How is this done? With an actual metal grinder? A belt sander? What grit? Does this leave a smooth finish? Dumb questions for sure, but I always feel even dumber shelling out for a smith to do a job that I might possibly be able to do myself.

Use an angled grinder like a body shop uses. I can't remember what grit I used. A belt sander will also work.

Bill,

I use 3 different recoil pads and highly recommend any of those three. Kick-Eez, HiViz Xcoil, and Limbsaver. I am not a big fan of the Pachmayr pads, but I know many are. Your choice.

Use a bench mounted sander with grits of 80-120 for grinding. After mounting the pad, use blue masking tape and tape up the stock a few inches up from the pad for protection. Slowly gring the pad down to fit. Try not to let the pad get hot. When I start getting into the tape, I finish the fitting by hand sanding.

They make jigs to make the fitting much faster, but if you take your time, you can fit the pad just as well. It is not difficult, but it is time consuming the first time you do it. Good luck.

I use a belt sander and fiberglass shipping tape on the stock. I found it will hold up to a hit with the sander better than masking tape. 60-80 grit. Any finer and you will likely burn the rubber. Just don't let it get too hot. Finish the last bit by hand.

Guys: Really appreciate the answers!

quote:

fiberglass shipping tape

I need to do that!!

I bought a 12" disk, 6x48 belt sander from HF just for this purpose.... if you do limbsavers, you'll need 120-150 for finish....

I used to love kicckeze.. till I started carrying them in the field and they get torn apart, neearly by brambles

Bill,
Also take a look at the various pad sanding jigs at Brownells or Midway. I use the one that hangs down from a hook, but others like the samller one better. The advantage of either is the pad is sanded off of the stock.

I like a disc sander and 80 grit discs.

I use the insert which is commonly used in a 1/4" hand power drill for polishing an auto wax job.

Instead of using the fleece cover which goes over the hard rubber face of the device when polishing a car, I just use a circular piece of sandpaper of 60-80 grit, putting a new one on for each recoil pad done. They don't have to be glued on. Just loosen and remove the screw in the middle of the rubber polishing disc base, and put it though the hole in the sandpaper discs (which can be bought in hardware stores already cut). Then put the screw back in its hole in the rubber disc and tighten 'er up with a screwdriver.

I too use masking tape to protect the stock, though I use the plain vanilla tan-coloured stuff, sold in 2" wide rolls, one layer thick around the stock in front of the pad being ground. I find you can use this device almost like a scalpel (even the first or second time you use it) so have never needed more than one layer of tape. I've always been going to buy a belt sander, but never quite got to it because since 1960 what I have been describing has worked fine for me.

Be very careful to NOT hit the wood of the buttstock anywhere with this rig, or you WILL have scratches going across the grain which are a "Beach" to remove. Did that once on purpose to a junker take-off stock when I first started in '60, just to see how bad it would be. Heap plenty bad was the conclusion!

Oh, and be sure to wear a surgical-type cheapo face mask to prevent breathing in the wood dust.

i did it with a stationary belt sander go slow and dont let the gun get away from you,also there is something that you can put directly on the pad while you are doing it to give it that shiney look cant remember offhand...paul

I found that with the limbsaver, it helps to put the stock, with the recoil pad attached, in the freezer for a while. This hardens up the pad and makes it cut straighter, rather than deforming with the sanding belt. As others have said, protect the stock finish with tape, I use duct tape or the nylon reinforced packaging tape, and finish the last bit by hand, with a sanding block, to get the best fit.

Wurth makes an "Edge Guard Tape" that's specially designed to protect from over-sanding.:

http://www.wurthusa.com/project/en/leftnavi/catalog/pro...php?path=06.0240.jpg

It's at least twice as durable in this application as regular duct or Masking tape. It's not cheap but 1 roll will last a long long time even if you grind a bunch of pads..................DJ

Ditto what AZ Pete said, freeze the pad before grinding, you get a much better job. Practice on a couple of pads on an old stock, it's not that hard to do.

I've been using the metal duct tape you can get at A/C supply houses. Not the hardware store "duck" tape, this stuff is shiny metal, very thin and much safer for ham-hands like mine when getting a stock near a belt sander!