codyadams
Well-Known Member
Ok, I'll start off by saying that you can NEVER turn a B&C into a Manners EH-1, but I really like the look of the Manners EH-1, and while my B&C has served me well, I really disliked the blocky forend, I didn't like the way the rifle carried on a sling with a bipod attached, and I wouldn't mind shaving off a little weight, as I mostly use my rifle for hunting and I do some packing with it. So, I began working on my stock.
First, I took down the blocky forend to a nice slim profile. I did this using a hand rasp, sanding block, and sandpaper. I wish I would have had a band saw, it would have saved me some elbo grease and time, but on the upside, going this slow ensured I would not take it too far. *WARNING* Be prepared for ALOT of fiberglass to get everywhere. I kept a shop vac close while doing this, and wore rubber gloves, and still got some fiberglass stickers in my arm. While recontouring the forend, I discovered a couple of voids in the fiberglass. These would later be filled.
I used Bondo to fill in the fiberglass as well as the voids, off the recommendation of a guy that did a similar stock rebuild on another forum....Honestly, I would advise against it. It simply seems too soft, and if I were to do it again, I would use my Devcon plastic steel I use for action bedding and then sand it down to form. But, you live and you learn. Hopefully the next guy/gal that wants to do this reads this thread and learns from my mistakes. Anyway....you can also see where I taped off a pattern, for my grip texture I would be adding
Next, as you see in one of my previous pictures, I began installation of my McMillan Flushcups. I will say they seem to work awesome, and are extremely solid. Installation was simple, I drilled a little over 1/2" deep with a 1/2" Forstner bit, which worked well and didn't chip the stock, Then chamfered the hole with my chamfering tool, because I wanted to, and then threaded with a 9/16"-18 tap, applied some JB Weld, and screwed them in place.
Next, I began working on my grip texture. Again, I learned a lesson here. I used JB Weld, and while I believe it will hold up well, the consistency of it simply wasn't thick enough. My intention was to wait till it got tacky, then wet my finger and make alot of little ridges in it, then when it got a little more set up, I would go back and slightly smooth out the sharp edges of the ridges I made, so it would be similar to the Manners grip texture. Well, I waited too long for it to set up, and by the time I came back, the best I could do without making it look like **** was use a wadded up plastic bag and press it on firmly to create some texture. The texture isn't as aggressive as I would like, but it is still some. If I was to do it again, I would also use my Devcon plastic steel for this as well, as it has a peanut butter texture and doesn't run like JB weld, which required me to wait and miss the right time to get it textured properly. With Devcon, it is the right texture as soon as you mix it up, and you have a several hour period after it sets some that you can smooth out the ridges.
Next, came the painting. I used Krylon camo spray paint. I was going for the Manners type GAP camo....My green is too light colored of a green, and I was a little heavy handed with the sponge and didn't leave enough black showing. I don't hate it, but it just didn't come out how I wanted it. But, either way, here was my process.
I used almost an entire can of flat black camo spray paint on the base coat, after thoroughly cleaning the entire stock with acetone. It received probably 6-8 coats of black. After setting for 2 days to dry, I went to town with the sponges. I sprayed the paint directly on the sponge then applied to the stock. I pushed too hard, making the colors more solid than the sponge affect. I gave these colors 1 day to dry, then I used an entire can of Krylon Matte clear coat for protection. I don't know how many coats it was, it was just the entire can. I gave this 3 days to dry, then put the rifle back together. I can only upload 10 pics per post, so I'll put the finished product in the next post.
First, I took down the blocky forend to a nice slim profile. I did this using a hand rasp, sanding block, and sandpaper. I wish I would have had a band saw, it would have saved me some elbo grease and time, but on the upside, going this slow ensured I would not take it too far. *WARNING* Be prepared for ALOT of fiberglass to get everywhere. I kept a shop vac close while doing this, and wore rubber gloves, and still got some fiberglass stickers in my arm. While recontouring the forend, I discovered a couple of voids in the fiberglass. These would later be filled.
I used Bondo to fill in the fiberglass as well as the voids, off the recommendation of a guy that did a similar stock rebuild on another forum....Honestly, I would advise against it. It simply seems too soft, and if I were to do it again, I would use my Devcon plastic steel I use for action bedding and then sand it down to form. But, you live and you learn. Hopefully the next guy/gal that wants to do this reads this thread and learns from my mistakes. Anyway....you can also see where I taped off a pattern, for my grip texture I would be adding
Next, as you see in one of my previous pictures, I began installation of my McMillan Flushcups. I will say they seem to work awesome, and are extremely solid. Installation was simple, I drilled a little over 1/2" deep with a 1/2" Forstner bit, which worked well and didn't chip the stock, Then chamfered the hole with my chamfering tool, because I wanted to, and then threaded with a 9/16"-18 tap, applied some JB Weld, and screwed them in place.
Next, I began working on my grip texture. Again, I learned a lesson here. I used JB Weld, and while I believe it will hold up well, the consistency of it simply wasn't thick enough. My intention was to wait till it got tacky, then wet my finger and make alot of little ridges in it, then when it got a little more set up, I would go back and slightly smooth out the sharp edges of the ridges I made, so it would be similar to the Manners grip texture. Well, I waited too long for it to set up, and by the time I came back, the best I could do without making it look like **** was use a wadded up plastic bag and press it on firmly to create some texture. The texture isn't as aggressive as I would like, but it is still some. If I was to do it again, I would also use my Devcon plastic steel for this as well, as it has a peanut butter texture and doesn't run like JB weld, which required me to wait and miss the right time to get it textured properly. With Devcon, it is the right texture as soon as you mix it up, and you have a several hour period after it sets some that you can smooth out the ridges.
Next, came the painting. I used Krylon camo spray paint. I was going for the Manners type GAP camo....My green is too light colored of a green, and I was a little heavy handed with the sponge and didn't leave enough black showing. I don't hate it, but it just didn't come out how I wanted it. But, either way, here was my process.
I used almost an entire can of flat black camo spray paint on the base coat, after thoroughly cleaning the entire stock with acetone. It received probably 6-8 coats of black. After setting for 2 days to dry, I went to town with the sponges. I sprayed the paint directly on the sponge then applied to the stock. I pushed too hard, making the colors more solid than the sponge affect. I gave these colors 1 day to dry, then I used an entire can of Krylon Matte clear coat for protection. I don't know how many coats it was, it was just the entire can. I gave this 3 days to dry, then put the rifle back together. I can only upload 10 pics per post, so I'll put the finished product in the next post.
