Custom rifle stock, decision time

[Bos Javanicus]

You will need to use the denser/harder of the two blanks as the .404. If both blanks are soft then it would probably not be a good idea to make a hard recoiling rifle stock on a soft piece of wood. But it's your choice of course. If they are both hard and dense then it is going to come down to grain flow. If you are going to send it to a competent stock maker he will tell you which blank for which rifle. And it won't be based on which one is prettiest.

 

[Dr Ray]

You will need to use the denser/harder of the two blanks as the .404. If both blanks are soft then it would probably not be a good idea to make a hard recoiling rifle stock on a soft piece of wood. But it's your choice of course. If they are both hard and dense then it is going to come down to grain flow. If you are going to send it to a competent stock maker he will tell you which blank for which rifle. And it won't be based on which one is prettiest.

Good point. I’ve seen hard recoiling rifles put microscopic cracks in stocks.

 

[cmk]

Thanks for the feedback. The decision has been made, and the work has commenced. The 404 got the lighter-coloured blank. Density wise both are equal according to the stock-maker. Both pieces were selected from his pile of blanks. Given that there is a bit of wiggle-room - a very good grain flow is achieved. If you look closely, there are some new lines (in red) outlining the initial cuts.

With a little bit of luck it'll be ready for the moose hunt in October.

 

[BRICKBURN]

I hope it works out and is ready for your Moose hunt.
Show us the results when the stalk maker gets it done.

 

[cmk]

Thanks. Will do!

 

[cmk]

Got this from the stockmaker today. Looking good so far. Soon time for checkering.

 

[WAB]

Very nice!

 

[cmk]

Very nice!

Thanks. Looks promising to me. There are a few knots, but they are not in any critical area, and the stockmaker said they will be filled, and come out nicely. These pics are from a few weeks ago.

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

Beautiful.

 

[Dr Ray]

Thanks. Looks promising to me. There are a few knots, but they are not in any critical area, and the stockmaker said they will be filled, and come out nicely. These pics are from a few weeks ago.
View attachment 307348 View attachment 307349

Very nice indeed!

 

[cmk]

And now it is finished (almost). Moose season starts on Monday. The stockmaker will continue the oil finishing sometime during the winter, and also jewel the bolt and maybe fix a better sling swivel. I'll probably replace the Leupold QR mounts with something better/better looking.

It looks a bit 'barrel-heavy' in the first pic, but that is due to the camera angle. The second picture is better in that respect.

 

[Shootist43]

A beautiful rifle, are you going to put a scope on it or just use irons? Did you mention what Action you used for the left handed 404 Jeffery?

 

[cmk]

Oh dear - the JPG leprechauns have been at it again. Anyway it should be obvious which of the pics has an odd camera angle.

@Shootist43 - it is a Sako AV action from the mid-80's. Us lefties don't have a lot of choice. I actually started this in in different thread, dating back a year and a half;

https://www.africahunting.com/threads/404-jeffery-lh-build-on-a-budget.41568/

Have a swaro 1.5-6x42 to put on it.

 

[Rick Hill]

Apologies for the late post. For a heavy recoiling rifle, stock fit should have been a major consideration after wood selection. If the top half of your rifle butt is touching air even your 30-06 is going to hurt. Pressure is force over area; I had an old Spanish double that didn't fit well and left me bruised. I wonder if changing scope ring height could help if your butt position if your butt plate doesn't make complete shoulder pocket contact. Have a friend take a picture of you with the gun mounted and a site picture obtained.

 

[cmk]

@Rick Hill : Sure, the fit of the stock is very important to felt recoil, and this one fits quite well. Another thing that helps of course is weight. I haven't actually weighed the new stock, but I believe that it is a bit heavier, even though it is shorter, has a smaller cheek whatchamacallit.. and the grip is thinner as well. Simply denser wood. LOP is about 1/2 inch shorter than the original stock, which allows for a more forward-facing shooting position. It is thereby easier to 'get behind' the rifle, rather than having an archer-like side-on position which places the butt further out (to the left in my case). This should help as well.

Was actually at the range sighting in this evening, and 4 shots from the bench were no problem at all, as long as you sit up as straight as possible. I normally don't find that so enjoyable with my heavier calibres.

 

[Rick Hill]

OW. Shooting from a bench rest. Tried that once, now I have a shooting stick made from a carbon fiber camera monopod. Check the tactical guys - some one makes a rest that clips on. I hang on to the rifle and let the stick fall or you could use a carbon fiber or other material tripod. You could probably use a lot of lightweight materials like pressure rated plastic pipe and top it off with a notched piece of wood covered in a carpet scrap (a winter project) for cheap. Be careful getting behind your scope. Swarovski makes a wonderful extended eye relief scope EE 1-6X that I mount so I only get a full field view when it is tight into my shoulder as a safety precaution.

 

[cmk]

OW. Shooting from a bench rest. Tried that once, now I have a shooting stick made from a carbon fiber camera monopod. Check the tactical guys - some one makes a rest that clips on. I hang on to the rifle and let the stick fall or you could use a carbon fiber or other material tripod. You could probably use a lot of lightweight materials like pressure rated plastic pipe and top it off with a notched piece of wood covered in a carpet scrap (a winter project) for cheap. Be careful getting behind your scope. Swarovski makes a wonderful extended eye relief scope EE 1-6X that I mount so I only get a full field view when it is tight into my shoulder as a safety precaution.

Actually made a tripod a few years ago. This is version 1.0 . Just regular 1-inch round spruce. Connected the pieces with threaded rod, and put brass end caps on. Sanded down the caps to match the radius of the wood. Dyed and oiled for looks.

When I find the time, I might make a better one with some type of padding. Maybe better wood quality too.

Edit: for some reason, the picture is turned sideways