Modifying laminate stock

surfclod

surfclod

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I have a Savage Model 12 VLP that I really like, my only problem is that my smaller than average hands are a bit uncomfortable with the stock. I have to stretch my reach and have never been able to get a truly confident and comfortable grip.

I have been thinking of sanding and fileing down some of the material where the web of my hand rests as well as reducing the palm swell to reduce or elimnate the "stretching" that I seem to need to do in order to get the type of grip i am most comfortable with.

Any reason why this would be a bad idea?

Would I be able to just feather the edges and refinish the area that I trimmed down or would I be best served by stripping and refinishing the entire stock?
 
No reason at all why you shouldn't. Sand to at least 220 grit. A little bit of tru-oil will blend it into a seamless repair if done right. Laminated stocks are very easy to finish. Give several coats of tru-oil with fine steel wool in between coats. It can easily done without stripping the whole stock since generally laminated stocks are not stained so no color matching is required.
 
Okay thanks, this tru-oil i keep reading about (when doing related search's), is that the common Birchwood Casey stuff I see in most sporting goods stores? Or is it something that i should look for in a more specific woodworking related store?
 
"...Birchwood Casey stuff I see..." Yep. Tru-Oil is a Birchwood Casey brand name. It's a blend of linseed and other oils. Not exactly cheap stuff though. Tung oil will do what you want too. It's not exactly cheap either. The last time I bought a litre it was $15 in Home Depot. Minwax sells it. Don't buy Minwax's Tung Oil Finish though. It's not the same thing.
Laminated stocks are made just like plywood is. Layers of wood held together with adhesives, heat and pressure. There's no reason not to remove the palm swell and put on a sealing finish like Tru-Oil or tung oil. I'd use a rasp and finish with assorted grit sandpaper.
 
Project succesfull

Well I finally tackled this project on the weekend and I am quite pleased with how it looks anyways. It feels better but I hope to go the range this week and see if it is more comfortable.

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As you can see it is a fairly thick stock for my small hands, even a buddy who is nearly 6' found it thicker than he would like.

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Marked out roughly what I hoped for with a sharpie.

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Bit my tongue and fired up the sawsall, no going back now.

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Rough shaping with die grinder and a rasp.

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Sanded and ready for Tru-oil now.

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Back on the gun.

I spent a little extra time on the final finish, didn't count but it was about 8-10 coats and is impossible to tell where it begins or ends. I am very happy with how well the Tru-oil blends out.
 
WOW! Nice job!

When I saw that first rough pic post sawzall... I was thinking 'What the HELL did this BUBBA do to this BEAUTIFUL stock?'. But that turned out NICE. Well done!
 
That turned out great, good for you on being brave enough to dig right in and do it. I will bet that now you have seen the results you will be back there tweaking it to perfection for your grip.
 
Yeah as soon as I "touched" the stock with the saw blade, I had to be committed to the project.

I almost backed out when I fired up the sawzall, they are a pretty crude tool. Plus I am a welder so normally I can weld more material back on if I don't like the result, wood is more enjoyable to shape and work with but less forgiving.

be back there tweaking it to perfection for your grip
Click to expand...

I have it fitting pretty good for my hand now but I will not be afraid to shape a little more if needed, the laminate blends so nicely when done. I may add some ventilation to the forearm kinda like the Remington 700 VL SS has. I have the modifying bug in me now.
 
I know it's quite late to be posting on this but just had to comment that you did a GREAT job on your stock.
Always been a fan of synthetics but you have COMPLETELY sold me on laminates seeing as how you can shape your stock to suit yourself.
Funny, I never thought of doing it. Thanks for the unintended heads-up!
 
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