How about that Sims recoil pad? I recently tried mounting a Pachmayr Decelerator pre-fit on my M70 with no luck. The darn thing was too SMALL for my wood stock. Not at all what I expected. So, I see that Sims also has a pre-fit pad for the M70 Classic with wood stock. Have any of you tried these? Do you know anything about the fit? Considering that I don't have a fancy jig or sander, and will be doing any final fitting by hand, I need something pretty close in size to the stock (but not smaller). Will the Sims work? Or should I just bite the bullet and pay someone to mount a pad for me?

I've found Pachmayr Decelerator Pads a real pain to work with and fit professionally. Try using a Pachmayr Old English. You should be able to do a nice job with an ordinary orbital hand sander if you follow the directions.

Or pay $20.00 and have a professional do it.

Rick

I called Sims about their pad when I didn't see my rifle listed as one they make a pad for on their web. My rifle is a Win model 70 375H&H Safari Express and they gave me a part number which I took to a local distributor. When I received the recommended pad it was very clear it wouldn't fit (way too small) and the distributor was hesitant to take it back until I called Sims and had them call the distributor. Sims seemed surprised their pad would not fit my rifle so I had a Pachmeyer Decellerator installed.

I have installed a dozen recoil pads and the two tools I like are the power miter saw and the belt sander. I sand the oversized pad down until it blends with the stock.

If the stock has an oil finish, I just rub some oil on the blended area of wood.

Of course laquer or varishes stocks look awful then.

So how do you fit a recoil pad? My experience with trying to sand rubber is that it doesn't very much like to be sanded. Is the material used in recoil pads of some construction that sanding doesn't cause it to pull away from the sanding direction and so take the shape desired? I would not be pleased to spend a U. S. Grant on a pad and then flunk up the job because the damned thing won't sand and take a shape. Can you shape a pad with a home-use belt sander from Sears and a sanding block? The pad I have in mind is the F990 "Triple Magnum" white line field from Brownells on page 51 of catalog 55. The large size is 2.05" wide x 5.70" long. I am wondering if this will fit one of those ugly, yet beautiful, tactical stocks from Richard's Microfit.

[ 07-13-2003, 00:41: Message edited by: rootbeer ]

I have fit literally hundreds of pads and it is not really difficult. To determine if the pad will fit the easiest way to measure is to scribe an outline of the butt stock on a piece of paper(noting where the stock will be cut if neccesary) and extending the top and bottom lines of the stock the thickness of the pad from the proposed rear of the stock. Measure top to bottom from those points and by the pad closest but larger. there is a finite limit on the amount the Decelerators can be ground down as there is a metal plate in them to reinforce the pad along it's length. Then simply mount the pad on the stock and scribe a line around the butt on the front of the pad. To grind these soft pad(all of them) use a sharp medium grit belt and don't push. If the pad gets hot it will 'smear'. Work around the entire pad, moving on before a specific area gets too hot. Finish with a fine belt (I keep this belt just for pads) and freeze the pad before sanding. A couple of hours(over night is better) will firm up the rubber and finishing will work much better. A quick blending with the 1/4 sheet orbital will remove flat spots, blend the edges and smooth the finish. Apply the pad to the butt and wipe the freshly sanded rubber with a rag damp with WD-40.. that's right, WD-40. It'll slick up the edges and make them look finished. Don't apply too much and wipe off the excess.. And for cripes sake lube the screwdriver when inserting the screws to avoid marking the pad near the slits. I use a silicone spray product.

I put the stock in the power miter saw and shim it up near the hand grip so that the center plane of the stock is parrallel to the miter saw table.

The stock must be cut off perfectly flat so the pad will mate in a seamless line.

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I get my eye ball level with the belt sander.

The pad is a bigger outline than the stock.

The game is to rotate the stock while keeping the belt parrallel to the stock line being sanded. That line changes as the stock is rotated and must constantly be adjusted as the stock is rotated.

When the pad is only .050" bigger in outline it is time to go to a fine grit belt.

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I look for recoil pads in the Brownell's catalog that are as thick as possible. I look for pads that are as soft as possible when in person. The idea of the pad is to spread the recoil over shape, area, and time. The longer the travel of the recoil pad, the longer the time, and thus, the lower the peak force on the shoulder.
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I pre drill the holes in the stock and lubricate and pre install the screws in the stock. Then when I take them out, it is much easier to get them to screw in the next time trough the pad.

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I found an Ohio hunting licence under the rubber butt pad of a Cresant double barrel that was from the 30's for a 26 year old hunter.