Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Shorten LOP on McM Gel Coat finish

I have seen at least two McM stocks that interest me but the LOP is 14" rather than the 13.5" that I need. Anything abnormal on cutting these down and adding a pad to my desired LOP?

TIA

Dave

On a glued on pad the way I do it is I start by cutting the rubber portion of the existing pad off with a razor blade. I then grind off the hard rubber backing carefully on the disc sander. Finish off by hand on a 12" round 80grit sanding disc glued to a flat surface and you are back to square 1.

MtnHtr

Would you be able to cut the stock to the required length ahead of the hard rubber backing and then grind off the stock that is still glued to the pad till you get to the hard rubber backing and then glue it back on? Thatway you wouldn't have to buy a new pad?

Just unscrew the pad, cut the stock, re-fit the pad...

If the pad was worth saving then yes.

MtnHtr

You guys can correct me if I am wrong. I think I remember McMillan saying to me if I do the pad the warranty is voided.
After hearing that I had them shorten it.

I've only done a couple McSwirley's but they were both screwed and glued to the stock. Also the hard rubber backing had a metal skeleton plate in it. I had to finally just cut the stock directly behind the pad...

Maybe it's not worth it, not that it can't be done but I'm not that hard up yet.
Thanks guys....

Dave

Shortening a stock by 1/2", and retaining the same thickness pad is a piece of cake. Just cut the stock to the correct length and install the new pad. Don't even worry about the old pad. Cut it off and throw it away.

I've never seen a McMillan come from them with a screwed on pad. All I've seen have been epoxied on.

The only thing you need to be careful of with the swirly finish is to use a really sharp saw and go slow. If the finish chips, it is difficult to make look right again.

To help minimize any chipping, tape the stock where the cut is to be made and cut thru the tape.

MM

Dave, The other really good option is to send me the info on those obnoxiously long stocks. I'd really hate to have a friend running around with butchered stocks that will never be completely satisfactory Ward

If it had a one inch pad I'd just do what I must to get the original off and put on a half inch decelerator which still does a admirable job of softening recoil. We are so spoiled by today�s pads that I have to laugh looking at older rifles with plastic and steel butt pads.

That works well on wood, less well on the gelcoat finishes. Especially where they have been filled at the factory, the finish can be really "chippy".

clear five-minute epoxy on chipped gel-coat and a quick sanding and you will never know it happened

Never had luck with the 5 minute epoxy. It either stays too soft, or gets too cloudy.

There is some good stuff that I use, but it takes some time and patience to get it dyed exactly right to match.

None of the 5 minute stuff ever seems to really harden satisfactorily....you just have to use something good and give it plenty of time to fully cure before sanding.

MM