I will confess up front that I am novice in the art of stock making. I have a lot of experience with wood having grown up with a father who is a Furniture maker. However, stockmaking is, I'm finding, a monster all it's own.

I am now working on my 4th example, a Carl Gustav that I saved from further destruction. It's collector value was ruined but the rifle was in fine shape to sporterize. I have cut it to a 20 inch length and am working on Mannlicher stock in Black Cherry. Initiall I have 2 questions concerning this stock and project.

1. When inletting the action you get to a point where the flat sides of the action bottom metal meet the round portion of the action itself. How do you guys go about getting the concave in the wood and maintain a nice tight fit of wood to metal?

2. This project will be open sights only. I plan on dropping the stock but am unsure how low the heel of the butt should be from the bore line. If it helps to answer the question, I'm 5'8" and 185lb and have 13.5" LOP. Do you guys use a formula or is there a "rule of thumb" used to determine the drop?

Thanks,
LC

My answer to question #1 is that I made a scraper with a convex cutting edge a wee bit tighter than the receiver to get that nice fit you are looking for.

my answer to a nice tight fit is a little jar of Jarrow's inletting black. Messy stuff but it works.

Thank you,
I'm using the Jarrow's and can't imagine inletting without it.

I have the Jerry Fischer channel scrapers. That ought to work well for that contour. Nice and slow.

Any ideas on drop from the line of the bore to the heel of the butt?

quote:

Any ideas on drop from the line of the bore to the heel of the butt?

Well I think the "standard" is .75". Many like a little more. I prefer more like 1". It is your rifle what feels comfortable to you.

Instead of messy inletting black, consider blue dry-erase markers. Works much better for me.

Brent

The blue marker sounds easier than the candle soot I used to use. Find a gun that feels right to you for sight alignment, and measure it. Don't forget to put in about 3/8" castoff in the butt, too.

I made a smoke pot out of an alcohol lamp filled with paint thinner. Gives a very smokey flame.

Cast off is dependant on the user. For me, I use 1/4" cast off at heel and 3/8" at the toe. That little twist fits into the crook of the arm a little better...for me, that is!

The drop for the iron sights is also dependant on the user and, of course, the sight height.

Interesting how your toe/heel CO works. Mine is the reverse and multiplied by at least 2 for a good offhand rifle. Indeed, it is all individual fit - and different for different types of rifles, not to mention shotguns.

Brent

Little canoe,
Leave the comb high and install the barrelled action with the sights. Then start trimming down the comb. Start with about 5/8" at the nose and start moving the heel down until your eye lines up with the sights. You may need to move the nose down another 1/8" or so. You are trying to make it fit you and both you and the rifle are right there so make it fit. Don't worry about what someone else thinks might fit.

Thanks for all the info guys.

I may just try the dry erase marker. I hadn't thought of that.

Custom,
Thank you sir, That is very good advice and makes perfect sense. Funny how simplicity easily escapes us. I shoulda thought of that!

LC