Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Questions on a custom

I had a noticeable lack of a big boomer hunting rifle in my arsenal and had been looking for a suitable candidate for awhile. Then I lucked into a good deal on a full custom 375wby on a Whitwoth action a while back. It came in a synthetic stock. I gathered dies, brass, and bullets and had at it. It shoots well and is a lot of fun, I plan to keep it a looong time. However, I've always thought this type of rifle should be in a wooden stock with some figure. So, sure enough just such an item came up for sale and I grabbed it. Though it does need a little fitting at the shank of the barrel.
Question #1. What would you guys do to protect the stock from being damaged from the recoil?
Question #2. As you can see in the picture, the stock has beautiful figure but has some bad scratches. Is there an easy way to fix this issue, or a complete refinish is the only way?
Thanks in advance.

Two cross bolts and having it properly bedded with relief in the tang area would be my first things to prevent damage. Do you have a secondary recoil lug? I'm sure other people will chime in with better ideas.

Are the scratches in the finish or do they go into the wood? To fix it either way probably the best way would be to strip the stock down to bare wood and start over. I think TC1 had posted his steps for finishing a stock, see if you can locate it.

Utah708 on finishing gunstocks. This might help you as well.

Very nice rifle.

I'd do pillars, relieve the tang, bed it up tight. Bet it'd be real nice.

1. If you refinish that stock you will never use it. Hunting rifles get scratched. Use it but don't abuse it.

2. Very few folks can make and install pillars on the front of a Mauser action. Use cross bolts and glass bed the recoil lug. Find someone who understands Mausers. The rear of the magazine box acts as a secondary recoil abutment but few know how to fit it properly.
A "pillar" on the rear is a good idea.

3. Get someone to checker that stock. You need something to help you hang on to that beast.

you should releave the tang and bed it as well to keep the wrist from spliting

Can't really do pillar on the front action screw of a Mauser because the bottom metal mates up into the bottom of the recoil lug.

An interior/blind crossbolt would be easy to do.

As pointed out, making sure that the action is not bearing on any secondary recoil surfaces is important. The tang is an obvious one, but there are some curved surfaces near the front of the tang that should be relieved as well.

You could also put a rod lengthwise through the pistol grip, drilling from either the action inletting or the pistol grip, if it can be removed. Only do this the grain flow causes you worry.

A secondary recoil lug is probably not necessary. It is actually tough to get too lugs bearing equally, especially as the stock changes dimensions due to moisture.

Before you get so ambitious as to refinish the stock, try to raise them with heat from an iron conducted through a wet towel. They may raise so much that you can live with them.

This^ &



This^ &

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/752327/talley-crossbolt-for-magnum-rifle-stock-steel-in-the-white

This^ & get some better scope mounts.

This^^^^^ I'd also want to get it checkered too, like someone else mentioned...