Anyone else made your own stock?

[Budweiser360]

I'm currently in the process of making my own stock, started out as a solid piece of Maple 1 3/4" thick and about 36" long. I had it laying around, I wasn't going to pay that kind of money to buy it, would have had to sell my legs for it.....Going for a design between a Mcmillan M5 and a Blaser LRS-2 stock

Just wondering if anyone else has this much time on their hands? Pics?

[jlcpls]

I've made a couple. Some I really like. Mostly for mausers, mini mausers, and single shots.

As an amateur hand tool stock maker, all I can say is: GO SLOW

You can always take more off later.

(thanks to epoxy, you can always put more back, but it looks funny)

[Eric in NC]

I will add that although you should go slow - you almost always need to trim off more than you think to make a "handy" stock!

[Uncle Jack]

Like the man said, "Go Slow" especially with maple. If it has a lot of figure (quilted or birdseye) it will cut very unevenly. Keep your cutting tools sharp and stop and resharpen often. Maple can be a beach to work with but the results can be beautiful.

uj

[jlcpls]

I will add that although you should go slow - you almost always need to trim off more than you think to make a "handy" stock!

True,

the last one I did went through the original formation, the butt rework, the forearm rework, the butt re-rework, the forearm rout and vent, the butt revisited, trimming the forearm, and then the final butt pad fitting.

I could probably still go over the whole thing one more time, just for giggles.

[Budweiser360]

Yeah I have been going slow but I'm sure I am almost at a point in some places where I won't be able to keep it to a perfect wood finish. I think some fill will have to be used and then have it all painted later, unless I cut out the bad pieces, glue/epoxy new stuff in and sand it all back down to a nice finish. Most of the unsatisfactory parts will be hidden by the action, but I still know it's there...

Anyone have any pics of a nice maple stock? This would be SOOOOOO much easier to do if I had a milling machine lol.

[Blue Avenger]

finishing a semi inlet was enough work. I'm not up to starting with a 2x6 :)

[jlcpls]

This would be SOOOOOO much easier to do if I had a milling machine lol.

A dremel with the router attachment.....

[TOO Builder]

Here ya go Budweiser360. I didn't shape or inlet it myself however I did do all the finish work. This is an A-2 McMillan style in curly maple.

I agree with Blue Avenger but it will be fun to see your finished work. Maybe it will inspire more of us to try it.
[img width=600 height=450]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v318/Toobuilder/IMG_2339.jpg[/img]

[Peter_Kirch]

I've been working a on walnut remake of a factory stock its tough goings. one cool thing I found a .22 lodged in the middle of the butt

[Budweiser360]

Here ya go Budweiser360. I didn't shape or inlet it myself however I did do all the finish work. This is an A-2 McMillan style in curly maple.

I agree with Blue Avenger but it will be fun to see your finished work. Maybe it will inspire more of us to try it.
[img width=600 height=450]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v318/Toobuilder/IMG_2339.jpg[/img]

That's a beauty! I hope mine turns out half as nice!

The inletting is a part I'm not super worried about, other than the cut out for the trigger. The reason being is that I am just taking more material out and getting an aluminum bed made for it out of 2" solid square and have a 1.355 hole bored in it. I measured the action at 1.35 so this will allow a little room to skim bed it if it needs it. This way I do not have to worry about getting the radius on the inlet perfect for the action, I just have inlet a flat piece of AL into a flat surface in the stock.

Since this is going to be an F-class rifle I am not even thinking about any mag's, single shot only. That is another reason the AL bed will work better for me.

It is taking a long time to do, but in the end I'm going to have a nice looking (I think) stock that fits me the way I need it too.

[Eric in NC]

The middle one here (ok - not a Savage but a real "savageshooter") is a maple stock I did with acid (aquafortis) stain - the curly maple is pretty tough to work as others have said.

[img width=600 height=450]http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd314/erbeckerdite/FL2.jpg[/img]

[img width=600 height=228]http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd314/erbeckerdite/FL1.jpg[/img]

[jlcpls]

you have any flintlocks that aren't carbines?

[dolomite_supafly]

I've made a few over the years. I can say you are very ambitios to try it on your "good" wood first. I learned using scrap wood.

Dolomite

[Eric in NC]

you have any flintlocks that aren't carbines?

Nah - I like a handy gun. I am only 5' 7" and a rifle any taller than me tends to hang me up in the woods!

[Budweiser360]

I've made a few over the years. I can say you are very ambitios to try it on your "good" wood first. I learned using scrap wood.

Dolomite

Well, its not new, that's for sure. It's at least 40 years old I think. My great uncle bought it years ago from a local fisherman who was building a new boat with it and had it left over. Apparently he got a huge trailer load behind his tractor for $30. Today if it was finished it would be worth ALOT more than that.

Also, I thought if I did a decent job on it that I might as well use decent wood so if it turns out, all that time isn't wasted. We shall see lol.