Sanding the edges off a McMillan stock

[SS427]

I have an older McMillan benchrest stock and the edges of the 3 inch forend are so defined they hurt my hand while handling it, especially while putting it in and taking it out of the safe. I have a newer version of the same stock and the edges of it are much more rounded and easier to handle.

I want to sand off some of the edges and round it off, but it is a beautiful red/black stock and I don't want to screw up the appearance. How much could I sand off without risk of sanding through into a dull black layer of fiberglass?

And if I do sand it off, how would I get the fiberglass back to a shiny look? Steel wool? Or would I need to wet sand it?

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Wet sand it with a block. 600grit. The outer layer is between 1/8-1/4 thick. Look in the barrel channel to see for reference. You can sand the whole stock under running water with 800-1000 to get an even matte finish like factory. Even red scotch brite

 

[Cold Bore]

How much could I sand off without risk of sanding through into a dull black layer of fiberglass?

It's not that you'll sand into dull black fiberglass; you'll quickly be sanding through the outer shell and into the fill, ruining the structural integrity of the stock.

I would go *very* slowly, only making the smallest of changes.

I have a few McMillan BR stocks, and none have anything close to an edge sharp enough to hurt, so I'm having a hard time visualizing your issue. Regardless, heed the above advice and proceed very carefully. If you sand too much, you won't have to worry about the appearance. :-[

 

[JRS]

If the stock has the molded-in colors, it is gelcoat, and is 1-2 millimeters thick. It's extremely easy to cut through the finish on the edges, thereby exposing the glass.

 

[SS427]

The two stocks I have; one is an McMillan and the other is a Bruno/McMillan. The Bruno/McMillan has a more rounded shape to the edges of the forend and much more comfortable to handle. Hurt might not be the right word...uncomfortable is probably a better way to put it. But it is a noticeable difference.

Both are molded in color stocks, but I don't think they have a gel coat on them. Could be wrong but they just don't appear to have a gel coat based on the feed cutouts and the barrel channel. In looking at the barrel channel, I would say Dusty is correct with how deep the color of the stock goes.

I think I will leave well enough alone though. Better to suffer a little than to screw things up big time.