I am attempting to restock and eventually checker a Brno Mod 2 .22 rifle I own.

Can anyone tell me how flat top checkering is cut. Can it be done using the same tools available from Midway and Brownells...the cut just not taken deeply enough to produce diamonds?

Could someone kindly post some pics so that I can see flat top vs diamond checkering and get an idea of the differences?

Thanks!

Matabele,
I have conversed with several guild wood people. Only a couple will attempt the flat top checkering.
Butch

A good illustration of the differences can be found in Monte Kennedy's book Checkering and Carving of Gunstocks, a must-read for any aspiring checkerer.

He also illustrates the special tool(s) required; a standard cutter CAN be used, but the completed job will be too shallow and the lines won't be a consistent width. The special tooling is fairly easy to make, so why not make it?

This type checkering is perhaps the most difficult of all, I wish you luck.
Regards, Joe

Not that I've ever attempted any type of checkering, but here's what I can see from looking at some flat top checkering:

The cuts are flat at the bottom, not V-shaped. It would require different tools than standard checkering.

The method I read of years ago involved laying out the guide pattern with a standard checkering tool(s) with light cuts. Then make a cutter from the butt end of a hacksaw blade where the teeth are straight. Deepen the guide cuts to make the flat diamonds and flat-bottomed grooves.

Flattop checkering done by Ralf Martini









Conventional by Duane Wiebe

Thanks for the replies everyone...and thanks for the pictures MHC those really show the differences.

Does flat top checkering provide a decent grip to the rifle...or is it a bit like 36 lpi checkering...looks good but is not really practical?

Ralf does a real nice job of the flat toped checkering; consistent depth and well finished to the edges. I believe he uses a 60 degree cutter.
The flat topped checkering is not as "grippy" but it is maybe more durable.
The main difference between Ralf's flat topped checkering and mine is that his is done on purpose! Regards, Bill