looking for feedback on a diy wood stock

[logic factory]

there is something i have always liked about the bell and carlson tactical stock that the remington folks get to play with. this is where i got most of the aesthetic inspiration from. i have never handled a stock anything like any of these and am asking for feedback as a result. i may try and get out to the local cabelas in the next week or two but for the mean time i will value any and all feedback i can get. i will only be building one action and stock for my life so i would like it to do most types of shooting i may encounter well. this stock would need to handle the recoil from, at most, a 6mm 115pill @ 3300fps.

the stock will be birdseye maple with a thinner black walnut middle; no more than 3/4" thick black walnut. i am conflicted as being a wood stock part of me says stay traditional and keep the fore grip up and contoured to barrel. but the other part of me likes the idea of making it with a little more emphasis on the free floating; to suggest a more precision type look.

there is even a chance i may drill out a pattern from the bottom of the grip to add weight at a later time for bench type and maybe some matches. i also think if i did this i need to be worried about the propensity for additional moisture to find its way back into the wood. is this a valid concern even though i will be sealing the wood; should just ask my father this.

another area i am concerned with is by the grip. i would like to be able to get my thumb around and almost behind my fingers. i am worried that by doing so i may weaken the stock to much. based on the expected recoil from the pills i plan to push are my concerns founded?

i also would like to add some sort of hook on the bottom of the stock for prone type shooting. i also like the stockade prairie dog type hook but feel the more round hook contradicts the predominantly straight, angular cuts the stock will have. but it could compliment the more round cutout behind the tang for the thumb?

i would also like to maybe build my single shot follower into the in-letting. do people do this over buying an aluminum follower? if i bought an aluminum follower i would like the idea of locking it into place via the two action screws. not sure if this is how they normal attach but this is the idea i have in my mind.

yes, the adjustable check weld is needed as i want my friends and family to try and experience accuracy they may not be able to conceive at this present time.

another question, do any of you ever want to have a spot for your index finger to rest prior to putting pressure on the trigger? like this image ->

i look forward to the answers to my multiple questions and the extra feedback this thread generates. thank you for your time.

 

[rscott5028]

[...]another area i am concerned with is by the grip. i would like to be able to get my thumb around and almost behind my fingers. i am worried that by doing so i may weaken the stock to much. based on the expected recoil from the pills i plan to push are my concerns founded?
[...]

can't comment on the whole thread

but, on a 6mm with any weight to the rifle/stock, you should not need to wrap your thumb around the grip

it should shoot well with almost free recoil with a well designed stock, rest/pod, and rear bag

your thumb should lay gently along side or top of the palm swell

the stock types that you show are good designs for long range precision

just my $.02 FWIW
-- richard

 

[J E Custom]

I have built quite a few stocks by hand and with only hand tools and it is a chore to say
the least.

I have been happy with all of them. But if you want my opinion, have someone make it for you
or buy a laminate varmint with the proper inletting and then shape it the way you want it.

I started with a chunk of wood , inletted it, cut it out(2 dimensionally) and then shaped them with
a spokeshave and a hand sander. after getting them like I wanted I checkered them, and applied
the finish.

The time was unbelievable and I figured if I did a stock to sell I would make about $2.00 an
hour.

If you want a wood/laminate stock that is like the Bell & Carlson PM Joel Russo on this site and
tell him what you want. He is as good as they come and he can match any stock you want.

If you still want to build it yourself, "Have fun" and dont get in a hurry.

Just some advice for what it's worth.

J E CUSTOM

 

[logic factory]

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sounds like, based on your experience, that the thumb wrap around is for the harder hitting rifles? this is valuable and will likely have me leaving more material in that area as i could always remove more if for some reason i do not like where my thumb lays.

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thank you for posting your experiences. i will keep mr. russo in mind if for some reason i fail to produce a satisfactory stock. my father will be helping me on this project and i am confident it will come out well. we are both perfectionists but he has the skills to take advantage of it at this time where i am still developing mine. i have removed some of the complexity from the in-letting and cutting for the action process plus i have lots of time, which was the parting advice you offered.

i think i will be able to develop the single shot follower into the stock too. seems this would also help take some load off the recoil lug?

i should be going to my fathers this weekend with the goal to; plane(sp?) and laminate the 3 boards together. i may also look to try and optimism the woods features for cutting the stock this weekend too.

i have also thought more about the design and because i plan to keep both the top and bottom edges of the stock straight and parallel from about the bolt channel to recoil lug i will likely start off with the stock as a more traditional shape; having it surround the barrel. if i do not like it it i could always remove it like i have in the crude drawings above.

thank you both for the feedback!

 

[grit]

That B&C is a conglomeration of poorly executed, poorly matched ideas, with lines that make me queesy. Please don't build a lovely wood stock and make it look like that.

Take a look at McMillans A5 and A3-5. Look at Manners T4 and T2. Look at Russos A5L and A2L.

Look at every single feature and imagine the purpose of the feature, imagine the rifle in use. Now look at the lines of each stock. Then throw the B&C photo away and pick any of the others.

 

[logic factory]

grit:
i did look at all those stock you mention again just prior to making this post. i had a couple days prior to your post made some changes to the shape that will be documented below. after seeing those stocks again im thinking i may end up placing a tapper in the fore-grip. will likely keep it thick and parallel first so that i can cut a tapper later if i think it may look a little better. i am also thinking to keep the butt straight across the top too rather than having the check weld higher. at that point this stock will have more in common with other tactical stocks than the b&c. thank you for your feedback.

here is part of the post i made on another forum of the more up to date minus the aforementioned butt shape.

"seeing how this is my first stock and i am not sure how i will like the more aggressive contours in the grip and less than traditional free floating in the grip. because of this, i have changed the shape of the stock to facilitate more adjustments. it makes sense to keep as much wood on the stock as possible to allow for more shaping; if desired.
here is the newly proposed shape.

i have reduced the notch behind the grip, reduced and changed the shape of the bottom hook, shortened the fore grip and made the stock straight along both top and bottom, and will have a traditional free floated look. if i still want to see the complete barrel i can do that after i have the rifle mocked up."

i am meeting with my father tomorrow (8jul12) and if he was able to source the black walnut for me this passed week we may glue up the boards tomorrow as well. regardless of what progress we may or may not make tomorrow i will update the thread when something meaningful happens.

 

[grit]

In part, I was giving you a hard time. In part, I was sincere. I really dislike the B&C. I find the new drawing significantly improved. You've kind of blended tactical and bench rest ideas. You might also look at Shehane Trackers. He's built some beautiful and functional (for bench rest) stocks, applicable to your project.

You might consider making a pattern out of fir and bondo. This will allow you to experiment and adjust endlessly. Once you've got the patttern just right it can be used to cut your blank in a stock duplicator.

 

[ak1251]

shape it the way you want to fit your shooting style. that's the bennifit of carving a stoch by hand. i've made serverial stocks from blanks and have learned alot from each one. my advice is to use a scraper more and chisels less. go slowly and TAKE YOUR TIME because once you remove wood you can't put it back

 

[logic factory]

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thank you again for the response and idea. the stock duplicator idea sounds a little to costly for me. ill take my time with the shaping knowing that i may not have more than 2 or 3 tries to get this right. this is why i have added a lot more wood back to the drawings first submitted.

those shehane stocks are a little to much benchrest for me right now. here are the two most recent that will likely change very little in the coming days/week. i will be picking the boards for this project later today and may go with tiger maple if there are not enough birdseyes in the birdseye maple i was planing on using. the important thing to note is i will choose the best wood that my father already has. he will be bringing home the piece of black walnut this week some time. the boards should be laminated next weekend and i should have some updates soon there after.

this one was with the butt change i mentioned last night

this one has a more manners or mcmillan style butt to it. i made the foregrip shark mouth much less aggressive and also took some height and taper for the sides away.

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understood, this is why i have added much more wood back to the stock than i first conceived. thank you for the advice.