Heading up a Citori Buttstock: Fit question

[Srowe]

Hi All,

Wondering if someone can help me out. I am heading up a new stock for a citori as the shoulder split off the original. My question is regarding the fit at the sides of the stock(shoulders?) where it meets the receiver; should the wood touch the metal at this location or be slight gap. I have heard anecdotally that when the shoulder is in contact it can lead to the stock splitting. I have read (somewhere on the great authority known as the internet!)that a slight gap (hair) is desirable. This gap would be easy to accomplish when glassing the back of the receiver by placing a shim between the surfaces. Or is all this a crock and the fit should be full contact along the shoulders and glassed at the back of the receiver.

Also, one other question; Is JB weld an acceptable product to 'glass' a stock?

I did a search and couldn't find the answer.

Thanks gang!

SRowe

 

[Ol' Flinter]

The wood metal fit should be as perfect and even as you can make it. Over time and lots of shooting the wood may compress very slightly on the surfaces that take the recoil so the more contact, the better the support for the wood. The only place you might want to provide a very small ( less than 1/32" or about 1/2 mm) relief would be at the rear of the top and bottom tangs so that if there is a bit of setback, the tangs won't function like wedges to split the stock at those places (I am sure you have seen examples of this).

Properly done there should not be any need for glass bedding anywhere - take the time to fit the stock properly. If however, you find you need to glass bed to fix a hiccup, I would not use JB Weld. It hardens okay but is gray so will show like a sore thumb if exposed and there are other compounds that work better and harden clear or can be colored to match the wood. Brownell's Accra-Glass is the standard of excellence but hard to find in Canada. Lee Valley has Cold-Cure which I have used successfully for several years and in a multitude of guns. The quick-cure epoxies don't seem to harden as much so I would stay way from the 5 and 10 Minute stuff.
Happy chiselling!

 

[Srowe]

Thanks Ol' Flinter. The stock is a factory browning stock. The fit around the sides is pretty good although a little file/chisel work will make it better. But the factory stock has a gap where the back of the receiver meets the stock; basically the area between the top and bottom tangs. To get a full contact fit here would require removing ~ 3/16" at the shoulders. I noticed that the factory installed citori stock on two of the ones I have look to be glassed with acraglas (or some other clear epoxy) in that area. Maybe this is why one of em split!

 

[Ol' Flinter]

3/16" is a lot to remove or to fill with 'glass! The stock must be for a different model than the receiver you are fitting it to. As long as the wood through the grip section can still accommodate the ends of the top and bottom tangs: the top tang may impinge on the nose of the comb but the nose can be re-contoured back a bit so minor problem there. I would set the receiver back for a proper fit if there is enough wood on all sides plus top and bottom to do so. A bit more work for sure but then it will look proper...