K guys, here's the deal. comb is too high on this 458 and bangs me like a boxer. Instead of replacing the stock and then having to either chuck this piece or build something that fits it. What if I had a 1/4 rib put on the barrel to raise the rear site up? Would it not work or just be ugly? The thought of spending 500 plus on replacing the stock and then finding a way to use this one later kind of bothers me.

You can see that the builder that did the barrel originally put a ring around it, slotted for the rear island, and underside there is a hole where he had a post for recoil (the person I had to the stock took it off and doesn't know what happened to it). I thought maybe a ramp could be made to go in that same slot in the ring and then mount the site on the back of it.

Alternatively I could do away with the open sights and just scope the thing. How taboo is a big bore with no provision for open sights? If I can ever afford to hunt africa I will be able to afford a different rifle, this is more of a toy, will be used in N.A.

Oh, I know the front checkering panel is way undersized, I am going to see if Sherry Abraham can fix that up from me, just enlarge it a bit so it look proportionate to the rest of the gun.

Red

I would just cut the comb down.... about 1/2 or 1/4 of an inch.

jeffe

And don't forget to take the toothbrush out of the trigger guard before firing.

RSY

RSY, that isn't a toothbrush, that's my trigger shoe! HA!

Jeff, do you think that there is enough meat there to take it down? That would make life much easier for me, and I like an easy life.

Red

A scope is faster and more reliable (really, it is, but I don't want to go into all of the potential problems with irons in this post). Combs that are actually high enough for a scope mounted rifle are rare, so I would hate to see you ruin a beautiful stock forever for scope use. My suggestion is to put a good, low power scope on it and shoot it faster and more accurately. Besides, the extra 3/4 pound of weight will soak up some of the recoil.

sure can... make it flow into it.. and far easier than anythign else.

jeffe

O.K., so who knows a professional or somebody that is good that can take the comb down for me? I am liable to ruin it. the last thing I tried that was major work was installing a grip cap, after messing up twice I had to pay somebody else to do it anyways. :-)

Red

Red,
THought about puting 3/4 of a pound un the butt, and 1/4 in the forearm?

if it's a 458 winnie, it shouldn't kick you...

if it's a lott, the weight will help more than anything...

jeffe

Just adding weight to it for recoil? I had thought about that actually. The recoil didn't seem to bother me the 5 shots, other than the hit to the cheeek from squeezing down on it. I'm a pretty big guy (read: fat) but the weight wouldn't hurt, not like I can't carry a heavier rifle around. I think it is just around 10lbs right now and I thought about drilling a couple of holes into the butt and putting in some lead, maybe some in the forearm as well.

I read somewhere on the group that regular lead for the weight was just as effective as the expensive Mercury Recoil Reducers.

If I decide to take that comb down myself I have two questions for y'all.

1. What is a good tool to use for taking the wood off, a rasp of some sort?

2. is there a way to calculate the drop that I need so that I don't take wood off, shoot, take off shoot etc.etc. ??

Thanks everybody, this group rocks.

Red

I've seen a matched set of Sauer bird guns that had a hell of a scallop instead of the expected cheekpiece. When I asked "what the...?", the agent said the previous owner looked like Jackie Gleason. The scallop allowed proper head position without altering the lines of the action (adding the rib or excessive cast).

He went on to say if the man had just been wide faced, but not "heavy", the stock this would not work. The front of the scallop would have whacked him silly. Take this into consideration when paring your stock down.

Also, Brownells has a few mercury metal filled recoil reducers that can be "bedded" into the stock "fore and aft" without adding as much weight as pure lead.

Lastly, check out some nearby sporting clays courses. Most know the location of good stock measurers, and if you find a european trained one, you'll probably have someone who can watch you shoot and write a proper prescription for your ailment.

Safe Hunting

Clint

Dago Red,

Very nice rifle. I agree with jeffeosso, just cut down on the comb some. A little at a time until you get the proper feel. It won't take much to give you better sight alignment and less jab to the jaw. Does it have a check piece? If it does, I would make it smaller or eliminate it all together.

Concerning the addition of weight. The most important factor to the handling of the rifle will be the balance of the rifle, the center of the rifle should balance between your hands. You can balance the rifle on the floorplate and see which way the rifle goes and add weight to the light side.

Good Luck,
BigBullet