I always thought the way to fit a recoil pad was to use some tape around the stock and then use a sanding wheel or belt to get the pad as close as possible to the stock, following the stock contour.

But I recently saw a video where the person scribed the stock contour onto the pad, then screwed the pad to a jig and did all the sanding using the jig.

What method do you all use?

Best method by far, is to fit a pad when the stock is bare wood or you are going to refinish it; you will get a much better fit that way.
But grinding them up to tape is a good way to either get a mediocre fit, or gouge the stock, then see #1.
I screw them on, scribe a line, and grind to the line. I turn down most pad retrofit jobs.

Actually just finished one on a new stock......I do free hand on a belt sander......I hate installing recoil pads.

If I was a gunsmith I would charge about $8,000.00_per!!!!!

Fitted quite a few pads over the years, agree with dpcd, best fit is to grind down on the stock before refinishing, but most of my fits have been to grind down to the tape and carefully finish to the wood. I use the flat side of a big electric grind stone, by nature not turning too fast, doesn't grab the pad and takes the base and rubber down nicely not leaving too much to get a good smooth finish. Pads with plugs over the screw holes are not to my taste but infinitely better than what pisses me most, holes poked in the pad and an unlubed screw driver used to mount the pad leaving scruffy holes as testament to the bubba job.

Below is last pad I mounted, on my Mauser 404, and yes there has been the screws inserted through the pad and also the screw driver through the pad a couple of times to fit and remove the pad for grinding and finishing. Play spot the holes if you want

Nice one Lindsay.

Many years ago I struggled with pad jobs. I used tape on the stock and did them by eye. Sweated bullets and had nightmares about not wanting to accidently scratch the customer's stock. Finally I made my own pad jig similar to Brownells or B-Square at the time. You cut the stock to appropriate length scribe the pad and grind to within the thickness of a nat's hair and finish sand by hand to a near perfect fit. I took pride in obtanining a fit so close it took a trained eye to tell it wasn't sanded together with the stock. And with no risk of scratching the stock. Pad jobs earned a good return for me and I did a lot of them. I charged more than the average shop . Customers were willing to pay for professional quality work.

put them in the freezer for and hour or so prior to grinding helps.

I have been using the tape on the stock and grinding free hand for forty years and can't imagine doing it any other way. I can't guess at how many thousands of pads I have installed. I have used grinding discs and grinding belts. When I started gunsmithing, many rifles and shotguns came without pads so pad installation was a very common improvement. It wasn't unusual to do thirty in a week. To me, the most stressful part of the operation was cutting the stock to length. Redards, Bill.

quote:

Originally posted by Bill Leeper:
I have been using the tape on the stock and grinding free hand for forty years and can't imagine doing it any other way. I can't guess at how many thousands of pads I have installed. I have used grinding discs and grinding belts. When I started gunsmithing, many rifles and shotguns came without pads so pad installation was a very common improvement. It wasn't unusual to do thirty in a week. To me, the most stressful part of the operation was cutting the stock to length. Redards, Bill.

I guess it's like anything else, practice makes perfect.

I remember when I first learned how to weld on bolt handles. The welding was the easy part. The file work was the hard part. trying to shape the handle without boogering up the surrounding metal took a while to master. I must have went through a package or two of masking take before it became easy.

Those jigs are a waste of money...Just use masking tape (There ARE some guys that just can't do the job no matter what they use)

I once suggested to a class they apply a coat of wax..."Grind down until you hit the wax" Had to back up when I saw a couple guys write it down in their notes

I was taught to grind them in place. I have a jig and only use it for grinding leather covered pads undersized so the covering gives a perfect fit. If you grind until you hit the tape, then finish by hand a very nicely fit pad can be done. I have done hundreds of them this way.

I do a few pads per year for myself and I love my jig. I'm sure you pros have the talent to just use masking tape and "freestyle" it, but I have have little skill and no patience so I need the jig.

I use two layers of tape of one kind or another, when I cut through the firs layer, I go to hand sanding..A proper fit should be raw wood sanded with the pad for perfect fit, but that is not always possible but with care and patience you can come damn close. I use the fingernail as my guide as it gets really close.

Like Atkinson, I use two layers of masking tape with the pad attached to the stock. The inner layer (against the wood) is blue painter's tape. The outer layer is regular light-colored masking tape. This way it is easy to see when you have penetrated the first layer.

I use a 1" belt sander. The belt conveniently bows inward as you put pressure against it which helps it fit the contours of the pad. Getting the pad flush with the stock isn't too hard with a little practice.

The toughest part is getting the line of the pad at the toe to properly follow the angle of the stock's toe. Far too many non-professional (and some "professional") jobs square off the pad at the toe for a really poor appearance.

Talking final stages here. I sometimes start off with tape, but I finish up with a piece of sheet brass. I think it might be gasket material. The thinnest I have found measures .003. Obviously that thickness is very flexible and much more difficult to sand through than any tape. I have had a roll for many years, but I think it came from Grainger.

quote:

Originally posted by squeezenhope:
Talking final stages here. I sometimes start off with tape, but I finish up with a piece of sheet brass. I think it might be gasket material. The thinnest I have found measures .003. Obviously that thickness is very flexible and much more difficult to sand through than any tape. I have had a roll for many years, but I think it came from Grainger.

Brass shim stock. You can get it down to .001", comes on a roll. I think you can also get some types with adhesive backing. We get it from McMaster-Carr. Google them; they've got everything but bra straps and gerbils.

I also think the jigs are a waste of money, but to each their own. So I grind free-hand and will until I get old and shaky.

I put one very even layer of 3M blue painters masking tape around the stock. If already finished, then there is no residue issues from normal masking tape. Further up the stock just behind the grip I put two layers.

I use a Powermatic disc sander, with the plate re-machined so it's flat and re-balanced. Runs very smooth and quiet, with a good big disc. With an adjustable LED light shining along the surface of the abrasive from the side, I can see a gap of just a few thousandths. By listening to the jobs as I go, I can hear the abrasive kiss the tape. Given a decent eye and a steady hand, the only difficulty grinding free-hand is getting around a cheek piece and maintaining lines well. Without correct lighting, it gets harder. I have a small dust extractor off a T&C grinder to keep the area clean which helps see that fine strip of light. I also clean the abrasive disc a few times during the job to keep it clean, I can see better that way.

There is always the risk of going through the tape on a finished stock I suppose, I charge a bit extra for those. Cannot recall having a problem.

For leather covered pads, I scribe a line on the base of the pad (already ground as per normal) equivalent to the thickness of the leather, and re-grind the pad by re-positioning it on the butt so the lines show. A bit of farting around, but it gives me the best finish. The jig would work fine, but I personally don't like them.

I detest grinding pads with glass reinforcing in them, even with dust extraction. I charge extra for those.

If you don't like screws, an option is to glue the pad on when it's practical to do so. That also seals the end grain of the butt.

To finish I sand with the tape on if the stock is already finished. It takes a fair bit to go through a layer of tape. If you wrap the action area and forend with plastic packing film, you won't even have any debris to blow off.

I still grind free hand on pads and steel butt plates with shaky hands! so far so good and onl work on guns Id like to buy!

I also finish by hand with 100 grt. to fit then polish the pad by hand untl I can't feel the difference with my fingernail...Iguess if you gouge a nice finished stock you just have to replace it or refinish it..

recoil pad installation if the ultimate in skill, go slow and pray.

I set mine up on a jig that squares the heel + toe then I have a motor mounted with a horizontal shaft + grinding disk w/ work table to move the fixture + pad to cut to the line, then hand fit; but yes you're right starting with an unfinished stock is the way to go if you can.