hey guys,

i posted my question on the wrong forum. i meant to put on this forum instead of the custom rifle forum. anyway here is my problem. i ordered a target thumbhole laminate stock for my browning .22-250. after about 13 weeks i recieved the stock. i started by fitting the action into the stock, that worked out great. then i opened up th barrel channel for my heavier barrel. no problems. did get it a little bigger than i wanted but not going to cry over that. anyway i go to fit my trigger guard and floorplate in the bottom of the stock. opened it up to accept the pieces and therre is now a little over 1/2 gap between action and magazine. the gap is probably closer to 3/4 of an inch. i have no idea about what to do. this stock cost me about 200.00 and i can't just throw it away. that statement on their website of 96% inletteing is a bunch of b.s. also. i know that i have sanded on the rifle but what can i do about the gap. i have been going over this all last night and still this morning. i got nothing. i thought about cutting down the back of the stock but that seems like a lot more trouble than i need to get into. anyway what should i do? please help!!!!!blake

I am having a tough time following your problem as written. Where is the gap and from what direction do you see it?

There is nothing that cannot be fixed on a laminate stock... though it might not ultimately be worth it... I think you will be able to salvage it...
art

sitka deer,



the gap is between the magazine and the bolt. this is a browning varmint stalker .22-250. the brownings have a hinged floorpalte and detachable mag. then the trigger guard is a seperate piece, with a push type plunger to hold the hinged floor plate. now when the floor plate is on the stock it is not flush in the wood the floor piece rests on the forearm while the magazine goes up to the bolt body. the gap is in between the bolt body and the detachable magazine. i talked to a person at their shop and he said it is supposed to be that way. but if i cut that 1/2 inch off the bottom of the stock around the trigger gaurd, i won't have any wood left to mount the trigger gaurd to. i wish that i could explain this better but i can't. any way sitka if this doesn't make any sense i will try and post some pictures of it tonight. thanks for any help you can give me blake.........

It sounds to me like your stock is too deep through the action area. If you have a caliper for reloading take a measurement on your old stock from the top of the bedding to the bottom of the fron screw hole. If that measurement is shorter than your new stock you may have a bit of reshaping to do on that stock.

I've never re-stocked a Browning precisely because of this reason, the fit of that magazine has to be pretty darn close in order for that thing to feed.

painless
I agree with CAS, but think you might not have any problem at all. Checking it as CAS suggested will tell the truth of the matter...

I also do not enjoy working on A-bolt stocks...
art

i have to admit this thing is driving me crazy. i measured the stock last night as cas suggested and it is going to be close. what tool can i use that will remove the wood around the floorplate that will keep everything straight. i guess some type of scraper would work. Sika you are right though as i was working on the stock last night i realized that it is very hard to mess up a laminate stock. i have not removed that much wood so far so i will keep on taking things very slowly. thanks guys you are great........blake

Painless
The very worst part about using semi-inlet stock blanks is the fact you get tossed into the deep end of the pool immediately without opportunity to develop any relationship with the wood. I realize that sounds a bit New Age, but what I mean is that after working through the early, very non-critical steps in the inletting process you know how the wood cuts and which areas are going to be more difficult.

With the inletted stuff you are at the critical point the first time you take tool in hand. I like to slip a piece of carbon paper between the action and the stock. High points will show black and tell you what needs to be removed. Go slowly and you will be all right.
art

Blake - when they say 96% finished, I've always believed (after my first semi-inlet, and several from blanks) that that figure refers only to the amount of wood removed. Half the actual work is yet to be done, and way over that for time. (They rip these things out on machines in a matter of minutes.)

It's no different between sources, either, so don't feel they ripped you off with that term. It's a standard.

One of the instuctors at CST used to say "Why should I buy an semi-inlet stock? I'm perfectly capable of making my own gaps!" If it was me I guess I would buy some liquid craftsmanship from Brownells. You can always inlay another piece of wood to close the gap but it would be pretty tough to match the rest of the stock! (Unless you painted the whole stock)
GWN

Please realize that is is hard to fix things over the phone but if I understand your problem and the gap is between the bottom of the action and the magazine then you have not gone deep enough with the barreled action. I realize you are limited because the stock is already contoured but you may have to go deeper and that will play heck with the inletting you thought was completed. Make a scraper yourself by grinding down an old power hacksaw blade. Go slow there is no hurry. Check it often. Good Luck!

thanks for the reply. i have been going slow and things are looking up. i have almost made up my mind to try a differnt rifle in the stock and use a mcmillan for this rifle. i have another heavy barrel rifle that i am thinking of putting in this stock. the inletting is almost the same just have to deepen the barrel channel. thanks for all the help guys will post pics when i am done and figure out the digital camera.......blake

Don't think I am following this correctly. First there is a gap, which sounds like something needs filling, Now you are cutting deeper? By gap do you mean it is not fitted there yet? An easy source or wood on a project like this is the end of the stock if you haven't install a recoil pad yet. Keep the block you cut off for the pad. It can be shaped to hide little mistakes.Rick.

long story, i got a little worried about a gap that i saw between the bottom of the action and the top of the detachable magazine. there was enough wood i was just not very comfortable shaving about 1/2 inch of wood off of the stock. i have taken the wood down to where the gap is almost gone. then i put the hinged floorplate in and it is canted. the floorplate is off center by about 1/8th of an inch so i am trying to get it aligned correctly. after that maybe it will be smooth sailing. i hope so i am a nervous wreck everytime i take out my hand plane. anyway i will keep you guys posted on the progress.......blake

Hand plane???? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> Whatever happened to chisels and lampblack?

you older (read more experienced) gentlemen can keep the chisels and lampblack. i got my dremel, handplane, inletting black and all the other useless stuff that i am still trying to figure out how to use.......blake

Once you have a chance to figure out how worthless that dremel is, you'll see the wisdom of a very sharp chisel gouge, a few scrapers and patience.
However, I do use a couple or three hand planes when shaping a stock. My favorites are a 9" smoothing plane and a Stanley low angle block plane. If they are razor sharp, they will remove wood pretty quickly (sometimes too quickly) and leave a smooth, flat surface.

One trick you may need to try before you declare your project finished- Assemble the bottom metal to the action outside the stock and note the relationship and angle of the bottom metal to the action. Most of the time, this is an angle toward the foreend. You will need to maintain that angle for the proper fit and feeding of the magazine. - Sheister

the only thing that i used the dremel for was rounding out the barrel channel. as for using it on anything else you are right it is worthless.......blake

A sharp, quality rasp, as large as you can push, will beat a handplane any day, with better control, zero chipping and less concavities to deal with after. The rasp will not tear out wild grain as a plane will.

A handplane is an incredible tool in the right hands and the right place. A stock is not the right place. Though a number of styles of scraper plane could prove useful in the barrel channel.
art

One of the best roughing tools I have is a horse shoeing rasp. The better quality ones are thinner, and handle well

Bright red lipstick works better than lampblack , is easier to put on.

Saddlesore
I have quite a few good rasps, but would not know a farrier's rasp if it bit me... got an idea where to go to look at one... web or a catalog?

I found some Italian made rasps in several sizes that are incredible, but they are extremely aggressive and I am thinking a quality rasp with straight sides would be real useful between them and the coarser files.

I've tried the lipstick and the marking blue and I like the traditional soot, cannot really put a finger on why...
art

Art. Most tack stores carry the rasp. Nicholson is a good brand. Diamond isn't quite as good. Good ones will run $20-$30. Countrysupply.com has some.

I picked up a dozen at an auction for $6.

Not exceptionally good ones, but now I have then stuck all over, wherever I might need one. You can pretty much tell the quality by just handling them.
The good ones are thin and balanced, and sharp , the poor ones are thick and don't feel right. The good ones, you don't want to drop on a cement floor. They break sometimes if hit just right.

Sitka Deer, What do you recommend that will produce the best soot? Is it easier to put on the Inletting black? It seems that it would be. Do you also use it for metal working?

P.S. Don't worry about me arguing <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> this is something I really don't know about I've always used inletting black......DJ

A hoof knife is also useful for removing wood in a hole or channel. They come in right and left hand models. miles