I am having a stockmaker build a stock for restocking a Win 70 FWT in 7x57. The stock is California English Walnut with a honey color cast and excellent grain flow through the wrist and 50% figure on both sides of butt. This rifle is going to be hunted mostly from ladder stands, but ground spot and stalk is possible. I'm looking for ideas on functional accoutrements to build onto this stock. This will be classic American style stock.

So far I've decided on wrap point panel checkering on the forend and wrap over checkering on the wrist. Two screw inletted swivel attachments. Shadow line cheek piece.

Give me some ideas and options on forend piece, grip caps and butt plate adds. Pics would help should you care to share.

Thanks for your ideas

Red Decelerator pad.

I like the Rosewood foreend piece myself, but ebony is also nice.

Definitely a red pad.

Have you seen the David Miller book?

Steel grip cap and buttplate.

Oh' and a compass in the stock

Make sure the only finish on the stock is natural stuff, not some man made synthetic concoction. I also would have it bedded in anything that is synthetic in nature, since wood is so much better.

That said, ebony all the way for the forend, stone cold black ebony.

But more importantly, I don't see any reason in commissioning a stock if it doesn't fit like the proverbial glove, most especially offhand. Everything else is lagniappe.

A must!

A second must have!

If going with a pad, I prefer the looks of a black pad on lighter English wood and red on darker colored walnut. I own some custom rifles but detail in this one makes it my favorite. Well done mullered borders add a lot of class to checkering IMO. I also like the sharp radii from the pistol grip into the bolt stop and bottom metal.



I like the lean cheek piece.



A better shot of the mullered borders.



Here's a pre-war M70 with similar sharp radii from the grip into the action.



Depending upon the wood I can go with or without an ebony forend tip but believe a steel (Fisher to my eyes) grip cap is a must. Good luck on your work.

With a light-recoiling rifle like a 7x57, I'd definitely go with a steel butt plate. IMO, rosewood makes a rifle look like a pimp gun when compared with black ebony.

Clarence

I too like steel butt plates and most of my customs have them. The back end of my 7x57 Swede below so equipped. Just seems to let the wood dominate.

Here's a pic of the forearm tip on my custom.

Ed, WOW +P!

Looks OK for a truck gun I guess.

Very nice!

Metal buttplates look nice but a Decelerator pad is functionally superior. If the rifle is dropped on the toe of the stock, the stock is less likely to split or chip. If leaned up against a wall or tree or rail, it is less likely to slip. In the unlikely event the pad is damaged, it is cheap and easy to replace. On top of all of this, pads make rifles more pleasant to shoot. Grip caps and forarm tips are primarily decorative. Years ago, a tip and cap might be added to prevent splitting but the truth is, ebony splits at least as easily as walnut so there isn't much point. I do like a steel grip cap but admit the function is mostly cosmetic. GD

Splattermatic, nice rifle, That foreend tip, looks like it was done by Gene Lecner. Gene was a gunsmith that lived in Albuquerque. He passed. Away in 1977. I did an apprenticeship with him .Gene did all of his fore-ends like that since. Your in NM I bet he built your stock!

no. a former forum member made the stock.
He did some things to some others property and got arrested.
He did an awesome, timely, job for me, and have no complaints.
Stock fits me just perfect!