Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Mauser build for my son

My plan to use the steel grip cap wouldn't work, the cap was too large. Here you can see how much.



I made a rough shape out of thin plywood to keep from rounding the end off while shaping the grip. You can see it is smaller and differetnly shaped from the steel cap.




I don't know why it came out that way, probably my own fault. I started shaping the grip to what I wanted and what looked 'right' to me as I went. I likely could have made it fit.....but it might not have looked 'right' if I did. Anyway I cut a piece of Blackwood and shaped it to match my rough pattern. While I had the all thread in the wrist being epoxied it, I added the grip cap. Only way I could figure out to clamp it to the stock was using blue painters tape. I didn't take a pic of that masterpiece of work in progress, so just picture blue masking tape crudely wrapped around the grip...there you go.

After the epoxy set up I did some shaping. I still have a bit more to go, its still a bit to thick to me. With steel cap for comparison:






That's where it sets right now. A couple of times I went to work on it again and realized I was frustrated and decided to just wait. Biggest issue I'm having right now is the bottom metal. I want a hinged bottom. I was planning on the old Obendorf style lever under the bottom plate. Then I decided to buy a hinged unit already done from Sarco. I got it and I've decided not to use it. It doesn't fit the inletting of the military metal. In addition, the inletting from Richards was a little generous in the front to back length of the magazine box area. I have some filling to do.

So, I'm trying to get my mind right to make my own hinged bottom piece and lever, and fix the inletting. I am currently waiting on a recoil pad and to figure final length of pull so I can get the sanding done.