Shortening the Butt of a USGI Fiberglass Stock
- Thread starter giwolf
- Start date
Recoil. What recoil?
Issue fibreglass stocks are kind of valuable and scarce to alter. They are solid, though, so if you insist, cutting it just like any other stock would be the way to go. A mitre saw or box and a new blade.
The pad will have to be sanded to fit. A bench mounted belt sander is best, but you need to have one.
Issue fibreglass stocks are kind of valuable and scarce to alter. They are solid, though, so if you insist, cutting it just like any other stock would be the way to go. A mitre saw or box and a new blade.
The pad will have to be sanded to fit. A bench mounted belt sander is best, but you need to have one.
I switched my fiberglass stock over to one of those plastic recoil pads. I liked the idea of ditching the metal because in the winter I'd be placing the butt down in the snow quite often when I rest the gun out hunting. But what I don't like is the extra inch it adds to the stock. I can understand the interest in cutting down the stock and having a standard pad or shorter stock.
I've done a few recoil pads on wood stocks. I'm just wondering if I'm going to have shredded fiberglass everywhere and what anybody might have filled the holes in the butt with that took a screw. Trying to get the best job here. I agree though they really have no recoil to speak of with all the weight. It just more fun with the recoil pad and it's going to need something on there anyway.
AFAIK they are not really made from fiberglass, its some sort of plastic. Also I believe they are filled with a foam of some sort.
The reason I know this is a guy here on CGN I was talking to had painted a few synthetic USGI stocks and put them in an oven to cure the paint. The foam stuff inside the stock expanded and split the stocks open along the seam.
The reason I know this is a guy here on CGN I was talking to had painted a few synthetic USGI stocks and put them in an oven to cure the paint. The foam stuff inside the stock expanded and split the stocks open along the seam.
I'm pretty sure its fibreglass from having drilled through one. The dust that came out seemed to confirm it. The stock appears to have been made as two half shells that were then bonded together. The foam core may be to dampen the hollowness and add some strength. You can see the parting line inside the stock when you remove the action. If you use a sharp, high speed cutting tool, I doubt there will be any splintering. You could wrap it with tape along the cutting line and score it with a sharp knife. The formed edge could be resealed with epoxy resin if you desire. It would probably cut quite cleanly with a fine bandsaw blade at a high speed like a wood cuting bandsaw.
Grizzleypeg's suggestions are as good as any. Unless they use some exotic cloth in the layup, it should cut cleanly. If not, sharp scissors will cut the edges of most unresined (that is, the ragged leftover after cutting) cloth, exotic or not... and as he said, epoxy resin will cure any "brushcut" along the edges.
The cheap and easy solution would be to chop the stock flush from the square pocket of the shoulder plate pivot assembly.
Then you can glue on a rifle buttpad of choice(which can be shaped to the stock). If you are inclined, you can use screws to hold the buttpad and epoxy weld them into the original holes.
This would be much simpler than to attempt to recreate the pocket to fit the direct fit rubber M14 buttstock.
An even simpler but uglier solution would be to chop/finish and slip on a limbsaver style sleeve buttpad on.
Then you can glue on a rifle buttpad of choice(which can be shaped to the stock). If you are inclined, you can use screws to hold the buttpad and epoxy weld them into the original holes.
This would be much simpler than to attempt to recreate the pocket to fit the direct fit rubber M14 buttstock.
An even simpler but uglier solution would be to chop/finish and slip on a limbsaver style sleeve buttpad on.
