Anybody have a laminate rifle stock with drilled out wood in the butt under the pad?

I have a Ruger 270 with the ruger lam stock. This thing is on the heavy side.

I was feeling its balance (butt heavy) and thought of drilling some wood out of the stock.

Any problems with it being a laminate, pros, cons?

My baretta 686 field shotguns have
a big ol' hole hogged out in their butts for lightness...

David Miller does that very thing to lighten up the laminate stocks on his lesser priced rifles, as well as on his walnut stocked rifles.
If you have a copy of Turpin's book on Miller and company you can see photosof this work.

This laminate was lightened just as you said.



First, I removed a lot of material from the exterior. Most stocks are supplied way too thick. Just look at Michael Petrov's great pics and see how thin most stocks of yesteryear were. Then I drilled three three large holes in the butt at angles that followed the exterior stock lines. Then I chiseled the balance out to form a large cavity. I milled a channel in the barrel channel to further reduce weight. I removed material from either location until the balance was right. I was able to shed more than a lb. And, realistically, I could have shed more but needed the rifle done NOW! It is fine but IMO could have been thinned a wee bit more. Someday.

Fajen sold there stock with a lightened option on the laminated styles. They bored 3 holes in the butt, a hole under where the grip cap would be mounted and under the barrel leaving 3 "ribs" or cross braces. Was a nice option. Fajen nicely inlet rectangular pieces across the holes to mount the buttplate and grip cap. I have several and also agree that there is usually much too much wood outside.

Boyds does the same


http://www.boydsgunstocks.com/custom.htm

The only laminate I have worked with was very heavy. Drill large, deep holes in the butt. Then I drilled holes in the forearm, starting near the tip, until I got the balance like I wanted. I did not do it on the mill, I just put a Forestner bit in th edrill press and did it that way. Left a web between the holes in the forearm. That way it is more rigid than a single hole I could have milled out. How much it really mattered, I have no idea. I would be happy with it either way.

But any way, the point was the forearms are heavy too, and I removed weight starting at the ends. I wanted the bulk of the weight to be between the hands when shouldering the rifle.