I've got a standard fill Mtn Rifle mickey that is just too damn long for me with a .5" flip flop pad.

What is the best way to go about cutting .5-1" off of the stock? Miter box? Or should I grind it off with a belt sander to avoid damaging the shell?

I would let the guys at McMillan cut it, Im told there turn time are super fast for such things.

I'd rather do it without sending it honestly..,

Grab a good table saw blade (ultra fine) setup your table saw so your stock will run thru nice and square & smooth. Setup is the key, I wrap run some blue painters tape around where your going to make the cut also to help. Thats how I have always done it. Just dont take too much off. Better to make a couple cuts if you have too. You will need to buy a new recoil pad and fit it when your done for that McMillan stock.

Kc

Miter Box saw with fine tooth blade, just tape the stock with a couple of wraps of masking tape to keep it a super smooth cut. Set your blade with the stock angle already on the part you want to cut off. It is no big deal doing this .

Thanks guys. I appreciate it.

It is tricky to do it right. It needs to have the correct orientation in all three dimensions. If you are merely indicating off the surface of the stock, the tapers will throw you off. Be very careful about the pitch. Only a couple of degree will change how the gun feels.

It is a dyi task, but one that takes attention to detail.

Utah is right, takes some "ciferin" to get it right. We do ours on a milling machine to get it right. If you do your own, measure twice, cut short, measure again, cut short, creep up on things. Once removed, no putting back.

Tanner,

Get a Freud High Performance Laser Cut saw blade. They aren't cheap, but will last a lifetime. They make the smoothest cut of any I've tried.

Tape the stock well, measure twice, cut once...

On a table saw, pay attention of the angle of the blade, as stocks don't sit on the table like a 2x4. You need the angle set to get a perpendicular cut with the axis of the stock, not necessarily 90* with the table.

DF

It's very easy to get the wrong "line" on it....

One could make a pretty good case for sending it back to McM for cutting.

It wouldn't be too cool, screwing up a $500 stock.

DF

If you can get the FF pad off and sand the glue off, it makes setting up the saw much easier.

A 50 or 80 grit belt will knock off .5-1.0" in no time. Tape the line you want and grind down to it. It ain't rocket surgery and some epoxy, fiberglass, and paint will fix anything you might [bleep] up.

Protecting your eyes, lungs and skin when grinding [bleep] is a given.

You'd have to be very good to get it completely flat and true.

I may have just described you for all I know. But I wouldn't start a learning curve with a $500+ stock.

Just saying...

I can get a very flat and true cut with a good table saw and a high quality blade as described in an earlier post. I have a very nice belt sander, but have never used it to cut a stock, just to shape the pad once it's on the stock.

DF

Just send it back to have it done right -- along with putting on the pad.

^^This.^^
I think Mcmillan will replace a pad/cut down for 80 or 90 bucks, and that includes a new Decelerator.

I would like to think of myself as a fairly handy guy, and have cut down and done pads on cheaper stocks - but a Mcmillan that not only is expensive but takes months to replace in the same configuration and colors I own is too big of an investment in both time and money for me to botch up.

That being said, if a guy has the confidence in himself, and the tools to do it, go for it.

Tanner, this is what you should do. If you don't have the right tools, this is too easy to [bleep] up. Just my opinion.

I've a friend that'll assist me with an electric miter box, we'll take off less than needed and then probably sand the last bit down so we go slow enough to make sure nothing goes too crazy.

I'd cut it at a length to accommodate a 1/2" pad... by doing so when you [bleep] it up you can send it to Mc Millen and have them replace with a 1" pad. No harm, no foul

Dude, seriously not a big deal. Place a piece of masking tape around your stock that will serve as a guide (i.e. back edge of tape is where you want the finished edge of stock to be. Take your time here getting everything square to stock. Grab a hack saw, and cut the stock to within 1/8" of the tape.

Go to harbor Freight, and buy a 60 grit, 12" disc sanding pad with the adhesive backing. Stick the sandpaper pad to a flat surface (like a piece of glass, etc), and sand the stock down the last little bit to your tape line. Done.

See here for some great pics of the process

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/2215341/page/1

Ain't nuthin' to it. Still need a CH of sanding around the top, but it looks pretty damn good to my eye.

Holy crap!!!

How stoned was somebody when they decided to put a neon lime green pad on a polka-dotted stock??

Was McMillan making stocks back in the 60's acid days??

If using a mitre box and hand saw, don't use a good one. The stock will ruin the saw. I use a hacksaw to cut glass stocks andtrue them up with a file. One can use a carbide blade on a table saw or mitre saw but the blade will perform poorly on wood afterward. Use that blade for glass only.
I use thin wood shims to orient the stock for cutting if doing it on a mitre or table saw. GD

Don't cut aluminum arrows first and then expect cutting your wood or fiberglass stock with that same blade will work out.

Hi Bill.

Glenn

That was a carbon fibre arrow. I well remember hearing the saw start up and looking down to see Pete ready to cut an arrow shaft. I couldn't holler quickly enough and he cut one carbon fibre shaft and ruined a new band saw blade. I tried to cut a wood stock and the blade tried to U turn!
I might drop in at the Calgary show this year. Might see you there? GD