Gents,

I have a couple of projects that I am working and need a bit of help. First is my 12 year old son's project (with a bit of steer from Dad) that is taking an old Ruger 10-22 and setting it up like a "proper custom" utilizing a new 20" tapered Clark barrel, an old rough sanded almost drop in Fajen Clssic walnut stock with shadow line cheekpiece I bought many years ago, a banded front sight, banded swivel and nice rear sight that I found in my junk drawer. The question involves the installtion of a Dressel steel grip cap and screw. A dumb question perhaps but how does one attach the screw to the stock given that is a machine rather than wood screw?

Second invoves my project which is taking an unfinished closeout Safari Express stock I just purchased from SWFA and slimming it a bit, reshaping the cheekpiece into a pancake style, etc., and bedding my 416 Rem barreled action into it. The stock they sent has really nice figure in the butt area but has a lighter color of wood across the forearm. How and what should I use to darken the lighter area such that the entire stock is of similar color before I finish it with Pro-Custom oil? Any guidance is appreciated in advance.

1. Just substitute a wood screw for the machine screw.

2. Find a stain that matches the dark wood. Apply to the lighter wood and blend it in.

I've substituted a wood screw. I've also put a good coat of wax on the machine screw then used epoxy to form threads in the hole.

I like to use a water based wood dye. It allows me to use as many coats as need to match and if you go too far water will remove some of the color.

Drill the hole and tap it for the screw that came with the cap.

Drill the hole to the minor diameter of the screw shank, being sure to countersink the first 1/8" or so to the major shank diameter or larger. Then coat the screw threads with soap and screw it in. The soap will lubricate things and allow the screw's threads to form corresponding threads in the wood. If you FUBAR it, use a wooden plug with epoxy to repair and try again.
Regards, Joe

You can do the same thing I do with recoil pads. Go to the hardware and buy brass machine screw inserts made to glue int wood. Assemble the cap, screw and insert tightly together. Then liberally coat the crew where it extends throught the insert with paste wax, including the deep end of the insert. Drill a hole in the grip of the right size for the insert, prime it with epoxy, coat the insert and push it into the hole. Hold in place with tape till dry. You end up with metal threads which hold tight and can be removed if necessary. I install recoil pads like this, using machine screws with allen or torx heads. You can install and remove the butt pad any number of times without damage to the screw head or pad. (No need for this on 1 piece stocks, but really nice on shotguns or two piece rifle stocks where you want to remove the stock periodically for cleaning.