Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: dogmush on November 09, 2011, 08:54:19 PM
-
when it never fraking ends?
I have a Savage 110 that I used in an experiment with TTI's StraightJacket system last year. The rifle never really fit me well at all, so after I finished up the experiment I started looking for a new stock for it. I looked at several nice, ready to go composite stocks but thought to myself "hmmmm. I don't really have a nice wood stocked rifle. All my wood rifles are kinda plain."
The interwbz led me to Richard's Microfit Stocks. (http://rifle-stocks.com/) Pretty pictures, seems like good prices I'll give it a shot. It was advertised as 99% inleted. Sadly, I ordered this prior to OWS so I didn't realize that 99% was actually code for "We want to take your money and make you do the work"*. After I got the stock I had to go buy a set of wood carving tools and make room for extraneous parts that Savage puts in their rifle. Useless things like a sear, trigger and bolt handle. After I got the action to sit in the stock I discovered that a 1 1/4" "barrel channel" wasn't the size barrel that the channel was designed for, but rather the size cutter used to make the channel. So a 1 1/4" barrel doesn't quite fit. Break out a large socket and some sandpaper. Cue musical montage.
....
.....
.......
Finally, now the action fits in the stock. Now I can start sanding the knife marks left everywhere else. Start with 120. Sand, Sand, Sand, Sand, Sand, Sand, Sand, Sand, Sand, Sand, Sand, Sand. Switch to 220. Sand, Sand, Sand, Sand, Sand, Sand, Sand, Sand, Sand, Sand, Sand, Sand. Time for 320. Sand, Sand, Sand, Sand, Sand, Sand, Sand, Sand, Sand, Sand, Sand, Sand. Finally, 400. Sand, Sand, Sand, Sand, Sa-To hell with it, that's good enough. (You've done this before if you just read that and said "He'll regret that later").
Ok. Now it's [mostly] smooth. Let's read the directions on that Tru-Oil. Put on smooth, let dry while hanging, repeat as needed. You're done when it fills the grain. Seems simple enough. First coat, hang and dry. Second coat, hang and dry. Third coat-Oh look! there's the spots you didn't finish sanding. Screw it it's on the pistol grip. From now on that's called "Grip Texture". Fourth coat, Hang and dry. Grain doesn't seem to be filling at all. Maybe I need thicker coats. Fifth coat I put on at the thickness I would use if I was spraying it. Hang and dry. Oh look, it runs, then drys in streaks. Well I have some of that 400 grit left. Sand, Sand, Sand, Sand, Sand, Sand, Sa-to hell with it, that's good enough. What coat were we on again? Cue "Eye of the Tiger" montage.
......
..............
...................
..........................
Well it's been two and a half weeks of one coat a day and I'm sick of smelling like Tru-Oil all the time so let's call that grain filled enough. Final tune on the trigger, mount the action, drill and install a sling swivel for a bi-pod, bolt up a spare scope I had lying around. Yea! It's a rifle again. Sadly, when I finally got this thing assembled it was too dark for photo's. Several people have told me it looks great, but since I know exactly where all the imperfections are, that's all I can see. I need to go shoot it soon, because right now I see 7 months of messing around culminating in a bumpy, streaky stock. Sigh.
I'm sticking with black and FDE plastic for a while. I seriously could have machined a stock from billet aluminum for less time effort then I have tied up in this laminate stock. On the bright side, the rifle seems to fit me a whole lot better. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go rub hands down with mineral spirits to try and remove the "Eue de Birchwood-Casey" and pour myself a Scotch. Thanks for listening to me whine.
*Research leads me to believe that Richards is on a par with other "unfinished" stocks, I apparently just bit off more than I could chew.
-
I got a Richards Microfit laminated stock for my 10/22. The only real complaint is that delivery was twice what was quoted, but I was quite prepared for this based on postings at Rimfire Central. Fortunately, I like both the look and feel of the stock.
Took a fair amount of inletting with the "candle smoke and scrape" method, and a good deal of sanding on the exterior . . . the large flat surfaces were easy with a sanding block of the right size and shape, but the curves . . . how the heck do you get a smooth continuous curve when the hardness varies so much? What took me longest was making the buttstock flat enough so I could add a zebrawood buttplate.
Went through the feathering process and then applied a lot of coats of pure tung oil - first diluted 4:1 with mineral spirits, then 3:1, etc. until I was applying thin coats of pure tung oil, and doing some wet sanding with tung oil as the lubricant.
Turned out nice. (BTW, if you're doing a pure oil finish, Japan drier is your friend.)
-
Now buy yourself a Lyman Great Plains Rifle kit, You'll practically qualify as a legitimate gunsmith once you get the whole rifle fitted together and 'finished.' I put over 100 hours into mine.
-
Yeah, I've got a 4" 1911 that needs some love before I start something like that. And somewhere in the next 4 or so months I should be getting some Form 1's back that'll take some time.
-
I give myself at least a month to do a stock. Sometimes it takes longer.
Just like metal before bluing it is a lot of prep work. If it's not perfect when you start the finish, it doesn't get better with more finish.
I put on a first coat and let it hang. I use a coat hanger from the ceiling above the woodstove. Then on the second and third coats I wet sand them in as soon as I put them on. And then I add another seven or more coats until I get what I'm looking for.
I've also come up with a "warm blue" that uses a couple of cold blues put on metal warmed over the stove and worked in with fine steel wool that have lasted over five years on a test shotgun and rifle.
jim
-
Now buy yourself a Lyman Great Plains Rifle kit, You'll practically qualify as a legitimate gunsmith once you get the whole rifle fitted together and 'finished.' I put over 100 hours into mine.
Been there, done that. I also draw filed and polished the barrel to remove everything but the SN# then did a hot brown finish.
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi23.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb398%2FFLHRI-OK%2Fgun%2520stuff%2Fflintgpr.jpg&hash=f7a0034ec5864bd0682d0858e466917b9b7d1052)
-
I also draw filed and polished the barrel to remove everything but the SN# then did a hot brown finish.
Yep, did the same. What did you use for finishing the stock?
I like the way yours looks, I used true oil and it turned out way tooo shiny for my tastes.
-
Actually in the cold light of day...........It's not so bad.
It certainly doesn't look like any other rifle I have, so that goal was met. Interestingly, Due to the SJ being composite and the stock laminate, it's no where near as heavy as it looks. drop the bi-pod, put a reasonable scope on it ans a second sling swivel and sling and you could actually carry it hunting. It shoulders offhand pretty dang well and with the scope at 10X or so you can find and track targets while standing with no real problem.
Check it out:
As I bought it from the gunshow: (Actually, now that I think on it I put that scope and bi-pod on it, but you get the idea.)
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi11.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa199%2Fdogmush%2FSavageoverallshot.jpg&hash=72382ad268dbaed03dd0dcd95771c8bfc76c6401)
Straight Jacket, bigger crappy scope, Timney trigger, and new stock installed:
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi11.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa199%2Fdogmush%2FWeapons%2FSavage1.jpg&hash=75e134eaa0f70203efbd61af36316135f55e77c8)
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi11.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa199%2Fdogmush%2FWeapons%2FSavage-3.jpg&hash=74510ac62c4153389887329d62b252aa2c0159f9)
I have to go load some .30-06 to see if I'm truly pleased with the project, but so far so good.
-
It sure did need a new stock and it looks like you did a great job of finishing it ... :cool:
I wonder what a stripping followed by a dark stain would do for the old stock ?
-
Yep, did the same. What did you use for finishing the stock?
I like the way yours looks, I used true oil and it turned out way tooo shiny for my tastes.
I used a mahogany stain and tung oil.
-
Looks good from here dogmush.
jim
-
Dogmush, I feel your pain. And I also laugh. :lol: Sorry. Anyways, if you ever feel like putting yourself through this hell again (I'm still stuck on the oil application step because I took a long hiatus from working on this stock just after doing the mud rub), work it up to 600 grit. It's totally worth it. As for getting the buttstock perfectly level for the mounting of a recoil pad: Vertical sander. Or, something I also tried, a piece of sand paper glued to a piece of perfectly flat bar stock.
Took a fair amount of inletting with the "candle smoke and scrape" method...
Used Prussian Blue for this part myself. Did you use Fisher scrapers?
Using the Prussian Blue, Fisher scrapers and 10 mil tape on the barrel to do the inlet and freefloat:
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi111.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fn149%2FYaivenov%2FFirearms%2Fhowa6.jpg&hash=5aa451616c48e3fe1418288d379433d22cefee55)
What 600 grit gets to looking like prior to oil application:
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi111.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fn149%2FYaivenov%2FFirearms%2FDSCF0049.jpg&hash=dcf84cc8c7a9b290f507dd42ad2cc7d606ed5099)
Oh and my next project, refinishing a surplus USGI M14 stock and handguard. Anyone got any ideas of what color/pattern I should do with it?
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi111.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fn149%2FYaivenov%2FFirearms%2F30f70818.jpg&hash=67d9f0f2085761095bdf30783763a2800f60ea3f)
-
Also, Dogmush, where did you get that angled objective lens cap? I need one of those for one of my target scopes I've sitting around here, but I've had a damnable time finding any.
-
It came with the Wal-Mart scope.
-
Oh and my next project, refinishing a surplus USGI M14 stock and handguard. Anyone got any ideas of what color/pattern I should do with it?
Urban camouflage, purple with neon green zebra stripes.
[barf]
-
Urban camouflage, purple with neon green zebra stripes.
[barf]
God, I saw that SKS once months ago and I still haven't managed to scrub that image from my mind.
-
Well good and bad today at the range.
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi11.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa199%2Fdogmush%2FSavage%2520test%2FSavage30-060022.jpg&hash=25ca062c44fbe3e77f95089bfcbe3f76e32eee26)
It looks like I didn't quite inlet the bolt handle enough, and it rubs the stock. I'll have to open it op a bit, and then refinish in that groove. That's the bad.
I took it out to my local outdoor range today, zeroed the new scope (which is gonna have to go. That Barska has no redeeming issues at all) ran it throug it's paces. Over all, the new stock was MUCH more comfortable then the old one, and fits me really well. The Timney trigger is sweet. I've got it set at about 2.5 pounds and there is no perceptible creep or over-travel at all. For most of the day I was shooting kinda mediocre, and the rifle was shooting slightly less than 1 MOA at 100 and 200 yds. I would get really nice 3 and 4 shots, then muck up a shot and blow the group.
Then, last target of the day, I pulled off this:
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi11.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa199%2Fdogmush%2FSavage%2520test%2FSavage30-060042.jpg&hash=d69a85c553d2456cb16ee8bfcebd398fd371d116)
10 rounds, 200yds, .57 MOA. After that, I decided to call it a day while I was ahead. It's amazing what a group like that will do for helping me ignore some bumps in the finish.
=D =D =D =D =D [ar15] [ar15] [ar15] [ar15]
ETA: Just in case the sting of smilies didn't give it away, that's probably the smallest group I've ever shot in my life. Certainly the smallest that I have a picture of.
-
Nice group.
I looked at a few of my good targets. The last time I kept them it was .625 for five round groups out of a .222. Ten rounds out of a .30 that tight is doing real good.
jim
-
Verry nice, how much?
Dogmush: Actually I was pondering going to a heavier ~165 gr bullet for reloading my .308 (M1A) and perhaps .300 WinMag (Vanguard). All I have currently is a pile of of Hornady 150gr FMJBT for plinking and duplicating M2 Ball for my .30-06 rifles. Any recommendations to manufacturer and design?