Gunsmithing My $5 garage sale stock project. Needing help.

[pyplynr]

My grandmother went to a garage sale this morning and bought a stock. She had no idea what it was or what it fit. She told me "I only gave $5 for it. And you are always piddling with gun stuff, so I thought you might find some use for it." After I picked it up I found that it was a for a Savage long action. It has been bedded with something red, and the barrel channel has been literally hogged out for a bigger barrel, looks like it was done with a dremel. I just so happen to have a long action Savage with a bull barrel. So I took it out of the chassis it was in to see if it would fit. I had to dremel out the recoil lug area to get mine in there. I got it to fit but, I would like to rebed the action area. I've seen all the threads about bedding, and they all go off taping the barrel and setting it in the channel to hold it in the correct position for bedding. This barrel channel isn't very uniform to go that route. I have used a 1" dowel rod and sandpaper to try and make it more uniform, but it's not big enough to sand it completely smooth and round. What would you suggest I do to get this bedded. Here are a couple pics.

Here is my barreled action sitting in the stock. It fits but the action is pointing down towards the barrel end.

Bedding and hogged out barrel channel.

See how it's all uneven on the sides.

more unevenness.

 

[Sportin Wood]

Re: My $5 garage sale stock project. Needing help.

Wow... dremel is right. Do you have access to a mill or cnc? Alittle clean up and then re-bed it and the stock should be good to go. Nice pick up for $5 though. I'd give ya $10 for it plus shipping

 

[pyplynr]

Re: My $5 garage sale stock project. Needing help.

no mill or cnc. Just general woodworking tools.

 

[Got Diesel]

Re: My $5 garage sale stock project. Needing help.

I would scrape or pry somehow remove the old bedding compound. I would then re-bed to your action.

After that would tape up your barrel about 5 layers of electrical tape. Then I would shove playdough in your stock throughout the barrel channel anywhere you wouldn't want bedding compound. Such as the vents. I would then tape off the rest of the stock. Then bed essentially the barrel channel. Then clean up the rest what oozed out. After that sets up take a file and square everything up.

 

[1SMALLJOHNSON]

Re: My $5 garage sale stock project. Needing help.

PSA (Pressure Sensitive Adhesive) type sandpaper around a wooden dowel for the barrel channel.

 

[Bryan27]

Re: My $5 garage sale stock project. Needing help.

If it were mine, I'd build it up and try to make it uniform again. You could do like Got Diesel said and pack playdough in the vent holes in the stock and areas where you don't want the filler to go and then what I would do is use something like bondo or sawdust/epoxy mix to build up the areas of the stock that were hogged out. This would allow you to make it uniform. I don't know that I'd want to use that much bedding material that it would fill in all the hogged out material, looks like they went to town on it free-style. If you have a router, you could get a router bit to re-cut the barrel channel. Another option would be to bed a thin peice of aluminum tubing into the stocks barrel channel and then cut it in half and use a flush trim bit or file to flush it up with the stock. Looks like fun to me!

 

[cmh2007]

Re: My $5 garage sale stock project. Needing help.

you can also use a deep socket to work the channel out. or go buy the barrel channel scraper form brownells

 

[LRI]

Re: My $5 garage sale stock project. Needing help.

If it were me:

Couple options, you could carbon inlay the barrel channel. there's a couple options available to do this. First (easiest) determine what diameter you'd want. Prolly something like a 1.375" OD tube with a .05-.06" wall.

visit any number of RC model airplane shops online and look up "carbon wing tubes" for giant scale 3D aircraft. You'll soon find a vast assortment.

Buy it and cry once at the price. (about 100 bucks typically)

Rough out your stock till it fits. Scrape, sand, dremel, whatever. Visit a marine dealer and pick up some West Systems 105/206 resin/hardner. Scuff up the tube, mix some resin up with good ol Arm/Hammer baking soda till it's creamy. Put some black dye in it to color match. Tape off the bottom side of your stock and anywhere you don't want the stuff to go. Trim your tube to length, pour in the resin, wet the tube, squeeze into place.

Allow to cure.

Now you have a ridiculous "tube gun" contraption. Time to make it look like a rifle stock again.

Get out the belt sander, mask, and determination, and lay some hate on that biche. Sand nearly smooth to wood and finish with a block/elbow grease.

Won't take nearly as long as you'd think. Once you cut through the tube and get the thin wall section, it'll eat it quick.

WEAR THE DERN MASK! Carbon is hell on the lungs. Your boogers will like like a coal miner's if you don't!

Once completed you'll have a barrel channel that can double as a cricket bat.

Hope this helped.

C.

PS. Tape off the ENTIRE STOCK before trying this. Resin is going to ooze everywhere if you don't. WS 105/206 has a long clamp time so go slow and be methodical. 4:1 ratio by volume.

Easy stuff.

 

[pyplynr]

Re: My $5 garage sale stock project. Needing help.

Those are great ideas, except I really don't want to spend a boatload on this stock. This is mainly just a fun project. I took this barreled action out of an xlr chassis so I don't think this will be a better stock, even if I put a bunch of money in it. I ordered some pillars from Brownells to try my hand at pillar bedding.

 

[bohem]

Re: My $5 garage sale stock project. Needing help.

Chad's advice is awesome and will yield a fantastic looking option, but if you're not wanting to spend the coin then Got Diesel's approach would be the one I took.

Playdough (Kleen Klay) up the holes in the stock, sorta sand it somewhat uniform, and then bed up that whole front area and clean it all up.

If you really just want to go cheap get progressively bigger dowels (or PVC pipe) and sand it until uniform and then seal it up with some sort of shellac.

I would definitely rebed that action area and put pillars in there.

 

[HPLLC]

Re: My $5 garage sale stock project. Needing help.

There are only 3 features you will be able to see when this is done-

The top right and left edges of the barrel channel, and the front radius under the barrel. I would think you could take a flat file and then a hand sander (one of those wooden block things) and make the top two edges straight.

Up front you may be able to take a stack of 2-3 carbon cut-off disks in your dremel to create a radius that is clean.

Then you wrap tape around your barrel to get even barrel channel clearance and bed the action, and it should look fairly good and shoot perfectly fine.

 

[2156SMK]

Re: My $5 garage sale stock project. Needing help.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: C. Dixon</div><div class="ubbcode-body">pick up some West Systems 105/206 resin/hardner.
mix some resin up with good ol Arm/Hammer baking soda till it's creamy.
Put some black dye in it to color match.</div></div>

Do you have a lot of experience with that blend?

 

[hero's machine]

Re: My $5 garage sale stock project. Needing help.

you know that "no comment" is coming.

west makes great products.

 

[2156SMK]

Re: My $5 garage sale stock project. Needing help.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: hero's machine</div><div class="ubbcode-body">you know that "no comment" is coming.</div></div>

Yes, I do.

 

[Capt Beach]

Re: My $5 garage sale stock project. Needing help.

Make yourself an inletting tool to straighten out the barrel channel...

Take your stock to the hardware store with you...go to the "hardware aisle"

Pick out a Stainless Steel Fender Washer that most approximates the channel you would like to end up with...buy 2-3 of them in case you screw the pooch on one of them...

Buy a 18" section of threaded rod...

Buy a nut and 2 small washers and a nyloc nut to fit the threaded rod...

Place the fender washer into a vise securely...take a file and start removing metal along 1/2 of its circumference,your making 1/2 of a round knife of sorts...its important to maintain the perfect circle on the fender washer.

When you have a 1/2 round filed sharp then take your threaded rod and mark it about 6 inches up, put a 45 degree bend in it at this point. Wrap duct tape around the other end of the rod to form a handle OR make a large dowel into a screw on handle for it by drilling it just a tad smaller than the threaded rod and screwing it on...run the bolt up about 1/2-9/16th of the way up on the working end...place a small waster onto the rod...

Take another washer and place it up against the sharpened fender washer...secure it with the nyloc bolt, tighten down good...you have now made a 1/2 round draw knife that approximates your barrel channel.

Secure the stock into a suitable vise, with padding sufficient to prevent damage to the stock...

make sure the sharp edge orients down towards the work...starting at the rearmost portion of the barrel channel draw the knife down in smooth stokes...it may be hard at first due to all the dremeling gouges and irregularities...Draw the knife until the channel is sufficiently smooth to your tastes...sand the channel smooth and seal with a suitable thinned epoxy or varnish to seal it...

Capt Beach

 

[TOP PREDATOR]

Re: My $5 garage sale stock project. Needing help.

whatever you do, you owe grandma a dinner.

 

[pfcustom]

Re: My $5 garage sale stock project. Needing help.

Chad: Buskshot here, I've used the West Marine 105/206 before, what is the Arm & Hammer sooda (ain't that the way you say it out there?) for?
I know if you do something there is a good reason for it!
Thanks, take care:


<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: C. Dixon</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If it were me:

Couple options, you could carbon inlay the barrel channel. there's a couple options available to do this. First (easiest) determine what diameter you'd want. Prolly something like a 1.375" OD tube with a .05-.06" wall.

visit any number of RC model airplane shops online and look up "carbon wing tubes" for giant scale 3D aircraft. You'll soon find a vast assortment.

Buy it and cry once at the price. (about 100 bucks typically)

Rough out your stock till it fits. Scrape, sand, dremel, whatever. Visit a marine dealer and pick up some West Systems 105/206 resin/hardner. Scuff up the tube, mix some resin up with good ol Arm/Hammer baking soda till it's creamy. Put some black dye in it to color match. Tape off the bottom side of your stock and anywhere you don't want the stuff to go. Trim your tube to length, pour in the resin, wet the tube, squeeze into place.

Allow to cure.

Now you have a ridiculous "tube gun" contraption. Time to make it look like a rifle stock again.

Get out the belt sander, mask, and determination, and lay some hate on that biche. Sand nearly smooth to wood and finish with a block/elbow grease.

Won't take nearly as long as you'd think. Once you cut through the tube and get the thin wall section, it'll eat it quick.

WEAR THE DERN MASK! Carbon is hell on the lungs. Your boogers will like like a coal miner's if you don't!

Once completed you'll have a barrel channel that can double as a cricket bat.

Hope this helped.

C.

PS. Tape off the ENTIRE STOCK before trying this. Resin is going to ooze everywhere if you don't. WS 105/206 has a long clamp time so go slow and be methodical. 4:1 ratio by volume.

Easy stuff.

</div></div>

 

[pyplynr]

Re: My $5 garage sale stock project. Needing help.

Good idea CaptBeach. I'm going to get a piece of pvc pipe and try sanding it bigger than what my wooden dowel rod was after I bed it. If it doesn't work I may go your route.

 

[E. Bryant]

Re: My $5 garage sale stock project. Needing help.

I've used West System products for this type of work - 105/205 with their 407 "microballoon" filler is pretty good stuff. Go with the 206 hardener if you need more working time or if ambient temps are above room temp, but my shop is hardly ever warm enough for that to be necessary. If you are mixing a large batch (more than 50 grams or so) with the 205 hardener, keep it on a flat surface such as a mixing board or else it'll "flash" and cure very rapidly!

 

[desertrat1979]

Re: My $5 garage sale stock project. Needing help.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: pfcustom</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Chad: Buskshot here, I've used the West Marine 105/206 before, what is the Arm & Hammer sooda (ain't that the way you say it out there?) for?
I know if you do something there is a good reason for it!
Thanks, take care:


</div></div>

He uses it to thicken the epoxy. Baking soda is inert with the chemicals in epoxy so all it does is act as a filler. It isnt gonna booger up the chemical composition. I have used this trick on most epoxies and JB weld with good success. It also works well if you got small voids n chips in a synthetic stock. Just fill it with the soda and drip some regular superglue in it. In minutes its good to be sanded down.

I have also considered adding powdered graphite to darken the mixture. Keep it from looking like an elephant blew his load on the stock.

Oh, if you dont mind, Chad. Where can I go to get some good data on epoxies and stuff. I tried looking but just came up with a few manufacturers sites that looked more like an advertisement. I am trying to find some side by side data on various types and uses.

 

[ranger1183]

Re: My $5 garage sale stock project. Needing help.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: C. Dixon</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If it were me:

Couple options, you could carbon inlay the barrel channel. there's a couple options available to do this. First (easiest) determine what diameter you'd want. Prolly something like a 1.375" OD tube with a .05-.06" wall.

visit any number of RC model airplane shops online and look up "carbon wing tubes" for giant scale 3D aircraft. You'll soon find a vast assortment.

Buy it and cry once at the price. (about 100 bucks typically)

Rough out your stock till it fits. Scrape, sand, dremel, whatever. Visit a marine dealer and pick up some West Systems 105/206 resin/hardner. Scuff up the tube, mix some resin up with good ol Arm/Hammer baking soda till it's creamy. Put some black dye in it to color match. Tape off the bottom side of your stock and anywhere you don't want the stuff to go. Trim your tube to length, pour in the resin, wet the tube, squeeze into place.

Allow to cure.

Now you have a ridiculous "tube gun" contraption. Time to make it look like a rifle stock again.

Get out the belt sander, mask, and determination, and lay some hate on that biche. Sand nearly smooth to wood and finish with a block/elbow grease.

Won't take nearly as long as you'd think. Once you cut through the tube and get the thin wall section, it'll eat it quick.

WEAR THE DERN MASK! Carbon is hell on the lungs. Your boogers will like like a coal miner's if you don't!

Once completed you'll have a barrel channel that can double as a cricket bat.

Hope this helped.

C.

PS. Tape off the ENTIRE STOCK before trying this. Resin is going to ooze everywhere if you don't. WS 105/206 has a long clamp time so go slow and be methodical. 4:1 ratio by volume.

Easy stuff. </div></div>
This sounds very interesting. Someone make a video of this procedure, I need to see how it's done (not just read about it).

 

[six 4 sure]

Re: My $5 garage sale stock project. Needing help.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: C. Dixon</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Your boogers will like like a coal miner's if you don't!</div></div>
You don't want this. Trust me.

 

[pyplynr]

Re: My $5 garage sale stock project. Needing help.

Little update. I repainted barreled action and bedded the action. Got new shorter rings and bought a metal trigger guard. Probably this weekend I'll bed the barrel channel. So far it looks pretty good.