Best material to plug swivel hole in stock

I did one by bedding in a flat headed brass rivet, with the head flush with the wood, and just polished it up a bit afterward. Looks pretty good, if I say so myself...
 
I would say a peice of wood. Depending on the value and rarity of the gun you may want to cut out a small peice from under the butt plate and make a small dowel to fill the hole.
 
Well......if it is just for function...drill it out and put in a 1/4" tapered plug of the same species with some wood glue. If it is a valuable piece, do the same but cut the plug from somewhere not visible on the stock (under the barrel), use that plug on in the hole, and plug the hole you just made with another plug of the same species.

Ryan
 
Homemade filler

If you are refinishing the stock mix some of the sanding dust with white wood glue to make a paste.

Fill the hole and sand smooth after the glue dries. The filled hole will disappear after finishing.

mb
 
Right. It actually shines if you try to do this with an oli finish. you can see it from across a room.

Even with urethane finishes it will still be somwhat noticeable, but you have to look a little closer.

Ted
 
I Yeild

I can only say that I have used this method on two stocks in the last two years.

They were both winter work projects using a hand rubbed linseed oil /wax finish on the stocks. One repair was a sling swivel hole and the second was a small split in the wood.

I'm happy with the results I received in both cases.

mb
 
The brass rivet method looks fine, but as the stock ages, will have to be adjusted, as it will protrude, as the stock shrinks and wears.

The wood chips and glue method is similar to the above in it's wear habits, but less so, and may not take stains well.

The drill it out and put a dowel of the same wood in the hole method, is more visible than the glue method after time, but tends to shrink and wear just like the rest of the stock.
For best effect, use a dowel made from the same wood, same coloration, and cut cross grain, so you can align the grain with the grain of the stock.

It's a trade off, you'll have to pick the method you like best.
 
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If you install a plug, make sure the grain in the plug aligns with the grain in the stock. Don't use a dowel so that the end grain is exposed. Stands out like a sore thumb. An oval or football shaped inlay can be better than a round plug.
 
Sometimes bubba will have two or three holes in the stock, previous attempts having failed. One of the funniest ones I've seen was an attempt made to install a woodscrew type swivel in the forend of a '94 Winchester. Another bubba trick is to drill a hole laterally for a rope loop, a la Mosin Nagant. Screw eyes can also be popular if a swivel set is not at hand.
 
mysticbear said:
I can only say that I have used this method on two stocks in the last two years.

They were both winter work projects using a hand rubbed linseed oil /wax finish on the stocks. One repair was a sling swivel hole and the second was a small split in the wood.

I'm happy with the results I received in both cases.

mb
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mb,

What kind of glue do you use to mix with the walnut dust? I tried it a couple of times using white carpenters glue and it would never take the oil. It was like the glue had oil-proofed the wood and refused to let it penetrate.

Ted
 
What about putting a sling swivel in the hole.....
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I have removed the forward sling swivel from my .375 H&H as it is possible, under heavy recoil to injure your front hand. I have had a barrel band sling swivel installed instead.

So I'd like to plug the hole with something that blends in as much as possible.

If I elect to cut a piece of stock from under the recoil pad, what kind of tool or annular drill bit should I use?
 
It would be hard to cut a useful piece from under the recoil pad because you would want the grain in the plug to line up with the grain in the stock. You could use a deliberately contrasting plug, as an accent - a spot of ivory, etc. A flush mounted blued steel plug would look good. It will be obvious why the plug is there, but the hole would be neatly filled.
 
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