Remington 14 butt stock inletting

[hifiwasabi]

I bought a rough finished pistol grip butt stock for my ‘17 vintage Remington model 14 to replace the straight grip stock that came with it. I have picked away at it over the past few months, and finally have it so that the bolt carrier can cycle back unimpeded, but since this is my first attempt I thought I’d seek advice from those with experience - and more importantly, talent. I have to put a brass shim between the pocket and tang on the lower side of the stock, but I wonder, how tightly does the stock have to meet the back of the receiver? I can see about 0.005-0.010” around the perimeter of the stock-receiver joint when the stock bolt is tight. Should I keep working with the little files or are we close enough?

 

[pjs]

I don't have one in hand to look at so you be the judge but probably the tang would function as a wedge and split the stock if it does not butt up tight to the receiver.
Is it a carbine? Odd that it had a straight stock.

 

[hifiwasabi]

I can take a picture once my kid goes down for a nap. It is the standard barrel length at 22”, it just happened to come that way with the straight grip (which I have difficulty using).

 

[hifiwasabi]

It’s a bit difficult to catch on film. Also, I have to bond a crack in the fore end, has anyone tried gorilla glue?

 

[pjs]

It's looking pretty good but some inletting black or lipstick would indicate a few high spots for you to scrape off if you wanted to get it a bit tighter.

 

[450yukon]

A Cyanoacrylate instant glue or epoxy and clamped wrapped with surgical tubing would be my choice as Gorilla glue expands quite a bit. Checking my 14's, slight gap at tang but tight to receiver to take the force of recoil.

 

[Al-Sway]

As mentioned,
-I would not use Gorilla Glue. If there is enough flex in the crack (as in you can expand it slightly with hand force), the choice would be normal wood glue forced into the crack, and then tightly wrapped to clamp it. I would not use CA glue. A second choice if there is not enough for wood glue would be a thin expoxy.
- on all of these, the recoil is taken up by the shoulders of the buttstock against receiver. No gaps; this must be a well fitted area. As mentioned, if the recoil is left to the tang then it will split the stock. A slight gap at the end of the tang is preferable (1/32 up to 1/16 inch (max).
I don't know what the brass shim is that you mentioned.

 

[Ol' Flinter]

As recommended above: use lipstick or inletting black to get the best fit you can to spread out the recoil-receiving area but leave just a hair of clearance at the rear of the tang to reduce the potential to split the stock in the future.
I would use epoxy to glue the fore end crack but put some colour in the epoxy so it is similar to the final colour of the stock or very slightly darker.

 

[sean69]

CA glues do not do well against shearing or torsional forces .... don't use CA. Wood glue is your best option. and not the crappy tire Elmers brand, Tite Bond II or III are good choices.

 

[hifiwasabi]

I'll keep at it then, just have to swipe my wife's lipstick (with explanation of course) and keep filing high spots.

 

[Al-Sway]

Dollar store has lots of selection in bright colours, which will work for this.