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Making a full stock into a half stock...

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Joined
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Ohio, the land of the Shawnee
I have a full stock SMR that was built for me a while back. It was built fast and it shows, but I have smoothed out most of the blemishes. The final blemish is the forestock, it has no step down from the entry thimble to the forestock area and looks.. well bulky and clunky. So I have it in my head to make it a half stock and make a wooden under lug. It seems pretty streight foreward. it seems that this would be easier than building a whole other rifle...Any thoughts?
 
I'm not sure I understand. If there is no step down from the entry thimble to the nose cap the ram rod would be totally enclosed, do you mean the step down is not enough? In that case it would be easy enough to file down the wood till a bit more than half the ramrod is exposed and reshape the rest of the fore stock.
I have done a handful of half stocks with wood ribs. It is not hard, some might consider it tedious. I do like the look though.
Robby
 
Could you snap a couple of pictures of the area and post them? That might make diagnosing things a little easier.
 
Break out the files and scrapers, and re-shape the forend to what you want, if you don't go nuts, you can reduce the wood and end up with a very pretty finished product. I have seen at least a few rifles that were cut back, and they usually look like something is missing. The overall lines of a full-stock seem to require that the forestock be present to complete the picture. That being said, I would attempt to re-shape it, before removing it completely. But it's your gun, so you can deal with it in any way that pleases you.
 
I’m not sure if you can see it or not... it there is no step down from entert thimble area to the forestock. I’ll see if I can take better when I get home
 

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Is is so hard for me to tell from your picture. Maybe if you take little off the top and show more barrel it will help, then take some off the bottom and show more of the ramrod, blend it all back in and see if you like the look. If it still looks heavy try making it concave along each side of the ramrod. Much of it is illusion and what the eye perceives.
This is a Tennessee mountain rifle.
IMG_0189.jpeg

Robby
 
Looks to me like a regular thimble was used and butted up against a rather vertical shaped area of the stock.

To me it looks different but not really bad. In fact, it's kind of interesting.

As for whacking off the forend, that's up to you but before you do, figure out how thick the barrel underlug will need to be to make the ramrod line up with the ramrod hole. It may turn out that a very thick piece of steel will be needed and that would add a lot of weight out there on the front of the barrel.
Also, most half stock guns don't have the long barrel your gun seems to have and IMO, having something like a 42 inch long barrel on a half stock rifle looks very strange.

Just something to think about. :)
 
Zonie, thanks for your input. If I do decide to go the half stock route, I would use a wood underlug. I was looking today and it indeed would have to be pretty thick. Your spot on, someone did use a regular thimobs for the entry pipe... it needs to be reworked... I’m just not 100 percent sure on which way to go as of yet. I’ve seen some 42 inch half stocks ... they didn’t look odd to me. I THINK Robby made one a while back... I could be wrong though. Thanks guys.. you all have given me food for thought.
 
That type of vertical entry is common in SMR or Tennessee style rifles. If you don't like it you could change the entry thimble to maybe a bivins style with a flange that tapers onto the stock and you would angle the stock to match the entry pipe. I agree with Zonie that the long barrel would look odd in a half stock rifle. In the end, it's your rifle so do what you feel is the best for you.
 
You could also solder a plate to your entry pipe giving it a definite break off point. Not uncommon on these guns.
IMG_0192.jpeg

Robby
 
If it's a store-bought thimble those things come in sets, so it's likely you could find the entry thimble to inlet to replace the regular one. To me that transition zone looks ok as to how the wood is shaped though. If you are careful in inletting you may not have to refinish anything.

Likely there is a lug or 2 or 3 that will have to be dealt with if you make it a half-stock.

I'm with Zonie. Half stocks with barrels much over 36" look a little disproportionate to me, as do full stocks with barrels over about 46" in an A weight, 48" in a B, 50, and 54 in C and D sizes. Some of that has to do with the thickness of the webs too.

To me, the beauty in a LR is all in the aesthetics and proportionality of the architecture with the installed components. The skill of the builder comes out in how the transition zones are executed. Some schools are easier to do that in than in others.
 
I have a full stock SMR that was built for me a while back. It was built fast and it shows, but I have smoothed out most of the blemishes. The final blemish is the forestock, it has no step down from the entry thimble to the forestock area and looks.. well bulky and clunky. So I have it in my head to make it a half stock and make a wooden under lug. It seems pretty streight foreward. it seems that this would be easier than building a whole other rifle...Any thoughts?

Doesn't look that bad to me.
I would leave it alone if it were mine, unless there are other issues like poor inletting of the barrel,'etc.
 
I would leave it alone- but one thing to check if you go the half stock route is how is the barrel pinned. Usually wood ribs are pinned to barrel staples not the usual dovetail underlugs. Underlugs will show with a wood rib , and would look pretty awful to me.

Wood ribs do look nice on the right style of rifle though.
 
It’s yours to do with as you wish of course, but the effort in time to make it a half stock could more easily be spent slimming the full stock I’m my opinion. Another thought also, if you ever resold this rifle down the road, I believe a full stock gun in this style is easier to sell than a half stock in my experience.
 
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