Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots Ruger 3 Stock change

Interesting, I was wondering about that as I wrote the question.

Thanks for the response.

AJD

Your a good man AJD and a great contributor here on the "Fire".


DMc

PS: Don't sand off the checkering if you intend to re-checker. I've talked to a couple of Checkerer's (SP) that say they can use the existing checkering to create a new look.

It's a 223 that someone had the front sight boss turned off and reblued.
I really like how it turned out. Thanks again DMc.

DMc, Thanks for the kind words.

A question to both of you:

After reconfiguring the stock, would you do it again or take the lever cut, weld, and blue?

Which do you think is "easier"?

I'm thinking I'll put a stainless barrel on mine and have it coated and could do the lever at the same time. Make sense?

Thanks,
AJD

Update: I'm being told by the GS of one of the major barrel manufacturers/rebarrelers that the lever on the #3 is cast and can't be welded. Said he doesn't think it will work.

I know I've previously seen photo's of them done that way.

AJD,

If you carefully take the pistol grip off of a #1 stock the lever will be just fine without further attention. I wouldn't weld at all, and additionally the chances of a mistake or finished bubba look increase 10 fold.


DMc

I agree. Leave the lever alone unless you're going to use an unaltered No. 1 stock.
And it's a lot easier to get back to factory original specs if you ever want to in the future.

Good advice, thanks Guys!

A while back I picked up a spare lever in anticipation of it becoming bubbiazed.

You never know how something like that will turn out, and then it's too late.

Don't forget to show us a pic!!!


DMc

Hi Folks..I been away for a few days..Just wanted to say thank you for all the info.
Art

These are all good and very feasible suggestions, and some good work by the posters. I have yet another possibility that you might possibly be interested in. I had a #3 in .45/70, and took the butt stock off, cut the butt for a black recoil pad, and sanded to fit the stock. This left a gap at the top where that silly plastic "carbine" type butt plate had curved over the top and been screwed in from the top. This gap was filled with some epoxy mixed with very fine walnut sawdust, and dyed black with black leather dye. I made sure it was built up above the level of the wood, and filed/sanded it back down. This was actually a pretty attractive measure with the stock, and gave it a bit of flair that it otherwise wouldn't have had. At least it caught my eye in a nice manner. I then sanded the grip are to a smaller and nicer feeling diameter and contour, and continued those contours back to the toe of the stock. I also moved the comb back about 1/2-3/4", which also made it feel better and made it a tad faster in handling.

Next I turned to the forend, and sawed it off where the diameter is cut down for the barrel band, and slimmmed it down considerably, until it looked like I thought it should. This of course eliminated the barrel band, too.

Then I simply cut off the barrel just behind the front sight, squared and recrowned it, and glass bedded the forend like I thought it ought to be done, both to the hanger and the receiver.

Voila! One righteous looking little carbine in a very nice caliber, and it also shot like a house afire - very close to MOA with JHP 300 grainers.

I let a friend talk me out of it, unfortunately, and it was stolen when he moved to Chicago. If you ever see one matching this description, get the numbers and run them through the local PD. There probably aren't many like that one around, though it's certain others have done similarly. One asset of keeping the straight grip, or straightening out the #1 wood, is the #3's lever. Some will likely not need to rebend it if #1 wood is installed, but it's very likely that those of us with larger fingers WILL need to have it rebent so they can get their big ol' piggies inside the curl, and NOT have it continually hurt their middle finger, just behind the curved #3 lever.

One more tidbit to consider: A buddy had his 1895 Browning single shot's lever modified by Lee Shaver, and it REALLY makes that rifle look significantly better, and is also a bit easier to use and not have recoil from heavy loads impinge on your middle finger behind the lever. This is an absolutely beautiful mod, and exquisitely done by Shaver, and it's not all that expensive, either, so you may want to consider having it cut and rewelded to a Schuetzen contour. Very nice touch that always brings comments wherever my buddy shows his gun off. Not one uncomplimentary comment has been heard since he did it. Just a FWIW, for your consideration.

Here is my #3 used-to-be 44 magnum reamed to 444 Marlin with #1 wood. As you can see it has a "B" fore end. I figured out how to shoot it well without converting the butt stock to straight stock configuration. The scope ring bases are target blocks. As you can see, the rings are equal height.




Dave