Warped stock question

[SuperCub]

I have an older walnut rifle stock that was refinished last year. Barrel was free floated to the end with no pressure point. I noticed at Christmas that the stock was bearing a bit on one side of the bbl, but not alot. I sanded it a bit to relieve it. I checked it again this weekend and noticed that it had moved some more. I don't want to hog out the bbl channel only to find that next year when the humidity rises in the Spring/Summer the stock has moved back into it's proper position.

Question ....... Right now it is very dry in the basement and the stock has moved. Will it move back into place with the increased humity of spring and summer?


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[gunrunner100]

Paul:
I have noticed this same thing with a few of mine. I have a woodstove in the basement during the winter and a de-humidifier in the spring and summer. Our humidity level runs anywhere from 35 - 40 %. You may want to run a humidifier. Kind of a vicious cycle...
As for the warping, don't go gungho on the stock. When you sanded the barrel channel, did you seal the exposed grain? How about the end grain under the buttplate/recoil pad? You're never going to stop some warping, but you can keep it to a minimum.

 

[SuperCub]

Paul:
I have noticed this same thing with a few of mine. I have a woodstove in the basement during the winter

I have a woodstove in the basement, but I do manage to keep it fairly low in the summer. It definately is dryer down there in the winter.

As for the warping, don't go gungho on the stock. When you sanded the barrel channel, did you seal the exposed grain?

I did reseal after the light sanding.

How about the end grain under the buttplate/recoil pad?

I'll check under the pad again, but IIRC it is sealed.

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[Levi Garrett]

Is their an ugly gap on the other side? if not take some off the side thats touching till you can do the paper test. Then seal it up with clear.

 

[guntech]

What I suggest is milling a slot inside the forend from just in front of the action to just short of the forend tip. Make this parallel to the bottom of the stock, deep enough so you leave about 1/4 inch thickness on the bottom. Make it about 1/2 inch wide. epoxy a piece of aluminum in this slot. Drill a few holes in the aluminum first. Glass the action with the barrel centered in the fore stock... float the barrel. Apply stock finish to all bare wood.

The reason the stock is warping is because the grain of the forend is strong and moving with humidity changes... it will never stop unless you change something.

Cutting the stock almost through takes away the warping strength of the wood. Epoxy and aluminum will help stabilize it.

I have done this with troublesome stocks and it cured them.