This update is concerning more advanced stock modifications to achieve better feel and look of the rifle, along with some functional changes.
We had covered some basic modifications in a previous post, but if you want to set your rifle apart from others and add some functional changes, some time, not neccessarily money, needs to be invested. Tools used were sandpaper, flat and round file, drill. Anything worth doing is worth overdoing, and so i did, remebering to keep within the smallbore silhoutte hunter class rules.
I had already added a cheekpiece and freefloated the barrel, along with a manageable "tactical" styled sling.
I started to the trigger guard area. I put in certain contours and shaped the guard to simulate that of a 1911 pistol guard. If you have handled a 1911 for 3 seconds, by the 5th second you realize the beauty and comfort of the contours. The contours seemingly direct your finger to the trigger and seems natural. It is also a help when using gloves. The black lines outline the contours made.
I also paid attention to opening the inside of the guard a bit to accommodate use of gloves, and made an extra contour to the front of the guard and where it attaches to the stock to give a comfortable "off target, off trigger" resting place, and a place to brace and lock in the webbing of my support hand for offhand shots. I also contoured and chamfered around the edges of the guard producing a Remington / Rugerish look and feel. I spent 2 hours alone just on the trigger guard area, to
get it "just right".
I moved back to the grip, starting behind the trigger guard, and rounded out this area and sanded off material at the top of the grip to give it a subtle pistol grip feel. It is very subtle, but all these little touches add up to a big result when combined with the trigger guard contours and the sanding to be done on the back strap of the grip. Be extra careful, take your time and don't sand too much. From past experience, you can end up with a hole in your stock, as the plastic does get thin in areas. You can see as what appeared to be small palm swells in the unaltered stock can become more pronounced with a little sanding.
I flattened out the bottom edge of the rear of the stock as I may attach some gripping / textured material later for better grip when shooting off a bag or other rear support. I had then addressed the back strap of the grip by making the area where the comb starts more rounded and comfortable to my thumb. I then flattened out the area leading to the bolt, giving yet another place for my thumb to rest. This also helped reduce the "Savage hunch" that sticks out like a sore thumb in this area. I also slimmed down both sides of the stock near the back of the bolt where 2 other humps are predominant. Those things not only improved grip, but also gave the appearance of a quality center fire stock, instead of the crappy / dorky rimfire look.
On the bolt side of the rifle, I slimmed down and contoured / recessed the area leading to the safety mechanism. I (being a leftie shooter with a rightie rifle), find it much more convienant to find the safety with this contour, as it generally guides your finger to the mechanism. Holding the rifle and finding the safety right handed was done with ease.
The same held true for the bolt. I made a bell like shaped contour / recess from the top of and including the bolt handle cutout, all the way down to the bottom of the stock. The recess was greater than 1/8" deep, which doesn't sound like much, however was noticeable and improved a few things:
1. Made bolt handle more accessible with or without gloves.
2. Gave the bolt handle an extended look and feel, and in a way is extended from the stock plane by more than 1/8".
3. Funneled hand or fingers directly to the knob, which made for a quicker and easier operation of the bolt.
4. Makes the stock look non factory.
These steps took 4 hrs.
I thought of what I can do to the front of the stock, not only to make it less factory looking, but to give it some fit and function. I thought about the tip being rounded (HS Precisionish), then thought squared (McMillanish). Then I figured I really don't have too much of a purpose for the front end, and as long as it's 8" long I'll be good for the silhouette rules, things got strange....
It does reduce the nose weight, reduces flex, and better air circulation for cooling (not that this .22 is going to be rapid fired).
I then put in some ventilation holes as it's the "style" and in fashion these days. I did that by measuring and drilling holes next to each other in the side of the stock, then taking a file to it to slot it out. Because I do like options, I added additional sling studs ($4.99) at Dick's sporting goods , $8.99 at Walmart, included swivels, which I didn't need as the sling came with swivels) to the front left side (leftie shooter) and off set top rear of the stock to give an "at the ready" hands free carry option (which should be great for critter hunting - now it's doing triple duty). The nose and the other parts of this step took an additional 8 hours.
For those that like to attach things to rails, a low cost alternative to rails is by using Weaver scope bases (you may have a few laying around), or new ones ($6.49 at Walmart) that have enough thickness on the bottom to allow enough clearance for mounting of your accessories to the stock. You can cut extra grooves in them to mimic a rail by using a file that is the same or similar width, or simply attach them as they are using 2 small flat head wood or machine screws. Make sure the alignment of the "rail" is online and hitting a target by using a small 1" flashlight clamped in one of the scope rings that you didn't use that came with the scope (remember those?). Look through the optic, and if the light is hitting well on your target mark the stock, mark it, and drill the pilot holes. If the light doesn't, adjust up or down, or left and right. Left and right adjustments are accomplished either by shimming the front or back of the base (you will probably have to do this with a regular rail also)with a washer or two. Situate the washer(s) so that you can put a one of the mounting screws through to help secure the base and washer as one. If you don't like to shim, you can also file off material from the bottom of the base to get the correct fit. I added another to the bottom of the stock. This step took 3 hours to complete.
More "extreme" stock modifications are floating in my head (a rear hook, adding epoxy filler to grip area for a more defined pistol/ target stock configuration, finger grooves in the main grip and forestock, fatter forestock, etc.), however they would violate the silhouette rifle rules for weight/function for hunter class and will have to wait for another time, or done to an extra stock for this rifle....hmmmm.
I then removed all the studs / rails, and lightly sanded the whole stock, masked off the area where the receiver is fitted (I don't want to get paint in the inlet as I may bed the receiver later), quickly wiped all surfaces with acetone and a lint free cloth, prepping the stock for paint. I was thinking about going with a camo, or all OD green, tan, or something more "civilized". After eyeballing the rig for a few days the look of an all black rifle is starting to grow on me (they even make a rubberized finish, to give a rubber armored effect, if you wish). 1.5 hours and can of Krylon ultra black $4.44. For texture, well, I don't want to give all of my secrets away.....
Once the paint dried, I stuffed the stock with plastic "Walmart" bags, to quite up that twangy hollow sound and adds virtually no weight (packaging penuts work well also), replaced the butt pad, cheekpiece, studs and "rails", and took a moment to look at it...
"Finished" stock photos:
![url]](http://[url="http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu54/WALTERRO/MKII%20F/MKIIF035.jpg"]http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu54/WALTERRO/MKII%20F/MKIIF035.jpg[/url])
![url]](http://[url="http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu54/WALTERRO/MKII%20F/MKIIF036.jpg"]http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu54/WALTERRO/MKII%20F/MKIIF036.jpg[/url])
![url]](http://[url="http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu54/WALTERRO/MKII%20F/MKIIF037.jpg"]http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu54/WALTERRO/MKII%20F/MKIIF037.jpg[/url])
![url]](http://[url="http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu54/WALTERRO/MKII%20F/MKIIF038.jpg"]http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu54/WALTERRO/MKII%20F/MKIIF038.jpg[/url])
![url]](http://[url="http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu54/WALTERRO/MKII%20F/MKIIF039.jpg"]http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu54/WALTERRO/MKII%20F/MKIIF039.jpg[/url])
![url]](http://[url="http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu54/WALTERRO/MKII%20F/MKIIF041.jpg"]http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu54/WALTERRO/MKII%20F/MKIIF041.jpg[/url])
![url]](http://[url="http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu54/WALTERRO/MKII%20F/MKIIF042.jpg"]http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu54/WALTERRO/MKII%20F/MKIIF042.jpg[/url])
At least it lost that Walmart look, and fits the hand a bit better. only thing left is bedding it, which I'm still undecided, but will look into doing.
Total stock modification time for the above work was 17 hours, with the stock work from a previous post, 22 hours overall.
TOTALS:
RIFLE...............$127.00
BIPOD.................39.97
B. GROUND CHECK........5.00
SCOPE.................69.97
RINGS................. 9.47
ULTRA BLACK KRYLON.... 4.44
STUDS (2 packs)....... 9.98
CHEEKPIECE+RAIL.......42.00
SLING.................16.97
BASES(USED AS RAILS)...6.49
TAX...................19.88
= $351.17
OVERALL TIME = 30 HOURS
We had covered some basic modifications in a previous post, but if you want to set your rifle apart from others and add some functional changes, some time, not neccessarily money, needs to be invested. Tools used were sandpaper, flat and round file, drill. Anything worth doing is worth overdoing, and so i did, remebering to keep within the smallbore silhoutte hunter class rules.
I had already added a cheekpiece and freefloated the barrel, along with a manageable "tactical" styled sling.
I started to the trigger guard area. I put in certain contours and shaped the guard to simulate that of a 1911 pistol guard. If you have handled a 1911 for 3 seconds, by the 5th second you realize the beauty and comfort of the contours. The contours seemingly direct your finger to the trigger and seems natural. It is also a help when using gloves. The black lines outline the contours made.
I also paid attention to opening the inside of the guard a bit to accommodate use of gloves, and made an extra contour to the front of the guard and where it attaches to the stock to give a comfortable "off target, off trigger" resting place, and a place to brace and lock in the webbing of my support hand for offhand shots. I also contoured and chamfered around the edges of the guard producing a Remington / Rugerish look and feel. I spent 2 hours alone just on the trigger guard area, to
get it "just right".
I moved back to the grip, starting behind the trigger guard, and rounded out this area and sanded off material at the top of the grip to give it a subtle pistol grip feel. It is very subtle, but all these little touches add up to a big result when combined with the trigger guard contours and the sanding to be done on the back strap of the grip. Be extra careful, take your time and don't sand too much. From past experience, you can end up with a hole in your stock, as the plastic does get thin in areas. You can see as what appeared to be small palm swells in the unaltered stock can become more pronounced with a little sanding.
I flattened out the bottom edge of the rear of the stock as I may attach some gripping / textured material later for better grip when shooting off a bag or other rear support. I had then addressed the back strap of the grip by making the area where the comb starts more rounded and comfortable to my thumb. I then flattened out the area leading to the bolt, giving yet another place for my thumb to rest. This also helped reduce the "Savage hunch" that sticks out like a sore thumb in this area. I also slimmed down both sides of the stock near the back of the bolt where 2 other humps are predominant. Those things not only improved grip, but also gave the appearance of a quality center fire stock, instead of the crappy / dorky rimfire look.
On the bolt side of the rifle, I slimmed down and contoured / recessed the area leading to the safety mechanism. I (being a leftie shooter with a rightie rifle), find it much more convienant to find the safety with this contour, as it generally guides your finger to the mechanism. Holding the rifle and finding the safety right handed was done with ease.
The same held true for the bolt. I made a bell like shaped contour / recess from the top of and including the bolt handle cutout, all the way down to the bottom of the stock. The recess was greater than 1/8" deep, which doesn't sound like much, however was noticeable and improved a few things:
1. Made bolt handle more accessible with or without gloves.
2. Gave the bolt handle an extended look and feel, and in a way is extended from the stock plane by more than 1/8".
3. Funneled hand or fingers directly to the knob, which made for a quicker and easier operation of the bolt.
4. Makes the stock look non factory.
These steps took 4 hrs.
I thought of what I can do to the front of the stock, not only to make it less factory looking, but to give it some fit and function. I thought about the tip being rounded (HS Precisionish), then thought squared (McMillanish). Then I figured I really don't have too much of a purpose for the front end, and as long as it's 8" long I'll be good for the silhouette rules, things got strange....
It does reduce the nose weight, reduces flex, and better air circulation for cooling (not that this .22 is going to be rapid fired).
I then put in some ventilation holes as it's the "style" and in fashion these days. I did that by measuring and drilling holes next to each other in the side of the stock, then taking a file to it to slot it out. Because I do like options, I added additional sling studs ($4.99) at Dick's sporting goods , $8.99 at Walmart, included swivels, which I didn't need as the sling came with swivels) to the front left side (leftie shooter) and off set top rear of the stock to give an "at the ready" hands free carry option (which should be great for critter hunting - now it's doing triple duty). The nose and the other parts of this step took an additional 8 hours.
For those that like to attach things to rails, a low cost alternative to rails is by using Weaver scope bases (you may have a few laying around), or new ones ($6.49 at Walmart) that have enough thickness on the bottom to allow enough clearance for mounting of your accessories to the stock. You can cut extra grooves in them to mimic a rail by using a file that is the same or similar width, or simply attach them as they are using 2 small flat head wood or machine screws. Make sure the alignment of the "rail" is online and hitting a target by using a small 1" flashlight clamped in one of the scope rings that you didn't use that came with the scope (remember those?). Look through the optic, and if the light is hitting well on your target mark the stock, mark it, and drill the pilot holes. If the light doesn't, adjust up or down, or left and right. Left and right adjustments are accomplished either by shimming the front or back of the base (you will probably have to do this with a regular rail also)with a washer or two. Situate the washer(s) so that you can put a one of the mounting screws through to help secure the base and washer as one. If you don't like to shim, you can also file off material from the bottom of the base to get the correct fit. I added another to the bottom of the stock. This step took 3 hours to complete.
More "extreme" stock modifications are floating in my head (a rear hook, adding epoxy filler to grip area for a more defined pistol/ target stock configuration, finger grooves in the main grip and forestock, fatter forestock, etc.), however they would violate the silhouette rifle rules for weight/function for hunter class and will have to wait for another time, or done to an extra stock for this rifle....hmmmm.
I then removed all the studs / rails, and lightly sanded the whole stock, masked off the area where the receiver is fitted (I don't want to get paint in the inlet as I may bed the receiver later), quickly wiped all surfaces with acetone and a lint free cloth, prepping the stock for paint. I was thinking about going with a camo, or all OD green, tan, or something more "civilized". After eyeballing the rig for a few days the look of an all black rifle is starting to grow on me (they even make a rubberized finish, to give a rubber armored effect, if you wish). 1.5 hours and can of Krylon ultra black $4.44. For texture, well, I don't want to give all of my secrets away.....
Once the paint dried, I stuffed the stock with plastic "Walmart" bags, to quite up that twangy hollow sound and adds virtually no weight (packaging penuts work well also), replaced the butt pad, cheekpiece, studs and "rails", and took a moment to look at it...
"Finished" stock photos:
At least it lost that Walmart look, and fits the hand a bit better. only thing left is bedding it, which I'm still undecided, but will look into doing.
Total stock modification time for the above work was 17 hours, with the stock work from a previous post, 22 hours overall.
TOTALS:
RIFLE...............$127.00
BIPOD.................39.97
B. GROUND CHECK........5.00
SCOPE.................69.97
RINGS................. 9.47
ULTRA BLACK KRYLON.... 4.44
STUDS (2 packs)....... 9.98
CHEEKPIECE+RAIL.......42.00
SLING.................16.97
BASES(USED AS RAILS)...6.49
TAX...................19.88
= $351.17
OVERALL TIME = 30 HOURS
