Tactical/Target Rifle w/WOOD

[Infrequent Shooter]

After 10-12 years of shooting aluminum chassis and stocks made with some sort of composite, I felt it was time to get back to wood.

Maintaining the form, fit, function of more modern stocks was important, but I wanted to gain the warmth, feel and beauty of wood.

I looked around and didn't see what I wanted, so I decided to make it myself.

The Process:
- Source curly maple blank
- Carve (rough pass) with router
- Contour and smooth (fine pass) with router
- Cut the inletting (action, bottom metal & barrel channel)

- Sand... there was a lot of sanding!

- Fit recoil pad with belt sander
- Add picatinney rail for bipod (drill and counter sink t-nuts)
- Drop in pillars (checking action/bm fit, alignment & feeding from magazine)
- Epoxy bed action & bottom metal

- Apply tung oil finish (2 coats cut 1:1 with mineral spirits for deeper penetration, 4 full coats)

- Protect with final coat of beeswax


The Results:

I have several more blanks on hand, now what to do with them?...

This intimidating piece of maple might become home to a Zermatt Rim X, but need to find an action first.
View attachment 1586048

I am sucker for wood.

 

[JBT47]

After 10-12 years of shooting aluminum chassis and stocks made with some sort of composite, I felt it was time to get back to wood.

Maintaining the form, fit, function of more modern stocks was important, but I wanted to gain the warmth, feel and beauty of wood.

I looked around and didn't see what I wanted, so I decided to make it myself.

The Process:
- Source curly maple blank
- Carve (rough pass) with router
- Contour and smooth (fine pass) with router
- Cut the inletting (action, bottom metal & barrel channel)

- Sand... there was a lot of sanding!

- Fit recoil pad with belt sander
- Add picatinney rail for bipod (drill and counter sink t-nuts)
- Drop in pillars (checking action/bm fit, alignment & feeding from magazine)
- Epoxy bed action & bottom metal

- Apply tung oil finish (2 coats cut 1:1 with mineral spirits for deeper penetration, 4 full coats)

The Results:

I have several more blanks on hand, now what to do with them?...

This intimidating piece of maple might become home to a Zermatt Rim X, but need to find an action first.
View attachment 1586048

Very nice! I wish I could do such work. You are a helluva stock maker. I’d buy stocks from you. Love wood.

 

[AMG04]

Updated with round 2

 

[ebb]

NICE

 

[RabbitSlayer]

Holy smokes the stocks in this topic are incredible! People still want the warmth and class of wood, look at woox. I still love walnut and blue, but the modern designs sure are more comfortable. I am also a bit tired of pillar and glassing stocks. It was was once a fun project, but now its mostly a PIA. Sure nice to open the chassis box and be done with it, but my poor frozen hands on a cold late season hunt!

 

[AMG04]

ROUND 2 - Compact, Lightweight Hunting Rifle

Origin SA, Competition Bolt with TT Diamond.
PVA, 16" Proof CF 308 Win
Hawkins DBM
Pillar & Epoxy bedded
6lb 6oz as pictured




First five shots through this one... two sighters at top left corner, followed by a three shot group on the bottom left.

 

[AMG04]

ROUND 3 - One for the Lefties

 

[ChristianSilver]

Very nice work..

 

[USMCsilver]

Brown, copper, orange, vintage amber dyes on this 1View attachment 1586347

I usually hate wood on most guns, but that, sir, is one sexy MOFO!

 

[Infrequent Shooter]

ROUND 1 - Target / Bench Rifle

After 10-12 years of shooting aluminum chassis and stocks made with some sort of composite, I felt it was time to get back to wood.

Maintaining the form, fit, function of more modern stocks was important, but I wanted to gain the warmth, feel and beauty of wood.

I looked around and didn't see what I wanted, so I decided to make it myself.

The Process:
- Source curly maple blank
- Carve (rough pass) with router
- Contour and smooth (fine pass) with router
- Cut the inletting (action, bottom metal & barrel channel)

- Sand... there was a lot of sanding!

- Fit recoil pad with belt sander
- Add picatinney rail for bipod (drill and counter sink t-nuts)
- Drop in pillars (checking action/bm fit, alignment & feeding from magazine)
- Epoxy bed action & bottom metal

- Apply tung oil finish (2 coats cut 1:1 with mineral spirits for deeper penetration, 4 full coats)

The Results:

would you be kind enough to take some stills of process, so I can get my arms around how your stock duplication rig works? great result you have.

 

[old_heli_logger]

I'm just going to put this right here and walk away...

 

[AMG04]

You know you don't get to walk away after dropping pictures like that!

Where did you find it, and what do you plan on doing with it?

It doesn't look long enough for a traditional muzzle loader, unless it's a Hawken.

Sporter, Mannlicher... WE want to know!

 

[joshb]

You know you don't get to walk away after dropping pictures like that!

Where did you find it, and what do you plan on doing with it?

It doesn't look long enough for a traditional muzzle loader, unless it's a Hawken.

Sporter, Mannlicher... WE want to know!

He sells it…….some of the prettiest wood you’ve ever seen.
Go ahead ….send him a PM and ask for some pics of what else he has. It will make your head explode.

 

[old_heli_logger]

You know you don't get to walk away after dropping pictures like that!

Where did you find it, and what do you plan on doing with it?

It doesn't look long enough for a traditional muzzle loader, unless it's a Hawken.

Sporter, Mannlicher... WE want to know!

I got wood! Muzzleloader fiddle-back blank? I think I have two reeeeeally long ones; I'll dig them out and post a picture a little later

 

[old_heli_logger]

Here's a fiddle-back maple muzzleloader blank

 

[old_heli_logger]

Holy moley, sorry for the highjack

 

[AMG04]

You'll have to excuse the saw marks, I didn't bother sanding them out just to test some color combos on scrap wood.

Coffee Brown, Copper (Med Brown / Red), Vintage Maple

This one really "dances" in the light.

Black, followed by thinner coats of black. Reminds me of the salt and pepper laminate stocks and would look good against black or stainless barreled actions.

 

[Fast14riot]

Try black, sand it back, then go for your coffee and finish with yellow.

 

[AMG04]

Try black, sand it back, then go for your coffee and finish with yellow.

I'll give that a shot this evening. I have a few more scraps.

 

[Bc'z]

You'll have to excuse the saw marks, I didn't bother sanding them out just to test some color combos on scrap wood.

Coffee Brown, Copper (Med Brown / Red), Vintage Maple

This one really "dances" in the light.

Black, followed by thinner coats of black. Reminds me of the salt and pepper laminate stocks and would look good against black or stainless barreled actions.

Mix a batch 70% black with 30% medium brown 1st coat, 2nd coat reverse color ratios. 70% brown 30% black
Here's a couple test panels I'm working on for a customer.
Trying different application techniques and not sanding between colors using straight dye undiluted.
Red orange vintage amber to natural fade, copper burned in on bottom with a kiss of brown n black lower edge
same colors used only i completely covered in red and sanded back leaving the red in the soft grain.
Faded up versus lengthwise