I bought a AA Select walnut stock for my Howa 1500. The wood was neither AA nor Select; however, it did make up into a very nice looking stock.Originally Posted by bignorm40
The good: The inletting was absolutely perfect. You couldn't ask for better.
The bad: The rest of the stock looked like someone started to make a stock with a chain saw and quickly ran out of fuel and just tossed it into the shipping box. It was one step up from a log and it was HUGE. The comb was so high, the bolt wouldn't open far enough to chamber a round, much less remove the bolt for cleaning. I imagine half the weight of the stock wound up on my workroom floor. My first tool was a huge bandsaw and my second one was a 10" table saw. It took a long time with a hand plane, spoke shave, etc before I ever got to the sandpaper stage, starting with 40 grit.
I'm an experienced woodworker with access to all the right tools, so I was not in over my head, but many shooters probably would be.
Anyone thinking they can finish a stock like the one I got starting with 100 grit sandpaper will be disappointed. Yes, the website says that the stock requires finishing, but what I got was more like a perfectly inletted log. Plus I had to wait a LONG time to get it.
I hear some laminated stocks require less finishing.
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks