Anybody Skelotonized a wood Stock?

[cohunt]

No flex that I can feel, shoots better than Tupperware stock, hasn't broke yet after 3+ years of shooting 7wsm, it is laminate though and not "regular" wood.
Cost me $50 and was a fun project- nowhere near what a cf stock costs. It's not 20 ounces like my ultralight mpi stock i did, but its not 2+ pounds either. Iirc, I reduced the weight over the Tupperware stock by about 4 ounces-- but it's stiffer and shoots better now than it did.

 

[HunterMann]

I put a light weight inexpensive black plastic on my 338 WM years ago and it has been great. It's been everywhere and I have a shot lot of game with it. Never shifted zero. I did fit a limb saver recoil pad as less weight in the configuration does affect the recoil cycle. The stocks available today are better. Save your original stock. Do your research and decide what you really want in a stock. There are plenty of options for a REM 700.

 

[crashlanding]

Wow! Nice work, even if it doesn’t work down the road, it’s still cool as all get out 👍

 

[HunterMann]

Nice job on the stock. The laminate adds strength and stiffness. The color is nice.
All in all it still looks like a "real" rifle stock. I wish I had thought it up...

 

[VTbluegrass]

The key is laminate. Regular wood stock with natural grain you are rolling the dice, cut across the wrong section of grain and it may snap like a twig especially if you are aggressive in the wood removal.

 

[Lee7588]

The key is laminate. Regular wood stock with natural grain you are rolling the dice, cut across the wrong section of grain and it may snap like a twig especially if you are aggressive in the wood removal.

I agree, laminate stocks are very similar to plywood. Plywood when compared to the same thickness of solid wood is always stronger.

 

[crashlanding]

Ever work with hickory?

 

[Hard rock]

You can bore holes spaced so you can still install a pad , and you also can cut a channel in the fore end , not too wide and not too deep and leave wood in between the channels . stay out of and back away from the pistol grip area . If the foreend flexes you can fill back with glass and re cut . i would not recut the outside shape , unless you are a stock maker and really good with wood shaping . Boring the but stock will be where you gain the most reduction in weight . Carbon fiber would still be lighter. Good luck

 

[Lee7588]

Ever work with hickory?

I work with hickory a lot. And with the strength of hickory you also add in the weight. It's a dense heavy wood. But I love it

 

[crashlanding]

I hate, more like dislike, it. Pushing it through a table saw, it has a mind of its own, definitely not a wood I would use for stock making

 

[Lee7588]

I hate, more like dislike, it. Pushing it through a table saw, it has a mind of its own, definitely not a wood I would use for stock making

I agree but working with it it's nice and hard doesn't ding up too easily. I agree I definitely would not use it for a stock it's not going to flex at all to help absorb the recoil like other woods and most definitely not like a synthetic

 

[Lenny Foffa]

The stock on my Weatherby Ultralight Rifle is a Bell and Carlson , made for Weatherby. My guess is that it weighs 20 to 22 ounces . I also would guess that Bell and Carlson makes the same stock, for other actions. Perhaps you can check it out on their Websight???

 

[Argon Glen]

My grandfather, in about 1946, bought my father's first rifle and skeletonized the stock. He also cut the barrel down to less than 16". Both done in the name of weight savings and handling for my dad who was young boy at the time. The rifle is still in the family.

 

[shedhunt]

Check out the Mesa Altitude stock. They weight 25oz. and are a carbon fiber stock.