Advice for Building My Own Stock?

[PredatorDown]

Has anyone here tried making their own stock? I've got an old Ruger M77 I'm wanting to build a new stock for. It was the gun that Grandpa gave me as my first before I was even big enough to shoot it, so I thought making my own would add a little more personal value to it for me. I've been a woodworker for years and currently work in a cabinet shop, so tools and supplies are easily available. I'm just wondering if there is anything in specific I should be looking for or to pay particular attention to? I've got the original stock, so I'll be using that as a template as far as fitting the internals go.

[FW Conch]

My vote is,"Go For It"! You have nothing to loose and there is plenty of advise on YouTube and many shooting sites.

Please post lots of pictures and keep us posted on your progress!

Good Luck.....Jim :-))

[LRRPF52]

We had to make our own stocks for the M14 in my first unit. The rifles came out of the Arms room with the fiberglass brown stocks, but we couldn't use those for ceremonies, so we had to have our own. Once you got there, some other guys might have been willing to let you borrow theirs for a job or two, but you really needed to head down to the wood shop and crank out your own.

We started with blanks that were really wide, but had the inletting work done, so it was basically a profile and finish job for the soldier.

I think having the right tools and some basic knowledge are key to making your own stock. There are probably a hundred videos on youtube how to do several different types.

[Sniper338]

Ive dont it at home... inletting is a bitch... thats where i fked it up...

[Drift]

I've done 2 or 3. I spent maybe 40 hours on each. The first one did not come out to good. A dremal tool, lamp black and many tiny files were important. So was lots of fiberglass. Good luck

[BjornF16]

Here is a thread where Von Gruff made his own stock...very cool! http://www.65grendel.com/forum/showthrea...#post33925

[65Whelen]

I've done a few and it's been a few years but inletting is the big challenge, especially when you get to inletting the trigger guard, you always do the barreled action first. For inletting I used colored petroleum jelly. Are you going to buy a semi-inlet stock or start with just a blank?

You'll need a good set of chisels, gouges, files/rasps and barrel inlet tools, Brownells will have what you need.

Dimensions you need to determine before starting, length of pull(with or w/o recoil pad), grip angle, drop at the toe or heel. I'd have to dust off a few books for a little refresher, I'll see what I can find.

If you have the patients it's a great project but it's a job that can't be rushed, lots of hours, as was stated earlier it a 40hr minimum job from a blank. That's with using all hand tools.

The attached pic is my Whelen done from a blank. My only regret is I can't checker for shit so it's just smooth wood.

[Von Gruff]

If you habe a background in woodworking tool use and PAITENCE then it is not a difficult task to make a stock. The big thing is to take it slow and use a smoker to do the fine inletting. The one piece stocked bolt rifle is really quite a simple inlet if taken through the logical process with care and the shaping up after the inletting is something that should include a lot of shouldering to try for fit and when you think you are close to leave it for at least a few hours and preferably the next day as we will compromise our hold to suit what is in our hands so a fresh approach and a quick shoulder will give a more accurate sense of feel than continually shouldering in the one session.

I am happy to offer any advise you may need and go through the actual process. I do all my inletting with chisels and scrapers so essentially all with hand tools. Pm me is you want an off forum contact.

This is a few of the different styles I have done
A 1908 DWM 7x57



A Martini Henry 577-450

[Von Gruff]

A Lee Speed styled Lee Enfield



Have just started on another two Lee Speeds with one being in 375-303 and the other in 400 Enfield

[KentuckyBuddha]

It has to be said again, that is just amazing work Von Gruff. Just stunning every time I see it, and I think I have seen each of those before.

[lead chucker]

Always love seeing things like that! Its a lost art.

[Drift]

Funny true story about inletting. Instead of using colored petroleum jelly or lampblack I went out and bought a bright red lipstick to smear on the barreled action for the inletting. ...I got some of that bright red lipstick on the front of my my pants ..my wife did the laundry...and then I had to explain to her how I got lipstick not in her color in that spot.

[montana]

Funny true story about inletting. Instead of using colored petroleum jelly or lampblack I went out and bought a bright red lipstick to smear on the barreled action for the inletting. ...I got some of that bright red lipstick on the front of my my pants ..my wife did the laundry...and then I had to explain to her how I got lipstick not in her color in that spot.

We call this a near death experience.

[Von Gruff]

I may have shown this before but my inletting smoker is simply the wick mechanism out of a kerosene lamp. A suitable small tin had a hole drilled in the top for the wick and a couple of tabs riveted to hold the mechanism in place with the simplicity to be used or returned to the lantern for conventional use when and if required.

[Von Gruff]

These are a couple of very handy tools to have on the bench alongside the usual chisels. I ground the teeth off the flats and the edges then a heat bend and quench before a sharpen at about 10% off square.

[PredatorDown]

Well I got a little closer today! Was able to score some lumber for trade work with a buddy. I hunted all over his shop for some figured walnut, but couldn't find any. What I was able to find was some very nicely figured maple. All of the boards are an inch thick, so it will wind up being a rather thick laminate job (similar to Von Gruff's Grendel Max). My buddy also had several chunks of ebony and some lacewood veneer, so I'm trying to decide if I want to do any inlays with it. With how beautiful this wood is though, I might just leave it be!





This will definitely be a very slow, long process, but I'm excited to see how it turns out. I'm hoping to have the build done sometime within the next year, depending on whatever side funds I can come up with. It's all going to be financed by extra odd jobs I do on the side.

[sneaky one]

Von Gruff can help on any custom , wood, or non AR metal project. Well, maybe some AR metals. I have seen his knives made from thin air items. Wow ! A true craftsman, he is.

my hunt pal Blade, used to be on here- is the same woodworking caliber as Von is- as far as stock making, tweaking, etc,.

PDown, nice selection of lumber to get stocky with! We in cold weather spots, like the laminates the best.