Height adjustable recoil pad on HS Precision stock

The question was raised how I did the adjustable pad on the rifle shown here http://www.savageshooters.com/showth...l=1#post308533
To be quite honest, my design involved some trial and error, but maybe I can at least give you some ideas for your own approach.


History
I was looking forward to a Model 12 Long Range Precison, which is available in Germany on order only. I hence had plenty of time to dream about a super duper stock I would make for it as a replacement for the standard one which looked a bit shabby in the pictures on the Savage website. However, when I picked the rifle up, it sported the HS Precision PST114 stock, which seemed pretty decent, and I decided to improve it a little and give it a try first.


Design considerations
I am mostly shooting prone, and after a few trials it was obvious that I wanted more LOP (so I would not have to bend my wrist too much) and also a higher comb. I am often shooting an Anschuetz .22 lr rifle which has got a height adjustable butt plate, and I wanted something similar for my Savage as well. The pad on the Anschuetz is however locked in the desired position by an allen screw, which is not ideal for a field rifle.

Based on those requirements I decided on the following design:

• raised comb and LOP extension to be made as pieces from laminated wood which could be fitted to the stock, then covered with epoxy resin and painted.
• aftermarket recoil pad riding on a telescopic rail and locked in position by means of a spring loaded release lever

Actual work
I took the factory pad off using an utility knive which I thrust into the seam between stock and recoil pad. The recoil pad is just glued on and the glue is easily cut, only in the areas where the recoil pad screws are supposed to go (if there are any), thicker blobs of glue needed more attention.

The butt has got a rectangular hole of approx. 25 x 50 x 150 mm. I cut a suitably sized piece of laminated wood and glued it in with PU glue to serve as a foundation for the pieces to be added.

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m...pstsdx7pno.jpg


To determine the required LOP extension, I test mounted my scope in the rearmost position and placed wooden spacers between the butt and the loose aftermarket pad (Pachmayr D750B large). 25 mm appeared to be the optimum. The new comb and the LOP extension were cut from birch laminated wood and test fitted to the stock with screws.

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m...ps66hv6gsa.jpg


I marked the outline of the butt on the LOP extension. I also determined and marked the desired upper and lower position of the recoil pad.and took the LOP extension off again. Both wooden parts were then shaped using rasps. The outline of the Pachmayr pad was marked on a wooden board for a test assembly of the moving parts.

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m...ps6vsvvqmi.jpg


The telescopic rail I used is intended for use in furniture (drawers). It even has a ball bearing. It was a little bit too short for the pad, so I added a brass extension at the top end. Travel is approx. 40 mm. The spring is bent from a piece of spring wire.

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m...pszcxi6sw0.jpg


The release lever was made from a piece of scrap aluminium. It holds a little pin to lock in holes drilled into the side of the telescopic rail (and its extension).

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m...ps8wphq7u1.jpg


After successful test assembly I cut the required gap into the LOP extension with a router to make the telescopic rail and the release lever flush with the top surface of the LOP extension.

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m...pswzbcosnm.jpg


I used a plywood template of the recoil pad for the finetuning (especially to test the wobble- and snag-free travel) when test installing the moving parts. When the fit was satisfactory, I took the moving parts out, glued and screwed the extension in place and had everything coated. The final assembly looks like this:

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m...psrcuduqqq.jpg


For the installation of the recoil pad I used M5 Allen screws with 12mm thread. They slide into the pad just fine with help of some rubber lubricant, and they completely disappear despite the bulky head.

I hope this has given you some useful ideas, and I trust you will be able to do it much better in your own build!

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m...ps42qplkgy.jpg

Wow. That's creative and impressive. Thanks.

You are right, it isn't something I could duplicate, but it can inspire me to try something similar. The key, I thin, is the drawer slide/rail and the sprung catch.

Will have to think about this for a while. It's definitely not something I could do anytime soon. Don't have the skillset (yet), for one thing.