Grind to fit recoil pads

[bearhunter]

I have done this in the past and if pressed, would do it again.

I used an angle grinder and a good vice with well padded jaws. Old magazines or paperback books are perfect pads, because they don't leave any marks on the stock and hold the stock a lot more rigidly than rubber jaws.

You can purchase a cheap angle grinder from one of the big box stores for under $50 or you can go to a tool rental agency and get one for $10.

Before you start grinding, make sure you can handle that hand held angle grinder. I practiced on an old tire, which you can cut with the angle grinder. Screw the piece to off the tire to a block of scrap wood.

Wrap some electrical tape around the block, under the edge of the rubber. This will act as a barrier between the grinder wheel and the wood. BE CAREFUL.

Or you could take it to a smith and have him install it for $25.

Installing a butt pad can be disastrous, if it isn't done properly.

Nothing looks uglier than a poorly installed but pad/plate.

 

[Longwalker]

should i cut the stock wood 90 degrees to square it up or leave the current angle?

The "current angle" is called "pitch" and is important to how the gun mounts and shoots and feels. Please DO NOT cut the buttstock at 90° to make your job "easier" I have seen many nice shotguns with stocks ruined by people who do not understand this principle of stock fitting. Factories get the pitch angle pretty close to ideal for most shooters and body types, so don't change it unless you know better.

 

[Leeper]

The "current angle" is called "pitch" and is important to how the gun mounts and shoots and feels. Please DO NOT cut the buttstock at 90° to make your job "easier" I have seen many nice shotguns with stocks ruined by people who do not understand this principle of stock fitting. Factories get the pitch angle pretty close to ideal for most shooters and body types, so don't change it unless you know better.

I was waiting to see if someone would mention this. If the butt is curved, you can cut to flatten it but you want to retain the pitch angle when the pad is installed. A disc grinder with a 10 or 12 inch disc is, by far, the best way to go but a belt sander works too. I couldn't begin to guess how many pads I have installed. Certainly thousands.

 

[gr8trapper]

I have done this in the past and if pressed, would do it again.

...

Or you could take it to a smith and have him install it for $25.

Installing a butt pad can be disastrous, if it isn't done properly.

Nothing looks uglier than a poorly installed but pad/plate.

I honestly don't think that $25 gets it done by a professional anymore. The last time I had a pad installed professionally was in 2005. It was done by a great stock maker/wood man named Peter Venet (retired). I think it was around $75-$100 even back then.

 

[salarguy]

I honestly don't think that $25 gets it done by a professional anymore. The last time I had a pad installed professionally was in 2005. It was done by a great stock maker/wood man named Peter Venet (retired). I think it was around $75-$100 even back then.

Yup $25, dreaming in technicolor, for definite! I won't even flat rate them anymore.

 

[Wendell]

So i have a beretta 151 thats about an inch to short in the stock for me. Went to the local gun shop and bought a 1" pacmyer pad big enough to grind down
My questions are should i cut the stock wood 90 degrees to square it up or leave the current angle? Also what is the best sand paper grit to use to sand these types of pads? Wet or dry. Heavy grit or fine grit?

This, from <https://www.corlanes.com/gunsmithing/>, is the best video I've ever seen on the subject:

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7bL2vH44fg>

 

[gr8trapper]

This, from <https://www.corlanes.com/gunsmithing/>, is the best video I've ever seen on the subject:

Great video. Thanks for posting. That kind of quality service is hard to come by. If I could install a pad like that I would charge in the $125-150 range. As I can't (I've tried), I would just as easily pay that.

 

[bearhunter]

I honestly don't think that $25 gets it done by a professional anymore. The last time I had a pad installed professionally was in 2005. It was done by a great stock maker/wood man named Peter Venet (retired). I think it was around $75-$100 even back then.

You're right, I'm completely out of touch with what a smith charges to install a grind to fit pad.

I've done my own for close to sixty years.

I've been using some different types/thicknesses of belt scraper rubber of the past ten years or so. I've also picked up several new in carton butt pads from estate and other purchases.

Leeper is giving good advice. I've always had an aversion to angle/disc grinders with such large diameters. My hands aren't strong/steady enough to do the grinding off hand. I did have one mounted, on its back to a Benchmate, wired to an off frame switch. It was safe butttt.

Now, I use a pedestal grinder, which is more stable and I have more control. That's just me of course.

Now, to watch the video and see if the installer has anything new.