I need to add some weight to a wooden rifle stock. I don't have any lead shot to mix with epoxy, so I am going to recycle some wheelweight metal I have laying around here. Is it better to drill the hole in the stock (under the pad) and simply melt the lead directly into it with a sealer of epoxy over the top when it cools, or should one cast the lead into a slug first and glue it into a slightly oversize hole with epoxy? I can't see how the little bit of heat from dripping lead into the hole would hurt the wood, but figured I should ask around anyway. Thanks!

I have not done this before, but I would think that the alloy of wheel weights would require a temp high enough to scorch the wood when melted. Soooo I would cast and epoxy myself.
Good Luck.

Reduce the wheelweight metal to chunks small enough to weigh and also fit into the stock hole. Then pour the desired weight down into the hole and pour the liquid epoxy around them.
Regards, Joe

PS: paper burns at 454F. Paper is cellulose which is recycled wood. Lead melts at over 600F depending upon the alloy.....

I melt the lead into a steel or aluminum tube. You can cut the tube off if you wish. Coat it with epoxy and slide it in. Cover with more epoxy.
Butch

I added lead weights to the forearms of both my Browning BT 99 trap and Citori skeet shotguns by pouring the molten lead directly into the routed-out holes in the stocks. The lead did not scorch or burn the wood at all.

The poured lead weights are approximately 2 7/8" long x 7/8" wide x 3/8" deep.

I wanted the weight in the Citori removable so I could take it out when I use the 20, 28, or .410 tubes, so I lined the inside of the routed hole with masking tape before I poured in the lead. After the lead cooled, I removed the masking tape, and the lead weight is easy to install or take out of the stock.

Another method of installing lead weight to a stock is to use 1/4" or so diameter lead wire (like steelhead fishermen use) and insert it into holes of the same diameter drilled into the stock.

As above, I've poured a bunch of forends and as long as you don't go too crazy when you heat it up you won't have a scorching problem. I have one that my Dad made for me back in the 60's so I wouldn't have any concerns about it oxidizing enough to expand, at least not without something else in the mix like salt or other chemical.

However, what I would do to when adding weight to a butt is just cast a slug that has been formed. Simple enough to do, just when you are set up to drill the hole in your stock just use the same drill to make a hole in a piece of wood and then you can melt and drip the lead into that. When it has cooled just crack the wood away, smooth the sides of the slug off a tiny bit and glue it in.

I mixed #9 shot with Accurglass for my M70

Undercut the sides of the hole to tighten the lead into after it cools. You can either prime the hole or coat it with chalk to prevent scorching in the large pour. Then level your work piece.



In smaller pours like yours, simply swirling the lead around in the ladle until it reaches the coolest temp at which it will still pour won't scorch the wood.



After the lead cools it will shrink and rattle, tap it into the sides of your under cut using a punch.