Weighing down a hunting rifle stock.

As an alternative to the tinfoil, I would suggest taking a plastic bag - like a bread wrapper- and blow that into the stock first. Then add weight, then spray as you wish. That should make it removable if you wish. That's my plan for my light-weight guns this summer. Just make sure the spray foam won't 'melt' the plastic, may have to experiment with several bags.
Even simpler and cheaper (shot's not free) and 'cleaner' - use a bag and fill with sand. Should be able to get 2# or so in.

I tried the bag idea already. The bags I tried were your run of the mill bags from a grocery store. They bundle up to much and wont work.But maybe a bread bag might as its not as wide and has more length to it. Some kind of funnel shaped bag would probably be ideal.
 
Our hunting where I am at doesnt involve amplifying the sound of game. We dont use very many stands,most of it is if you see a animal you best start running and trying to get a shot. This is prairie hunting where animals can see you from a long ways away, not sneaking through the bush.At 55 Y.O and hunting since I was 14 and my hearing is good means that I have valued my hearing. But Thanks for your concern

Spot and stalk is where amplifying sound of the game is more helpful, in a tree stand you see movement long before hearing is of any use.

Not using hearing protection while firing a rifle with or without a muzzle brake while hunting is going to damage your hearing
 
Spot and stalk is where amplifying sound of the game is more helpful, in a tree stand you see movement long before hearing is of any use.

Not using hearing protection while firing a rifle with or without a muzzle brake while hunting is going to damage your hearing

An while I spot a deer 500 yards away running ,once again how is this going to help? Are you going to tell me you hear the sound of hooves running through a bunch of silver willows when 30 seconds before that I said ...deer!! Once again,Thank You for your concern about my hearing. But if you want to hijack a thread and talk about hearing protection maybe start your own. At 55 years old, I am old enough to make my own decisions and dont need some one preaching to me on the net. This is a thread about weighing down a stock and not about what you should wear while hunting.
 
As an alternative to the tinfoil, I would suggest taking a plastic bag - like a bread wrapper- and blow that into the stock first. Then add weight, then spray as you wish. That should make it removable if you wish. That's my plan for my light-weight guns this summer. Just make sure the spray foam won't 'melt' the plastic, may have to experiment with several bags.
Even simpler and cheaper (shot's not free) and 'cleaner' - use a bag and fill with sand. Should be able to get 2# or so in.

Gonna weigh a cup of sand today at work. Maybe mix it with some kind of epoxy might be a idea. Another idea since I have 350 pounds of roofing lead here>>>>make up a mold from spray foam,cut vertically,add sheet of roofing lead to cut surface,epoxy on , cut a thin spacer of foam,glue to lead...repeat..basically making a layered weight that can then be glued in. Just a idea to plat with!
 
I have never tried to add weight to a stock - do you have an actual number that you want to add, or just until it "feels right"? My only similar experience was my one and only attempt to stiffen a floppy plastic stock - I laid in hollow carbon fibre arrow shafts to the forearm and anchored with epoxy. Sort of worked, but not really - the stock had a lot of "hinge action" through the magazine area, so really needed something along the magazine up into the fore end to "stiffen" it. Was just not enough room in there for an arrow shaft. Might be an issue for you, but I do not know - adding weight to the forearm and to the butt stock will definitely help to soak up recoil, I think, but any weight up front might be stressing the magazine area??? I have a pre-64 Win M70 and a Rem 30 - both in 30-06 - they have apparatus that ties the forearm to the barrel - do not commonly see that - so in most rifles, the barrel might want to rise and leave the weighted fore arm behind???

Your project is more than idle curiosity for me - I have a Zastava 458 Win Mag that weighs 8 pounds 3 ounces - unloaded, without scope - I have never fired it with factory loads - some experienced acquaintances tell me that I would be nuts to try running full house loads through a rifle that light - seems that 10 or 11 pounds plus would be more appropriate. A Win 70 in 375 H&H had a barrel mounted secondary recoil lug - this Zastava does not, so there is that to address as well. So, have been toying with doing all together - a barrel mounted recoil lug, bedded into the forearm, weight added and a screw through the forearm up into that recoil lug...
 
Last edited:
I added a 1 lb. Mercury recoil reducer cylinder to my Cz 416 rigby. I can now shoot it comfortable off the bench. I will have to get used to the extra lb. for carrying it in the field.
 
An while I spot a deer 500 yards away running ,once again how is this going to help? Are you going to tell me you hear the sound of hooves running through a bunch of silver willows when 30 seconds before that I said ...deer!! Once again,Thank You for your concern about my hearing. But if you want to hijack a thread and talk about hearing protection maybe start your own. At 55 years old, I am old enough to make my own decisions and dont need some one preaching to me on the net. This is a thread about weighing down a stock and not about what you should wear while hunting.

I didn't hijack anything. I replied to a comment about the value of not damaging ones hearing but in the same breath that same hunter does not use any form of hearing protection when firing the same rifle without a muzzle brake and damaging their hearing in the process.

Sorry,but there is no way I am adding a sissy whistle to any rifle I own. My hearing is worth way more then reduced recoil while out hunting.
 
I have never tried to add weight to a stock - do you have an actual number that you want to add, or just until it "feels right"? My only similar experience was my one and only attempt to stiffen a floppy plastic stock - I laid in hollow carbon fibre arrow shafts to the forearm and anchored with epoxy. Sort of worked, but not really - the stock had a lot of "hinge action" through the magazine area, so really needed something along the magazine up into the fore end to "stiffen" it. Was just not enough room in there for an arrow shaft. Might be an issue for you, but I do not know - adding weight to the forearm and to the butt stock will definitely help to soak up recoil, I think, but any weight up front might be stressing the magazine area??? I have a pre-64 Win M70 and a Rem 30 - both in 30-06 - they have apparatus that ties the forearm to the barrel - do not commonly see that - so in most rifles, the barrel might want to rise and leave the weighted fore arm behind???

Your project is more than idle curiosity for me - I have a Zastava 458 Win Mag that weighs 8 pounds 3 ounces - unloaded, without scope - I have never fired it with factory loads - some experienced acquaintances tell me that I would be nuts to try running full house loads through a rifle that light - seems that 10 or 11 pounds plus would be more appropriate. A Win 70 in 375 H&H had a barrel mounted secondary recoil lug - this Zastava does not, so there is that to address as well. So, have been toying with doing all together - a barrel mounted recoil lug, bedded into the forearm, weight added and a screw through the forearm up into that recoil lug...

I have the same rifle as you, and it weighs 2 oz more (or the same, scales differ). Anyways, with 3 below, and one of those 10 round ammo carriers that goes on the butt, you'll add almost 1.25 lbs and the balance doesn't seem wonky. It seems to make a slight difference for recoil, but it could be in my head, who knows. If I were to add more weight, I'd put some in the front as well. I checked my books, and I've run 70 grains Varget with a 500 grain bullet before. This is not quite factory ammo steam, and my notes indicate WOW!! Recoil!!!

And for icehunter, I'd suggest trying various temporary weights to see how it handles. Too much weight in the back might make for a wandering sight picture from being too light in the front.
 
Saskgunowner - weight difference - seems to be pretty close. On this one I had removed the Zastava trigger and safety assembly - installed a standard military two stage trigger and sear, but then also installed either a Gentry or Dakota horizontal swing safety on the bolt (forget which - a 9.3x62 FN Mauser got the other one) - never did weigh stuff as I was doing that, so might have lost an ounce or two - I do not know. But I also added in a "lot" of epoxy - behind the magazine box and to partially fill that larger trigger mortice - the bulkhead had cracked - I had never fired it at all up to that point - so I thought the stock arrangement needed some "help", as there was no cross bolt there, either. I laid a metal strap in the epoxy - probably did not need to, but was in my mind to do that...
 
I have never tried to add weight to a stock - do you have an actual number that you want to add, or just until it "feels right"? My only similar experience was my one and only attempt to stiffen a floppy plastic stock - I laid in hollow carbon fibre arrow shafts to the forearm and anchored with epoxy. Sort of worked, but not really - the stock had a lot of "hinge action" through the magazine area, so really needed something along the magazine up into the fore end to "stiffen" it. Was just not enough room in there for an arrow shaft. Might be an issue for you, but I do not know - adding weight to the forearm and to the butt stock will definitely help to soak up recoil, I think, but any weight up front might be stressing the magazine area??? I have a pre-64 Win M70 and a Rem 30 - both in 30-06 - they have apparatus that ties the forearm to the barrel - do not commonly see that - so in most rifles, the barrel might want to rise and leave the weighted fore arm behind???

Your project is more than idle curiosity for me - I have a Zastava 458 Win Mag that weighs 8 pounds 3 ounces - unloaded, without scope - I have never fired it with factory loads - some experienced acquaintances tell me that I would be nuts to try running full house loads through a rifle that light - seems that 10 or 11 pounds plus would be more appropriate. A Win 70 in 375 H&H had a barrel mounted secondary recoil lug - this Zastava does not, so there is that to address as well. So, have been toying with doing all together - a barrel mounted recoil lug, bedded into the forearm, weight added and a screw through the forearm up into that recoil lug...

I would like to get it to 10 pounds or so. I have experience with big bores and rifle weight so much that I know to light is definately not a good thing. For instance..my Interarms Mark X weighed just 7.5 pounds bare when I bought it. An its in 458 win mag. Interarms made some of these with very thin 24 inch barrels and synthetic stocks, B@C if I remember right. Well I got it home and did up a bunch of cast slugs that night. Nothing fancy, just 500 grainers and took it out the next day and let 3 shots go fairly fast just to get the feel of it. The load later on the chrony was 2100FPS. That thing rocked me bad...then it got fun from there.
Was in town the next day and felt a little funny. Stopped by my parents and told them I couldnt visit long cause I was shaking a little and sweating. Made it about 1/2 mile out of town and got sick with a violent pain in my right shoulder. Drove home 6 miles and crawled up the steps and yelled to my G/F to help me. She took me to her parents and the way I was, her mom thought I had a bad back spasm and suggested a chiropractor. It was Sunday but we found one 30 miles away who would come in. The ol DR. was shocked, my right shoulder was completely dislocated,3 discs in my back were drove over and 3 vertebra were in shock also. He figured I was in a sledding accident but got me fixed up. I figure that it all dropped out when I was in town and hit me at once. I looked at that stock and from it flexing the tang had a 3 inch crack in it that you couldnt see very easy because of the camo tape on it when I bought it.
The stock came off and on went a XX Claro stock.With weight fore and aft, scoped and a couple in the mag its now at 9.5 pounds. Its still light and another pound would help but its manageable at least. With 350 grainers out of it its actually quite enjoyable, 500 grainers still kick pretty hard.

I have had a asst. of 375"s but 3 stand out. All were in the 10 pound range scoped. The BRNO 602 kicks the least with that 25 inch barrel and rather large stock. The Rem 700 safari shop rifle was quite muzzle heavy but off the bench it to was manageable. The Win 70 Express was a interesting rifle. I wasnt happy with H.H. so had it taken up to 375WBY. With the increase in muzzle velocity with a 270 grain slug it actually came up less and more of a sharp thrust backward. If I can remember right it was right in the 10.5 pound area scoped., I had a 416 Rigby based on a P14. That stock was totally shaped wrong for a big bore and even with me loading it down with lead and scoped being at 11 pounds it still got all over a guy. Off the bench, 3 shots would have the bolt handle just about breaking fingers when it recoiled, it went down the road. My 416 Rigby #1 is stout but with a little practise and hanging on tight off the bench it rocks but not enough to scare a fella.

To me that 10 pound area is about right for a 375 rifle,10.5 in a 458 should work good. My 340WBY in a rem 700 is 9.3 pounds and off the bench it boots hard. It a real quick backthrust that will have the scope in your forehead if you arent careful.
 
I have the same rifle as you, and it weighs 2 oz more (or the same, scales differ). Anyways, with 3 below, and one of those 10 round ammo carriers that goes on the butt, you'll add almost 1.25 lbs and the balance doesn't seem wonky. It seems to make a slight difference for recoil, but it could be in my head, who knows. If I were to add more weight, I'd put some in the front as well. I checked my books, and I've run 70 grains Varget with a 500 grain bullet before. This is not quite factory ammo steam, and my notes indicate WOW!! Recoil!!!

And for icehunter, I'd suggest trying various temporary weights to see how it handles. Too much weight in the back might make for a wandering sight picture from being too light in the front.

No worries...I am adding weights just taped into place to get it to balance.To barrel heavy and in a swing on running game it will have a tendency to want to keep swinging.To light in the barrel area and we all know what that does.
 
So I weighed a glass of sand today. One of them there clear plastic glasses ( the kind you might use camping, or drinks at a dance,maybe a home bar) that are 7 liquid ounces filled to the top with SIL 4 sand weighs in at 11.74 ounces.

Potashminer..I have done one piece rifle stocks( butt end) by drilling a hole in them and doing the lead shot epoxy thing, but these were wood stocks. I have also taken synthetic stocks and added weight to the forend and strenghten them by...Taking a piece of 3/16 or 1/4 inch steel keystock. Then running perpendicular to the centre line of the stock use a dremel and grind straight down in line with the stock through the baffles. If it has cross baffles I dremel in 1/8 inch flow holes. 2-3 per baffles works good. The keystock is the bedded straight down in line with the center of the stock and surrounded with bedding. With the small flow holes through the cross baffles it ties the whole front end into one solid piece. It also takes all the flex out of the forend. I tried this on my buddies 300WSM the first time I did it and he was very impressed with it. I have used it on various savage rifles for friends and it just plain down right works. A little extra weight in the forend with no flex is always nice.

I should grab a foot of keystock tomorrow,weigh out a length of it the same distance that I might put lead into this 375 stock and just compare weights. Best part about this is that I can take all summer to do it and if it screws up I get another stock or try going laminate.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom