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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.....
Last edited by TacticalTeacher; 10-22-2018 at 06:21 PM.
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More glassing Fun
Along the outside of forestock first 2 layers and the stiffening build up starts
Last edited by TacticalTeacher; 10-22-2018 at 02:57 PM.
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More things to be posted soon
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And more things coming as we proceed to stiffen this stock
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This should do it for the project narration I guess
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