Recoil Pad

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prarie_boy

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I have an early 2000's 700 ADL with the walnut stock and blind magazine which has a bit to much bite for my liking and a pachmayr grind to fit recoil pad. Im familiar with installing these however the rifle has a curved but plate what is the best strategy to install a grind to fit on this without making a mess of it?

Thanks in advance.
 
The vast majority of recoil pads require a flat surface to mate to. I found a band saw to be the best way to cut the stock, then I hollowed the center of the butt slightly with either a sharp gouge or an air grinder, then I sanded the perimeter flat...

Cutting the stock without chipping the edge is a big challenge, what is to follow isn't easy either... most likely you will be better off using someone skilled at pad work. Practice on garbage stocks...

Often you have to make the pad perfectly flat too...
 
If you’re going to cut the stock flat wrap it with good painter’s tape and mark on the tape. It helps prevent chipping and leave it on when working to mate the recoil pad to protect the stock surface. If you freeze the pad before removing material it is much easier to work with and leaves a smoother finish. If it starts to get soft back to the freezer.
 
It's the easiest job in the world to screw up. I don't think I've ever seen a D.I.Y. home job that didn't look like it. I strongly recommend taking it to an experienced pro.
But if you must...I use my miter saw with a fine blade. Drill out old screw holes and glue in 1/4 dowels before cutting. Make sure to use masking tape around cut to prevent chipping. Be sure the stock is shimmed square and clamped firmly. Do not hold it free hand or you will have chips and be out of square. Install pad and scribe around butt with a needle or other suitable scriber. Remove pad and grind on a 80 or 100 disc preferably using a pad grinding jig to set the proper angles. Trying to grind for a close fit on the stock is asking for trouble. Best of luck to you.
 
prarie_boy said:
I have an early 2000's 700 ADL with the walnut stock and blind magazine which has a bit to much bite for my liking and a pachmayr grind to fit recoil pad. Im familiar with installing these however the rifle has a curved but plate what is the best strategy to install a grind to fit on this without making a mess of it?

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

If you have the pad bit down I'm assuming you are asking about how to get the butt cut straight, flat & perpendicular to the centre?

Make a jig - a flat block of plywood or MDF screwed/bolted to the butt in place of the existing butt plate. Adjust it's angle top-to-bottom with spacers and cut on a (properly set up with sharp blade) bandsaw using a fence. Clean up with sanding block or scrapers - unless you are really good with an edge sander, square things can get really not square really fast, really easily.

If stuck with hand tools - make your jig a miter box and use a good back saw or Dozuki type Japanese saw.

Cabinet, contractor or miter type saw? use them to make a miter box and buy a nice Dozuki. I would not try to make a precision cut like that with these types of saw.
 
I have seen many old shot guns with slip on pads, they work OK, but if left on all the time , the wood under them is always darker if you take them off.
take it off when not being used for a while. If the gun is in a safe or cabinet , it may help.
If you don't have the right tools, don't mess with pads. But it is not that hard with a jig and a good disk grinder, or belt grinder, I like a large disk better then a belt as with a disk you can change the direction of the grind.
 
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