M14 Tuning, Tweaks, Tips, and Inexpensive FUN.....

[TacticalTeacher]

How to Build A McMillan M1A stock when you can not afford $1000 CDN (landed here). For years I used to shoot NRA High Power NM Course of Fire with an M1A. Those days are long gone but I do want to casually return to my roots so instead of importing a NM M1A Fat Bastard Stock, I shall just build a super stiff and strong stock and I still get my beloved GAP Camo colour pattern.


FYI, they sell for $548 USD at McMillan’s site.... $599 in black at Fulton Armory site. By the time you land it here to build your own Super Match, you are looking at close to $1000 Cdn. So for all the PR shooting I’m gonna do with my Super Match, I’m just gonna build my own super stiff / reinforced USGI Glass stock, besides, we are not entering this rifle into any beauty contests!


So let’s take this project in stages....

Before you start glassing:

Acetone....your best friend and saviour for when you FZCK Up! Ask me how I know to have TWO bottles of Acetone before starting the project. It’s not that I know more than you, it’s because I’ve FXCKED Up more times than all of you out there! Hahahaha






Measuring the inside channel of USGI Glass stock. I took a piece of paper and cut then trimmed it to fit under the right and left lip of the forestock channel. I have added 8 layers of glass here in the past to obtain a very stiff front end. And I will add another 6 layers to the exterior of the stock in an attempt to mimick the fat bastard profile of the NM M1A stock as McMillan builds and sells them.






Dollar Store for Brushes that you are gonna toss anyways. What size? About an inch wide for the layering of the glass cloth. Cheaper brushes are the way to go. About 1/2” wide for just a few single layers of glass cloth or tighter spaces. Smallest brushed for applying the paint colour in form of pigmented resin epoxy. Most durable and resists insect repellent stains at matches.







Pigment bottles for colouring the resin, saves Krylon Spray Paint and lasts longer. I bought a complete set for $100 at Atlas Machinery in Toronto. Great online sales page, decent shipping rates, too. Otherwise, I used to buy them in limited selection available at Cambodian Tire. Just remember how to mix primary colours to obtain secondary colours. Remember how to tint with white and shade with black....you did take art class in school didn’t you?

Let me add.... I’m using black background pigment for a good reason. You see in the end I want the GAP Camo effect. Just a personal bias for this camo pattern. Nothing special. In the past back in 2010 I built another reinforced McMillan “Urban” Camo or “Navy” Camo comprised of three colours: Black, Grey, Azzura / Ocean blue (deeper than royal blue, but not quite navy blue). To achieve these colours I only needed : Black, White, and Blue colour pigments (from Ukrainian Tire). Grey could be obtained by mixing equal amounts of black & white pigment.

Then I used Black as a base pigment/colour for the entire glass reinforcing so that no matter how deep/ shallow/ smooth/ rough sanded/rasped, I was gonna end up with a black background to “epoxy paint” the blue and grey patches.

GAP Camo consists of Black (background colour) and OD Green and Tan. So once again, black is the background and it will appear should I sand THROUGH the OD or Tan brown pigment layers.







Medication Cups or WAX Paper Bathroom cups work well... these are used for mixing the epoxy and hardener and then you apply the epoxy with your paint brush(es)








Cutting your cloth into 2” wide strips. These will sit inside the forestock channel. You will have to make them wide for the exterior of the forestock to the tune of 4” or 5”.






Set up Your Work Stand in Garage. I like step ladders, many shelves to stay organized and easy to move.






To be continued.....

[TacticalTeacher]

Next Steps in the Preparation Process


Secure your Dowelling with Clamps on the Workstand





Dowelling 3/4” fits inside the buttstock cavity





Just added the Black Pigment paste to the 30 mL of resin. Hardener in background. 30mL To 10 drops of hardener or if you use just 15 mL merely add 5 or 6 drops of hardener in that measured medicine cup (visit your buddy in the hospital, make them take their meds and swipe the disposable plastic cup) LOL.....








Keep that Acetone squeeze bottle near by along with small napkins or quarter sheets of paper towel. The reason I recommend a squeeze bottle is because 2 handed approach to pouring acetone on paper towel piece is hard to do with sticky hardening resin on your fingers. Squeeze bottle is easy to apply single handedly on a piece of rag or paper towel section. Clean up regularly as you progress through. Don’t wait until the end to clean up (might step into the dropped hardening resin...)







First four layers of glass cloth inside ....resin layer painted on first, I hope you wiped all surfaces with Acetone and rag to degrease and ensure a solid bond. The reason I painted / applied a coat of resin into the surface inside the fore stock is so that the fibreglass cloth sections will STICK to the inside. Now you can slap on more layers/ strips of glass cloth and pour/apply/paint some more resin on top, then spread out that resin thinly over the fibreglass cloth strip.








Another picture of Pigment to be added, some of you fiberglassing rookies might just use the clear resin without pigmenting/ colouring said epoxy. It’s all good. Do what works for your comfort level and desired project outcomes!

[TacticalTeacher]

More glassing Fun


Along the outside of forestock first 2 layers and the stiffening build up starts

[TacticalTeacher]

More things to be posted soon

[TacticalTeacher]

And more things coming as we proceed to stiffen this stock

[TacticalTeacher]

And more things to come

[TacticalTeacher]

This should do it for the project narration I guess