This last deer season my chu wood M14 slipped from my hands because of winter gloves, oily stock and chunky stock size. The rifle landed upside down on a rock on the scope objective bell bending the scpoe. What really pissed me off is the scope was a christmas gift last year from the young lad. To make sure it didn't happpen again I took a page from the liberals hand book and over reacted.
I always liked the look of the E2 stock so went about adding a pistol grip to the chu wood original. I looked things over and knew that the stock would need wood added to the top of the pistol grip to compensate for the loss of wood at the bottom where I had to cut out to add the new pistol grip. I was careful not to cut into the lower stock storage hole but never thought of the upper one. Note: remove items from the stock storage tubes before band sawing stock. Oops. I use a piece of walnut to add to the top and a short piece of hardwood broom handle whittled down to be glued into the storage hole. I can still put the tool in the stock.
For the right angle for the new pistol grip I pondered the angle of the FN and the AR's. Then I figured I liked the angle of my 1911 and I and familiar with it. I laid the 1911 in the walnut, traced it out including the beaver tail safety and cut it out. The grain is in the same direction as the main stock. I went at it with a farriers rasp, a regular rasp and scraper. I figured it was easier to sculpt it off the stock. If I were to do it again I would make it about 1/2" longer. I've done muzzle loader stocks so have the tools to do stock work.
You can see were I cut into the broom handle piece on the bottom. The angle of the bottom of the pistol grip and the added piece of the top were parrallel enough to clamp the glued pieces in a mechanics bench vise. ( Your bench vise size may vary). Make sure that the pieces don't slip when tightening said vise. Afterward I drilled a 1/4" from the bottom of the pistol grip up through the top of the stock. I put in a 1/4" x6" bolt with washers and a nut and torqued it together. I filled the bolt holes with JB Kwik weld and put the bottom piece on the bottom of the pistol grip using the JB to glue it. The finished job has a real solid feel to it.
I filled in the areas with JB Kwik weld. Make sure you scrape off the oil and stained wood area you are adding JB weld too or it will flake off. After that I went at contouring with the rasps and files and scraper. I tried the Krylon Khaki paint but it didn't do it for me so I scrapped most it off. I actually scraped the whole stock surface of the oily surface so paint would stick. Chu wood is 'chewy' so don't expect a quality wood surface to work with. I rasped down the forend as well so it fit my hand better. I left the surface rough for grippyness. Remember, this is all because the rifle slipped out of my hand hands and wrote off a treasured scope.
I tried this brown paint but I really want coyote brown which I can't find anywhere. The pistol grip stock has a nice feel to it. So have at it folks. If you mess it up don't worry, the Chinese are making chu wood stocks every day. Next is to take it to the range and see if it now shoots sub MOA
.
I always liked the look of the E2 stock so went about adding a pistol grip to the chu wood original. I looked things over and knew that the stock would need wood added to the top of the pistol grip to compensate for the loss of wood at the bottom where I had to cut out to add the new pistol grip. I was careful not to cut into the lower stock storage hole but never thought of the upper one. Note: remove items from the stock storage tubes before band sawing stock. Oops. I use a piece of walnut to add to the top and a short piece of hardwood broom handle whittled down to be glued into the storage hole. I can still put the tool in the stock.
For the right angle for the new pistol grip I pondered the angle of the FN and the AR's. Then I figured I liked the angle of my 1911 and I and familiar with it. I laid the 1911 in the walnut, traced it out including the beaver tail safety and cut it out. The grain is in the same direction as the main stock. I went at it with a farriers rasp, a regular rasp and scraper. I figured it was easier to sculpt it off the stock. If I were to do it again I would make it about 1/2" longer. I've done muzzle loader stocks so have the tools to do stock work.
You can see were I cut into the broom handle piece on the bottom. The angle of the bottom of the pistol grip and the added piece of the top were parrallel enough to clamp the glued pieces in a mechanics bench vise. ( Your bench vise size may vary). Make sure that the pieces don't slip when tightening said vise. Afterward I drilled a 1/4" from the bottom of the pistol grip up through the top of the stock. I put in a 1/4" x6" bolt with washers and a nut and torqued it together. I filled the bolt holes with JB Kwik weld and put the bottom piece on the bottom of the pistol grip using the JB to glue it. The finished job has a real solid feel to it.
I filled in the areas with JB Kwik weld. Make sure you scrape off the oil and stained wood area you are adding JB weld too or it will flake off. After that I went at contouring with the rasps and files and scraper. I tried the Krylon Khaki paint but it didn't do it for me so I scrapped most it off. I actually scraped the whole stock surface of the oily surface so paint would stick. Chu wood is 'chewy' so don't expect a quality wood surface to work with. I rasped down the forend as well so it fit my hand better. I left the surface rough for grippyness. Remember, this is all because the rifle slipped out of my hand hands and wrote off a treasured scope.
I tried this brown paint but I really want coyote brown which I can't find anywhere. The pistol grip stock has a nice feel to it. So have at it folks. If you mess it up don't worry, the Chinese are making chu wood stocks every day. Next is to take it to the range and see if it now shoots sub MOA
.
