Cutting 870 stock

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I have an 870 wingmaster in What I would consider "a tool, or workhorse" comditon. I bought it this way and have been meaning to clean it up so I don't mind working on it. The length of pull is too long for me, I'm only 5'5" and when I'm bundled up for duck hunting I notice it even more. I end up shouldering it to my arm and its not quick to shoulder.
Can anyone shed some light on cutting down the stock my about an inch or so? The butt is not flat but rather concave, so I can't just use my chop saw. I was thinking of using painters tape and using that as a guide, but I'd really appreciate any advice I can get.
 
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I am 5'6" and the first thing I do when I get a new shotgun is to adjust the LOP via chop saw or band saw. If there is a concave curve it would be cut straight and I would put a recoil pad on. There is no point in keeping the concave because once you cut the stock the value is gone plus it is easier to match something like a limb saver than trying to make the original but pad fit. Trust me modern recoil pads work much better than concave shaped butt stocks. My 3 slug guns, turkey gun and 2 tactical shot guns are 11.5 LOP for movement in the blind and placement of the stock closer to the centre of my chest. Water fowling and upland guns are 12.5 LOP. Rifles are 13.5 LOP and my competition guns are all adjustable.
 
A nice sharp chop saw. Typically the cheekpiece is straight, so use that as a guide for a 90-degree cut. You might have to shim-up the pistol grip (or change the blade angle) to cut 90-degrees pereprdicular side-to-side. With a flat butt, it will be easier to fit a recoil pad. A belt sander will make it easy to grind the pad down.
 
Moose308 said:
A nice sharp chop saw. Typically the cheekpiece is straight, so use that as a guide for a 90-degree cut. You might have to shim-up the pistol grip (or change the blade angle) to cut 90-degrees pereprdicular side-to-side. With a flat butt, it will be easier to fit a recoil pad. A belt sander will make it easy to grind the pad down.
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This is an important point about shimming the stock perpendicular to get a 90' cut when using the chop saw. Like mentioned measure 3 times taking into account the thickness of the pad you will be using. Forget the original concave cut unless its something you like. Wrap the stock in a couple layers of masking tape on either side of where you want to cut, then mark your cut line. If using the chop saw use a sharp fine blade. If cutting by hand mark your cut line and then cut through the tape along the line and about a 1/16" into the wood with a razor knife then make your cut with a fine tooth narrow saw blade. I always used a hack saw with a new blade. The purpose of the tape is to reduce or eliminate wood splinters at the edge. The cut with the razor knife really helps with this issue when using a hand saw. The chop saw method you can get away with just the tape.
Whether using a new pad or the original it will have to be ground down to fit the new dimensions of the butt stock. I wrap the stock in two layers of masking tape and using sanding discs in a hand held electric drill sand down the pad until you just kiss the first layer of tape. I find the discs in the drill gives me good control, and finesse. The pad has to sanded/ground down to flow with the contour lines of the stock exactly. If you knick the stock finish while doing this you may or may not be able to repair the mark/marks depending on what type of finish is on the stock. An oil finish for example is far easier to repair than one of the thicker epoxy high gloss finishes, and of course how big a boo boo mark you made. As you have probably already figured out it is precise work with no room for error. Knick and mark the finish too bad and you will end up refinishing the whole stock.
Done correctly and with care it will be difficult to tell the stock was cut down. If not it will look like Bubba and his buddy Bucky the Beaver did the work while having a few beers.
 
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I'm a big fan of buying a second stock rather than cutting the existing one. Sometimes cutting a stock is like trying to trim chair legs and trying to keep all 4 legs touching the floor. Just never works out right.
 
I'd chop it in a heartbeat - and the barrel too - they are just so much handier after being shortened. Get creative - you will find something to make a pad from - maybe one of those spongy floor matts.
 
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