Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Use of a NRA M2 Stock for a .30-06

In my quest to build a reproduction 1903 Springfield NRA Sporter I have acquired a barreled action with a Lyman 48, trigger guard, butt plate, swivels and front band. I also have found two unused original NRA stocks. One stock is for the 1922 M2 - NRA sales rifle configuration. Of the two stocks, this is the best and I'd like to use it for my project. The two stocks are much the same except the M2 stock does not have the notch for the magazine cutoff and the cross bolts. My question is will the M2 stock work without the cross bolts for the .30-06 without danger of cracking?

Yes, probably. Stock bolts can be had cheaply though, might as well put them in for that authentic look. (Plus it can't hurt to have them- the Armory obviously felt the need for them.) I would epoxy bed it thoroughly minus the bolts.

Another question. How much relief is needed behind the rear tang to prevent the stock from cracking on recoil? There us much talk of this over on the CMP forum and some guys seem to think that there should be a gap big enough to stuff a cat into. Is there a general rule of thumb for this measurement? Thanks again!

I shoot for around 1/32". Depends on how soft your wood is, how well the rest of the action is inletted/bedded, etc.

Thanks much!

Original stocks are too scarce, please think long and hard before your alter one for your project. If I were doing a project like yours, I would use a repro stock from Silverhill.

My original intent was to not alter the stock, which is why I asked if the cross bolts are that critical. I have two of these stocks, but the one with cross bolts is not inletted for the Lyman 48 and I wasn't too keen on carving it up.

I did the exact same thing a few years back. Worked out fine with no crossbolts.

Refresh my memory- are not M2 barrels a slightly different contour from an as-issued '03 barrel, necessitating alteration of the barrel channel?

Yes, both the NRA spoter and the M2 use a slightly heavier contour barrel. I have the heavier .30-06 barrel for my project.

PS - maybe someone can help me out on the value of these stocks? I got both (from different parties) for a price that was competitive for a repro stock and well under what folks are paying for unissued C-Stocks these days. They both look like replacement stocks that someone would have purchased from the NRA or Springfield "back in the day." I figured they should have been worth much more. I paid under 200.00 for the M2 and about 250.00 for the NRA.

I have purchased used M2 stock to upgrade stocks on my M2 rifles, they cost me $350-$400. I suspect that a stock for a .30-06 NRA Sporter would be significantly more, having no purchasing experience with them I cannot offer any advice as to cost.

Thanks gunswizard. Neither has ever been mounted to a rifle. The NRA sporter is notched for the mag cutoff, has cross bolts and is not relieved for a Lyman 48. The M2 is relieved for the 48 but has no cross bolts and is not notched for the mag cutoff. beyond that, the two stocks are identical.