Stock modification, Bell & Carlson

[GRG]

I have done a couple of inexpensive stocks to make for a temporary fix until I build or buy what I want. Problem is I like them so much now they are staying on the rifles. I was in a Lowes store and saw some JB 2 part Epoxy that I had never seen before. I usually use Devcon, Marinetex, Acraglass and sometimes JB for small repairs. The newer JB product is very light and works well. Seems to be extremely strong, I tried to break it and it held tough.

Above pics are a Savage Model 11

Above pic Is a Ruger predator with a modified forend and a butt hook built in like the savage. Grip is a Tikka fitted on. I do them to ride a rest on the bench better as well as a rear bag.

I use a dremel and do a lot of cross hatching and deep grooves in the entire area to be built up. I then will add screws into the stock to help guide me on depth and to give a very solid anchor for the material. Next sand with course sand paper and clean everything with lacquer thinner. Then build up your areas and shape to your liking.

The stock in the Picture was a cheap plastic stock for a model 11. As I built it to fit me it is one of the most comfortable hunting stocks I have. They are very light to start with and this material is extremely light for what it does. Good thing is if you don't like it grind it off or just throw it away. Lol

Hope this helps. Very simple, does not take long at all if you have done this work before. If you haven't let her rip and give it a try, you can always buy a new stock.

 

[hemiford]

GRG, that looks great !

 

[Darryle]

I have done a couple of inexpensive stocks to make for a temporary fix until I build or buy what I want. Problem is I like them so much now they are staying on the rifles. I was in a Lowes store and saw some JB 2 part Epoxy that I had never seen before. I usually use Devcon, Marinetex, Acraglass and sometimes JB for small repairs. The newer JB product is very light and works well. Seems to be extremely strong, I tried to break it and it held tough.

Above pics are a Savage Model 11

Above pic Is a Ruger predator with a modified forend and a butt hook built in like the savage. Grip is a Tikka fitted on. I do them to ride a rest on the bench better as well as a rear bag.

I use a dremel and do a lot of cross hatching and deep grooves in the entire area to be built up. I then will add screws into the stock to help guide me on depth and to give a very solid anchor for the material. Next sand with course sand paper and clean everything with lacquer thinner. Then build up your areas and shape to your liking.

The stock in the Picture was a cheap plastic stock for a model 11. As I built it to fit me it is one of the most comfortable hunting stocks I have. They are very light to start with and this material is extremely light for what it does. Good thing is if you don't like it grind it off or just throw it away. Lol

Hope this helps. Very simple, does not take long at all if you have done this work before. If you haven't let her rip and give it a try, you can always buy a new stock.

That is some awesome work, did you happen to weigh before and after the mods?

Curious about weight density of the JB wood putty, does it have it on the containerrs?

 

[Darryle]

This is a aviation product, that is roughly 2 1/2" tall and 3 1/4" tapered to 3" diameter and weighs 175.7 grams. It is an epoxy, I was curious one day and had an expired batch so I mixed up 180 grams of it. It is about like trying to get antisieze off of your hands, hence the reason it has so many pockets, it sticks to everything. I will grab a barcol test to see how hard it is. It is a 2 part system and in small quantities it is very easy to work and apply.

 

[GRG]

What is the cost of the material you are using? Name?

The Savage gained about 1 lb but that also includes 2 carbon shafts and 2 part epoxy going the length of the barrel channel to reinforce it. Quite a bit of material. Rifle with barreled action and scope rail weighs 7lbs 14oz. Not a light weight but still very manageable. Also I do something like this so that the stock has characteristics that allow me to shoot it off the bench better so not totally weight conscious.
The containers don't have much info on them but I would think the website would.

One thing I can tell you is that the material sets in about 1hr. If you are working on multiple things it makes it so that you can go back to the stock over the course of a day and have worked on it in stages and be done. When you start to apply the material to the stock it is like other products that you don't just set it on and press. I use a light layer first that I get to cover most of the area being worked and more or less press and smear it on. You can feel it warming with its chemical reaction and that is when it will bond to the stock much better. That smearing action is the secret to a nice contact with the plastic. Before its cured I go ahead and have the rest of my mixed material added on top. Don't worry about if you have ground out areas beyond the actual finished are as the JB when you smear it on will fill those grooves. After all you will paint it anyway.

 

[Darryle]

What is the cost of the material you are using? Name?

I haven't been able to find it on the aftermarket, it's a proprietary product. I bet it's not cheap.

That is why I was curious about the JB wood putty epoxy, something that is readily available OTC.

 

[comfisherman]

That's the conundrum with advice, figuring out the balance between "best" and good enough. Best is sister in some heavy foam core (heavy in foam is very relative) and cut back the desired shape with a bagged skim bond of cloth..... but those materials if you don't already have them in bulk surplus from other projects cost more than just buying a new stock.

I'd probably try and find the cheapest fiber reinforced filler that you can source and doing a mechanical as well as chemical bond like the above example. It might be heavy and crack a little in a direct strike, but would beat buying a core/epoxy/cloth/peel ply/bagging manifold in value for dollar.

 

[GRG]

Hey I don't want you to think I was cheap! I probably have $6 in each stock with paint and screws. Thats not counting time. Lol
JB I think was under $25, paint $30 and screws I pulled out of my tires. HaHa. Enough to do 3 stocks at least.

 

[Darryle]

Here is the spec off of the manufacturer's website

Syntactic Foam
Model: BH200A/9810
Features

Bh 200a/9810 high strength (syntactic) foam adhesive foam with mix ratio of 100 parts by weight of bh 200 a to 15 parts by weight of 9810; pot life is 150 gr. Mass 20-30 minutes @ 75 degrees f; cure 24 hours @ 75 - 80 degrees f; full cure 7 days at 75 degrees f; specifica gravity is .78 gm/cc; compression is > 7500 psi.

You can see the strength of it. We use it so rarely, it expires before we can use an entire kit.

I would love to find a readily available product that is available OTC for the general public.

I did find this on Amazon

Free Form AIR - Mix & Apply-by-Hand Epoxy Dough (Trial Unit) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IEKMF9C/

 

[akdad]

Sounds like you need to get into stock building Darryl !
That's cool looking stuff

 

[nksmfamjp]

You are going to want some kind of vacuum bag setup. Here is an example, but I'm sure there is a low cost manual method!

Vacuum Bagging, Molding Supplies & Equipment - CST The Composites Store, Inc.

 

[comfisherman]

Bagging, while cool is gonna cost more for setup than a new stock. Vaccum pump, peel ply, breather, manifold, then material on top of that never mind the sealant tape and bag.

 

[Darryle]

Bagging, while cool is gonna cost more for setup than a new stock. Vaccum pump, peel ply, breather, manifold, then material on top of that never mind the sealant tape and bag.

If you have an air compressor, a Harbor Freight vacuum venturi will pull north of 25in hg

While vacuum bagging is a great way to apply pressure, in this application I don't think it's the means, I have used electrical tape with saran wrap or no stick parchment paper with great results.

I ordered the kit I posted from Amazon, I have a stock that I am modifying the barrel channel to fit a slightly smaller contour. I want to see how much weight it adds overall to the stock.

There are so many processes in composite manufacturing that are great but not reasonably applicable to gunstock manufacturing or modification.

I think the OP should use the method laid out by @GRG

Its cheap, simple and since he's not concerned about weight, it's perfect.

 

[comfisherman]

Composites are a big wild world, with some very cool options. But they can be expensive and/or very complex, and not needed in all situations.

With weight not in the equation the grg method is likely the best.