Ryddragyn

My first build was slightly less than 1.25" tall, with horizontal hickory lams. It bent a little under 2 5/8" bands, and the effect on accuracy was noticeable. That gun is now retired, unfortunately, but it was a good learning experience. With vertical lams and different wood your results could be better, though.

Besides bending, also consider the potential recoil of a 7mm shaft, and the need for enough gun mass to counter it.

Good luck, and post pictures of the gun build, as well as the fish you wind up getting with it!

you defiantly want to use vertical lams the difference in the amount of pressure that it takes to bend a horizontal piece of wood and a vertical piece is enormous.

Quote from Jareyberrysplash

you defiantly want to use vertical lams the difference in the amount of pressure that it takes to bend a horizontal piece of wood and a vertical piece is enormous.

the lam direction has very little to do with stiffness . take a 1" x1" laminated block and it will flex almost the same no mater what is the top (as long as the lams are 1/4" or thicker). once wood is glued back together just look at the outside dimensions for stiffness ,not how its glued up . weather the wood is quarter or plain sawn has much more to do with direction of most flex.
phil

Phil, if the lams are less than a 1/4" which side of the stock will be stiffer, the lam face side or the edges side?

Quote from Dan

Phil, if the lams are less than a 1/4" which side of the stock will be stiffer, the lam face side or the edges side?

It depends on how the wood was sawn but normaly it would be weaker 90deg to the glue line. At 1/4" or thicker lams it should be about the same on all sides but a blank should be checked for spine due to stress in the wood
Phil

Phil, so epoxy makes one side stronger/stiffer?

i will take some pics tonight that always makes things clearer.
phil

onkelhedde- very nice look to the gun you posted..I respect good craftsmanship very much, that gun has very nice lines.

did you also secure the handle to the stock with a pin or just the dovetail and expoxy?

perfect sense, thanks for the explanation

great looking gun