cutting for kid

[Slake]

I'm about to cut a stock for a kid to use. I got the measurement figured out I think I was wondering if anyone might have some helpful hints or warnings

 

[rich pierce]

Kids grow.
The main problem kids have is holding the gun up. A short pull helps them deal with this. I recommend a 12" pull for a kid's gun and a lightweight, large caliber barrel. 7/8" x 50 caliber x 32" is a nice light barrel. There is no recoil problem, fewer problems loading, etc as you have a nice size bore and ball (fewer dropped balls, spilled powder getting it in the bore) and it will foul less and load easier than a smallbore gun. Load it with 25-40 grains and they will be very happy. Go with a loose but not worthless ball/patch combo (just tight enough that patches don't cut and burn). Make the sights pretty good sized (wide front, decent notch) so they can easily center the front sight in the rear notch.

 

[Robert an saa fan]

Suggest you label and save the piece you cut off for future use as child grows... you may want/need to put it back on.

Also, good to have the cut off piece if you sell the gun.

 

[reddogge]

When I built a rilfe for my 11 year old son I left the pull a little longer than ideal for him at that age but slightly shorter than a normal pull. It was a stretch for a year or so but he grew into it and he and I can still shoot that rifle and he's 38 years old. When he was a kid he did more shooting over a rest or cross sticks than offhand anyway.

My .02

 

[BrownBear]

I always did the same as Robert recommends when my kids were coming along. Looked kinda funny doweled back on, but that extra butt section let me stretch their guns as they grew up, until they were ready for fullsize.

The biggest caution is to be very careful about the cutting angle- both from top to bottom and (harder to keep track of) from side to side. Get either one wrong and the kid is going to have trouble with the gun, especially if recoil is involved.

Top to bottom I follow the same line as the manufacturer (i.e., keep the cut parallel to the line of the existing butt). Side to side, find the centerline of the gun with it laying on its side, then level the gun before making your cut, assuming you'll be making the cut with the gun on its side (which I recommend).

Also, run a tight turn around the stock and make your marks on that before cutting. It makes the marks a lot easier to see while helping prevent chipping.

If you're putting on a recoil pad, mount it oversize then make your top and bottom cuts using a grinder to continue the countour of the stock straight back. Now do the same on both sides. Same again in between those cuts for a total of 8 cuts that are all clean continuations of the stock lines. Now it's a simple matter to clean up the sections between your cuts, kinda like rounding out an octagon. If you use masking tape to protect the stock, it won't protect from a deep cut but will provide an early warning system that your cut is getting pretty thin.

 

[Bill Hall]

Last year I built a small rifle for my daughter. She's 21 and no kid, but she's only about 5' tall and couldn't begin to shoulder one of my rifles. I built the gun as narrow and as light as possible, leaving the butt a little long for her. I'd have her throw it up and watch how she handled it. If she brought it forward and then back to her shoulder, I could tell it was too long for her. I'd cut a little off and we'd try again. When it was just about right, we'd walk around the property and I'd have her throw the gun up quickly and aim at a rock or can or what have you, and closely watch how easily she shouldered the gun and her stance as she held it. After about a week, we did it again just to see if the fit still held true. I used a thin, flat buttplate so I just fit it from there. If you use a crecent shaped butt, you would need to keep the curve every time you checked the fit, then subtract the thickness of the buttplate when installing so that it comes out the same.
This is kind of a "fit as you build" approach. Bill

 

[paulvallandigham]

YOu should consider buying a utility grade stock to use for the kids gun, so that the cuts you make won't destroy an other wise good, factory stock. If the factory stock is birch, well, make your cuts on the factory stock. When the child gets bigger, and can handle a full factory stock, you can always buy a stock made by one of the companies, using a better grade of wood, to put on the gun.

I have seen several young kids shooting shotguns their fathers cut back for them, and then added 1/2" pieces as they grew up. They were not necessarily pretty, but they work quite well. And you can alter the pitch of the stock as the child grows, to take into account the fullness of the face, and a barrel rib cage, common to women, and to some boys.

 

[freeonthree]

Drill a couple holes through the butt of the stock towards the front of the gun . make sure the holes go past the cut off area then when you add the piece back on later it will line up nice with a couple dowels stuck in the holes.

keepem smoken
Freeonthree