warped stock.............

[bob1961]

i was looking at my stock i just got and it was warped or had a bow in it from bout 1/3 from the breech end with the bend going downto the front of the stock....when i shoulder the stock as in firing it i saw this....but when i put the end of the stock on my bench and applied a little pressure to the barrel end of it went straight....is this the norm fer a long stock and will it hurt me....i didn't notice this when i took it out of the box when it first got here................bob

 

[BLAHMAN]

Yeah, it should be ok. When the barel is put in, the stock should straighten out. That is a problem with pre-carved stocks. Heck, if your not happy, send it back.

 

How much of a warp is there in it?

Woody

 

[bob1961]

i could work with it....it's not much pressure to make it straight or go beyond straight................bob

 

Bob
Some warpage is normal with a figured wood such as curley maple.
But if it is a significant warpage, then I would be concerned about it and would send it back, stateing why your refuseing it and request a replacement.
I seen a few at Chambers he had on hand that had some warpage also.But they were not real bad.

Woody

 

[Birddog6]

Not unusual for a figured stock to have some bow in it. As long as it is not an pronounced bend at a knot, it will work out. If you are using a very thin A barrel & large caliber for that barrel, I would be concerned as they need all the help they can get. Example: 42" "A" barrel in a 40 cal ? Yes, you want a perfectly straight stock for it...... Those barrels bend when the wind blows they are so flimsy. (I won't build on a "A" weight anymore, too much work to have one screw up so easily)
But basically if you have a strong walled barrel a lil bow will not mean anything, as by the time you slim the rifle forestock down it will have very little or no pressure on it.
One thing you may consider & what I usually do to keep this from happening, when I get a stock I put the barrel in it right then. I have ? 5-6 sitting here with the barrels in them unbreeched (I oil & plug both ends of the bore) and then I tie the barrel down to the stock with nylon wire strap about every 10". This keeps the stock straight & I don't have to worry about it bowing. Also if it has a small amount of warpage I may put a strap every 4-5" at thos places, the warpage is usually gone when I get ready to build the rifle.

:results:

 

[bob1961]

i didn;t think it was bad just needed to hear from people who had this happen to them....if ya look down the stock like yer shooting it....it has bout a 1/2" to 3/4" bow to it going down from yer sight picture....right now i have the stock upside down to see if gravity will help till i get the barrel from rice....so i guess i'll be ok with this bow....thanks guys...........bob

 

[Birddog6]

Gravity most likely will not do it, it is the grain of the wood drying & etc. making it pull. Best to clamp the barrel in it & rectify the problem before ya start on the gun. Always easier to start with straight & not have to compensate. IMHO.
:results:

 

[bob1961]

i'll have to wait fer my barrel to git here fer that....how long would i have to wait once the barrel is clamped in there..............bob

 

put a piece of pipe or square stock in the barrel channel and tape it. Perfectly straight wood is for ease in measuring and building.

Depending on the style of rifle there will not be enough wood remaining after the forend is shaped to be able to exert enough preasure to warp the barrel out of shape.

If the wood is warping your barel you left too much wood!

Your big concern should be splintering the forend not using it to bend the barrel.

 

[Birddog6]

If it is a swamped barrel I would wait on the barrel then I would let it soak all day in the warped area with a wet sponge or two on it, then put 1 layer of saranwrap on the barrel & put it on the stock & pul it up snug if it will go. (Be sure to put a piece of flat wood against the RR groove or the clamps my mess it up there.. How long it will take to bring it back ? hard to say, as that depends on the memory of the wood, how dense it is & etc.

As far as the wood warping the barrel ? Correct, it should be thin enough on the forestock (on a American longrifle)to not do this. However, keep in mind on a A40 swamped barrel in 42" length you can lay that barrel on the table & take your little finger & push on that barrel & flex it....... that is how easily they are moved, so a warped stock can easily effect them. Now a B or a C or a D weight barrel, is a whole dif. ball game.

:results:

 

[bob1961]

it's a 42" D profile in a golden age in .54............bob

 

[the skrat]

hey bob there is one thing i have noticed about curly maple or any other figured wood and this stuff likes to twist around i made a plate on my lathe once from some really fancy birds eye that had dryed in my dads shop for 35 years got done at midnight very nice plate woke up 6 hours later and wow that thing warped like crazy theres just a lot of stress in highly figured wood :m2c:

curly maple

 

[rich pierce]

You might consider bending the stock after you get the barrel. Wrap the forend with cloth and pour boiling water on the affected area and nearby until it is absolutely soaked and boiling hot, then "overbend" the wood slightly so it is almost bending the opposite way a little. Then clamp the barrel in there. You might paint the barrel with shellac. Dries very quickly and will come right off later. This would prevent rust. In my experience, the wood will always have spring in it unless you over bend it the other way. Just clamping it "to straight" just "loads the spring". This might cause the nosecap to pull down from the barrel and give you fits. Been there!

 

[Black Hand]

Sir,
I have used steam and clamps to take out some fairly severe bends and warps. Just set the warped area over a pot of boiling water and make a tin-foil tent to trap the steam. Steam for 20-30minutes (or more) and clamp to a flat area (barrel channel down) with a cardboard shim. Make sure you bend it past where you want it to stay as it will return some. Allow to cool and you are usually good to go. For severe bens you may need to repeat this a few times. As soon as you get the barrel, tie it in as suggested and it will keep it from going back.
Black Hand

 

[GobblerKnob]

The suggestions given so far are for severe warpage. It sounds to me as if the little you have can/will be taken care of once you inlet the barrel.

 

[rayb]

looking at all this and the remedies makes me wonder if using plain unfigured wood isn't such a bad idea. Yes figure is attractive, but if the result is a tendency to warp, then maybe the plain wood is th way to go for rifles that will be shot a lot.. :hmm:

:m2c:

rayb

 

[rich pierce]

I think the primary cause of this common problem is the overwhelming use of precarved stocks ordered separately from the barrels that belong in them. The barrel channel of a stock should be immediately filled with the barrel that was inletted into it. The traditional way of building guns is to take a hunkthick blank, plane one side to be flat, cut the blank to profile, find your center line, inlet the barrel, and then start working everything with the barrel in place. Taking a blank and pre-carving it and then leaving it around for any period of time without parts being installed allows everything to move with the stresses that are released. It ain't natural, I say!

 

[bob1961]

i'm diving into a blank for my .36 poor boy next spring and i'm going with a less curl in it most likely just plain maple.............bob

 

[Terry Zboril]

it's a 42" D profile in a golden age in .54............bob

Bob, I wouldn't worry about it affecting accuracy. That D wt., (1 and 1/8 inch breech), is pretty sturdy in even a .54. (I have one also). A little heavy tho, but a dam good shooter.

If you thin the fore end down to 1/16 or so sidewalls, as in most originals you will not have any problem.

Regards,
Terry