I have been working on 11 restocks for the past few months in a sort of assembly line fashion while working in other small stuff in-between.
One in particular I documented each of the critical steps of making the stock. I figured I would share them here in case anyone has wondered what all goes into it.
The gun is a 20g. VH. It is a full restoration.
I did the required repair work to the original stock in order to get a suitable pattern and I duplicated the original stock out of a piece of American Walnut that had some nice curl in the butt area. Nicer than the original piece, but still very suiting for a VH grade.
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The Frame is hand fitted into the inletting for good contact along the tang, but primarily on the recoil surface.
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I then inlet the trigger plate into the bottom of the stock with the frame clamped firmly in place.
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Then the holes for the tang screws can be drilled and the screws installed. The front tang screw requires the insertion of a threaded bushing first.
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Then I can attach the top lever and it's linkage and inlet for clearance of all of those moving parts. Clearance cuts also have to be made for the hammers.
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I then install the grip cap. It is held on by one wood screw and located by two steel pins. The new screw then gets it's slot timed.
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I then install a new buttplate on the stock. It is carefully insetted for total contact around the whole surface. Just as carefully as the action is fitted. The last 3 digits of the serial number are written on both the butt and the plate. Like the factory did. The new screws are then timed and dressed down flush.
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The trigger guard can then be fitted. The tang is insetted into the stock. The serial number and grade are stamped into the wood and a new screw is installed.
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To finish up the work inside the head of the stock. The safety jacket is installed. It is very important that it is tight in the wood and that the depth is correct. Then a hole is drilled for the reset rod using a custom made jig. Function can then be tested and adjustments made if needed. The button slide should fully reset when the top lever is opened.
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The finial profile of the stock and the details of the grip, cheeks and comb flute can be shaped using rasps and files.
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Once the toe line is set, the monogram shield can be installed and dressed off.
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Then everything is sanded out to 320 grit. A double layer of tape on all of the metal surfaces ensures that the wood is taken down to just the right level of being just proud of the metal. Everything is now ready for sealer and finish coats.
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I hope this information has been useful to some.