Fitting an over-sized butt pad
mohawk600
Member Posts: 5,376 ✭✭✭✭
Recently picked up a Spanish Mauser conversion......it's been sporterized, re-chambered, re-barreled to .308, action bedded and barrel floated in a synthetic stock. Flash hider on the barrel and a cheap red-dot on it. It's basically a scout "type" rifle. The work is well done and I got it at a great price. Only complaint is that over the metal butt-plate is a rubber recoil pad that is about 1/2" to long at the bottom.
How do you gents recommend that I shorten it and contour it so that it blends in? I don't have a belt sander. Do you think it would be possible to use a Dremel with a sanding wheel? I just quickly looked up a Youtube method where the guy put it in a freezer to harden it and then used a belt sander with soft sanding blocks to finish it.
Just asking what has worked for you.
Comments
i use a belt sander after marking outlines and angles
Thanks for the under-whelming response fellas.............now I know exactly where to go to for advice. ............guess I am not a valuable part of the clique here.
go to harbor freight and get you a one inch belt sander. it will do this job and about a million others. try and follow the contour and angle of the stock. lots of good {other place} videos on hot to fit the pad.
Chill out Mohawk, this isn't the most frequently visited category here on gb, so it may take a bit longer than a few hours to get an answer. In all honesty, if I didn't have the privilege of getting a colonoscopy today, I would have tried to help you out earlier.
So, you say that it is over the metal butt plate, is it a slip on, or screwed on pad? If it's a screwed on pad, does it use the same holes as the metal one? Since it is larger than the stock/plate, you will need to mark it and see if the material that you need to remove will go past the padding, and into the plastic support material. It seems that most butt pads that are correctly fitted are close to the same dimensions as the stock are to begin with, so they don't get into the support part, and only grind off the exterior rubber so it doesn't expose the plastic support grid. It can be a fine line on some stock/pad combo's.
As for using a bench sander, and doing the pad off of the stock, it should be fairly easy, as long as you don't have a bunch to remove, but the hardest part will be getting the bottom slope of the pad to match the stock w/o it being on the gun.
Another option is to measure the height and width of the stock, and look at Limbsaver, or another company who makes a pad that might be close enough.
Noted............thank you for the reminder. It is a screw on......there is a standard military type metal on the synthetic stock an over sized screw on rubber recoil pad has been attached. It is well done it's just a 1/2 inch too long at the bottom (toe) of the stock. The heel and lateral dimensions look good. It is a screw on rubber pad with a hard plastic mounting plate "spacer" and does appear to use the original holes.
I think I need to mark the slope of the stock at the bottom and mark or scribe the contour of the stock and then remove material.
I have not looked at you-tube.
What I do for a nice fit of recoil pads and adding white line spacers.
I install the oversized recoil pad onto the stock, stock is removed from the gun.
You will need a stationery belt sander to get a good fit and a 100-150 grit belt. (maybe even 80 grit at the start. If the belt is too fine the pad will melt instead of grind
I have rigged small belt sanders stationery using a plywood mounting surface until I got a stationery sander. The sander needs to be mounted about 4 ft high so as you can see good when the pad and stock is on the belt.
add about 3 or 4 layers of masking tape to the stock where the pad meets. Carefully sand until you see the first outer layer of masking tape getting touched. Remove that layer and sand until the second layer is touched. Then use a hand sanding block for the final fit w/o sanding the stock. When you are touching the last layer of tape it's time to stop sanding. You can even use a flat file for the final using the one layer of tape to protect the stock.
At the toe I keep the Pad's angle the same as the stocks angle. Them pads that are blunted or squared off and not following the same angle as the stock do not appeal to me. Some factory recoils pads are such and look like they were cut off with a axe.
If the pad is 1/4 inch or more larger than the stock you can start the sanding without the pad attached to the stock but when down to about 1/8 inch place the pad onto the stock for finals. You cannot get a good final fit doing all the sanding with the pad off the stock.
To add white line plastic spacers do the same. Do not get the pad hot or it will get gummy.
You need a good sober eye and patience to get a good job.
Good luck to ya.
There are a number of videos on Youtube regarding the installation of recoil pads - great way to pick up lots of useful info in a hurry. Highly recommended.
Thanks...........I also want to follow the angle of the toe on the original stock and not "block" it off. I will update with the results once I have time and figure out the way I will go.
I've done MANY. I leave it on the stock and then tape (duct tape) the end of the stock. I use a belt sander and VERY carefully get it done.
An angle grinder with a medium coarse disc works best.