curly maple stock is in....need help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bob1961]

well i got my maple stock monday....trial fitted my hardware and found out the rear trigger guard hole is off about 3/16" foreward of where it's supposed to be and 1/16" off center....the stock is real nice has good curl to the grain and will show a tiger strip to it also....my question is do i send this back or try to work with it?....here's some pic's of what i'm talking about....need some brutal opionions guys....................................bob

 

[roundball]

Bob, that much variance sometimes occurs between normal TC Hawken production stocks...the triggerguard is very flexible...I think you'll find you can just "form" (a.k.a. bend) the trigger guard a tad and it'll line up fine

 

[JesseJames]

roundball is right...you have a little flexibility in the guard...be gentle if you want to shorten it up,pull up on your guard easy...if you want to make it a tad longer,depress it easy. while doing this spot your front screw.

 

Bob1961,.... You did good with the pictures, and the comparisons!!

What "reference point" are you use'n for the "fore and aft" positions of the stocks when they are side-by-side in the picture??

The reason I ask, is 'cause the position of the trigger-plate inlets, looks to be the same distance (in the pictures) in relation to the triggerguard inlets. (I'm use'n a piece'a paper held up to my computer screen for a "ruler", and make'n "reference marks" on it,... front-end of inlet, to rear-end of inlet!)

It looks as tho the "lock and side panels" also extend much further back on the unfinished stock. Which isn't of much concern because you can always "remove" wood, but it's impossible to "add" wood.

The inlet hole for the trigger guard, looks to be "undersized" and opening it up on "one side only" (cheek-piece side) will help to "center" the triggerguard somewhat.

Is the buttplate area "oversized"?? If it is, you can move the "center-line" of the stock over a liddle too, by more wood-removal on the "cheek-piece side" of the stock.

Only you, with "stock-in-hand" can judge how much the stock is "over-sized" to permit a slight relocation of it's center-line. I'd also bet, thet if you sent thet stock back, and got a different one,... the "next" one would be pre-inletted exactly the same way. (one way of know'n for sure is with a phone call to the supply'er)

 

[bob1961]

yup i emailed them allready with the same pics just waiting for there reply back....yeah i can move lines of the stock around if i need to....the butt is oversized by allmost 3/8" thicker....the drop on this stock is 1" over my T/C stock which i like alot....i like the tiger stripes that look like they will show up nice....for $195.00 i think i got a real good looking piece of maple....can't wait to get some after pics for ya all....i used a ruler on the inlets to get a measrumentsand, they are that far off....they even asked me what rifle i was going to use the stock for also....thats why i'm little concerned about the differece in the pics....thanks for your replies guys your the best..................................bob

 

[Zonie]

Bob: As RB said the mortice looks undersize so you can enlarge it on one end only to fit the trigger guard a little better. Just make sure it fits nice and snug without any big gaps.

About the oversize butt and off center condition:
Within limits off center won't hurt the way the gun will work and some of this may just be the extra wood making it Look offcenter.

Now is the time to decide if you want some "cast" in the stock.
If you shoot right handed, you may decide you want to install the buttplate towards the right side of the stock and remove most of the wood from the left side to match the buttplates new position. This is putting "cast" into the stock. (I can never remember if this is "cast on" or "cast off" so don't ask.) You only find this feature on expensive guns by the way.

What it does is to align the barrel with your eye when you bring the gun to your shoulder. This added to the increased "drop" the stock has can make the gun into what some call a "snap shooter".

You can just install the buttplate in the middle of the butt aligned with the barrel like the factory makes them if you want to but I assure you if you put some (1/8 to 1/4 inch. It doesn't take much) of cast into it you will never regret it.

Hold your "trigger" arm bent at a 90 degree angle at your elbow and hold your finger like it was pulling the trigger. Have someone measure the distance from the inside of your arm at the elbow to the joint on your trigger finger.
Write down the answer. This is the length of "Pull" you will want to install the butt plate at from the front trigger.
Hold the buttplate up aginst the side of the stock at the "pull" distance and draw the shape on the wood. This is just a rough guide but it is a important reference to keep you from removing too much wood. You will actually "finish" the wood using the actual buttplate.

I use a belt sander to remove most of the wood in this area but as you get down to the correct place you should switch over to a sanding block.

Your going to have more fun than Spot Shooter had and when your done you will have a Custom Rifle that not only is beautiful but literally jumps to your shoulder automatically aligned with your eye!!!

 

[bob1961]

thanks zonie....i put the trigger in and the rear of the guard in the inlet and the guard fits nice and snug in the hole....the guard up front needs about 1/8" removed foreward of it so that it sits on the recess in the trigger housing and aligns up with the screw hole for the tang....i also have all the other lines on it to where i need to cut and remove what i need too....the lock inlet needs to be inlarged about 1/16" or less all the way around the lock plate....following my T/C stock so it looks close enough to what i need it to be....i already have the pull made so that's done and the stock is at the limit height wise for tha butt plate....with the flats on the top and bottum of the stock so i'll have to mount it centered....the butt plate is drawn also just need to get a hold of a friends bandsaw....and his drill press to drill the holes for the lock screw and barrel lug hole with the wedge pin hole....the hardest part i think i'll have trouble with is the nose cap not sure how to tackle that yet....i'll keep you guys updated as i go with some pics..............bob

 

[gordy]

Bob1961: Beautifull hunk of Maple.I would have to agree with the advice given.Looking forward to seeing the progress as You go.Do everthing slow and It'll look like it was done by a pro. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gifGordy

 

[Zonie]

Bob: Your comment on the fit of the butt plate is how I remembered my Pecatonica Stock too. I was just kind of hopeing that yours would have some extra wood so you could play with the cast.

As you mentioned the lock needing some inletting I would suggest that you make sure the barrel seats correctly in the barrel channel and then varify the hammer position relative to the nipple (fore and aft) before you begin trenching it in.

Have fun

 

[bob1961]

yes i will be going slow on what has to be done....i had the barrel in the stock to see where the lock should be and everything is fine there....it's a flintlock and the pan to hole is good to go....i'm waiting for a friend of mine to get back to me about his bandsaw so i could get the butt cut for the plate and maybe for the nose cap....i'll be picking up a dremal and some x-acto gouges do some of the fine fitting so i can keep it close to the fit i need it to be....other then that i think i have everything lined up so when i get going it should be smooth sailing....looking at the inside of the T/C stock in the side by side pic and how dark the unstained wood is and the maple stock is i can't wait to see the oiled maple stock color is going to be....anyone with the same stock that might be tru-oiled post a pic for me to see how mine might look like would be great....thanks to all once again....will not let you down on my project...........................................bob

 

[steved]

Bob: If you don't feel like waiting around for your friend's bandsaw, you can cut the butt for the butt plate using a hacksaw, as outlined in Dixon's book. Just draw your line for the butt plate and then cut 1/8" outside that line with a hacksaw. The flexiblity in the blade allows for it to follow the curve. If the curve gets too great and starts hindering the blade, just take the saw and make a perpendicular cut to remove the chunk, then continue following the cut line. As a first time builder I followed this method and it worked real well. The hacksaw cuts slowly so you can really control your work.

 

[bob1961]

he'll be home tue to do so....i just have to make jig to hold it plum and level so that i can make the cuts to within 1/16" and sand it to fit from there....i thought about a coping saw but don't have many blades..............bob

 

[JesseJames]

Take the piece that you cut off the butt or the piece you cut off the cap,tru-oil it to give yourself an idea what the rest of the stock will look like.

 

[bob1961]

sounds like a good idea jesse....here's the jig so when i get to his shop i can tilt or canter it to get it plum and level on his band saw table....i have two needles in the end of the stock on the center line so when it's on his saw table i can level it....just waiting for tuesday to get here now....will probily have my dremel tool by then also..................................bob

 

[JesseJames]

Bob

Well it looks like you have it pretty secured to the jig. I like to give you a little tip if you don't mind. On the bottom part of the stock,where it is flat,take a flat piece of any kind of wood,zip tie it to the stock. Let it extend to the very end of the butt. This way when you push it through the tablesaw you are backing up the stock,you won't have no tearout from the sawblade. Cut the stock and the scrap piece together.

 

[bob1961]

thanks....the line is on the block of wood....thought of that allready....my hands want to get busy on this project so bad i can't stand it....but when it's done i'm sure it will be the envy of all....lol....well till i get to tuesday and really start on this stock and have some more pics for ya all once again thanks to all....anymore ideas that might pop in your heads will be greatly used to the best of my ability.........................bob

 

[bob1961]

it's me again....i'm thinking of doing some checkering on this stock but i'm looking for what is a good line per inch to use....so i know what set of heads to buy....16 - 18 - 20 - 22 etc....i've been looking in the brownells cat for items i may buy...............................bob

 

[Zonie]

Perhaps not PC but in the interest of rugged Americanism I would think the 16 would be more fitting than the finer pitches.
I don't know if you have checkered before but just a word of caution. Checkering is an art which requres lots of practice. Because of the wavy grain Curly Maple is alternatly soft and hard depending on which way the grain is going at any given point.
This makes checkering a real challenge even when you take your time. On a scale of 1 (easy) to 10 (very hard) I would rate Walnut as a 4 and Curly Maple (especially the kind with as much curl as your stock has) about a 8 1/2.

For things to do:
I assume Dick (Pecatonica Rifle) sent you the extra strip of wood that he cut off of your stock. If he did, while your waiting for Tuesday, if your giving thought to staining the wood, you can sand the extra strip down and try different stains and different numbers of coats on it.
If he didn't send the extra wood, you can still do this experimenting inside the barrel channel where no one will see it. For that matter, you can try it on the area your going to cut off.
My only warning is to stay away from oil base stains and stick with the water base type. Oh, what the H, go ahead and try a oil base stain too. Thats what experimenting is all about, right?

 

[bob1961]

i'm going to tru-oil finish it....and no cut off from them....but will try the cut off myself..........bob

 

[bob1961]

i worked some cast in to it to the left side of the on the comb side....not much about 1/8" holding the gun all put together with the barrel, triggers, guard it feels alot better then when i had it with the T/C stock on it....so i think during hunting season it will shoot alot more on the dime with 9 cents change....thanks for the info on cast..........................bob