Rough Cut English Walnut Stock

The story of a simple 96 Mauser conversion to a 358 Winchester just continues to get a step more complicated. I started out doing a simple to plan conversion on a brand new 1943 Husky action that I had for decades, to a 358 Win. Every step has added a new level of unexpected complication, little stuff.
Finallly got to cutting out the stock from one of my blanks, the band saw went south. So to expedite the build, while I rebuilt the band saw, I ordered a normally 6 week out, rough cut English walnut stock from Richards. 10 months later, last Friday to be exact, the stock arrived, just a bit different than I ordered, but....I can work with it.
I wanted a straight grain with some slight black highlights, got that part, which is the important feature when done. Now the inletting, final fitting, glass bedding and finishing starts.
This is a photo the rough cut, the maple spacers were not ordered. If they get to be too much, I will just cut the tip and cap off at the spacer thus removing the spacer itself in the process and remount the tip and cap to the walnut using hardwood dowels and glue.

I was kicking around ordering a stock from them just this morning. Ten months?? I hope they didn’t charge up front. Chamber reamers seem to go from eight weeks to ten months too, but they don’t run your payment until they ship.

I understand your less than enthusiastic reaction to the maple spacers. But who knows, they might end up being fine.

Nice looking piece of wood. Wow, 10 months for a stock, used to get semi-inletted from them as well as Fajen within 10 days.

Yep, I was shocked also, but today is like another world. Had I known, I would have just repaired the saw and cut my own blank, and been done.

Well, the multi model cut, as is similar to the Timney trigger multi model, is close but no real fit, both were a bit too small, so this is what the finished rifle is starting to look like when inletted, got a bit of reduction to do on the outside dimensions for sure. A bit of expansion is still needed on the inletting for the glass bedding, ejection port, etc.

It's looking pretty awesome to me.

The thumbhole stock will help with recoil also.
Following this, looking good!
I’ve used Richard’s in the past, both stocks had correctable problems but very nice figure.


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I really like the Dual Grip style It is reported to reduce felt recoil by 25% and is comfortable to carry. When finished the barrel will be free floated, action and bottom metal 100% Arcraglass beded, in and out will have a sanded in, Pro Custom Oil finish. It is a few months from being finished as in our humidity, it can take 8 months to finish a stock. The sanded in oil, is a tough finish, but a long term process.

Pushing ahead, removing a bit more wood, here and there. Wood is odd, easier to remove than add back. So I go slow.
I noticed that the English was pretty brittle so decided to add a cross bolt on the 358 behind the recoil lug area.
I have described this process to several folks but never took photos of the process. A cross bolt jig, corbi bolts, matching wood type dowel caps aligned to the grain, cut with a dowel cutter, glued at the bottom, planed off, filled with sanding dust and finished with the stock.
Glass bedding, the action and the bottom metal 100%, is the next step, with the barrel free floated, action to muzzle.
Some of the tools and barrel channel scraper, blackening torch
Cross bolt jig
Square and centering setup of the jig
Drill 1/4" hole for shank each side, then the head counter sink hole
Corbi bolt mounted and tightened
English walnut 3 piece for-end in mill with dowel cutter
Dowels cut ready to be popped out
Dowel cap glued in place, ready to be planed off then sanded and filled w sanded in stock finish.

The roughed surface of the inlet is 100% on purpose, in order to hold the glass beddng. Making a smooth surface cut for glass bedding can be a major mistake if and when it starts to peel or crack.

Rapier: Excellent work on the stock. I've added cross bolts using a similar method to the one in your post. I usually put a cross bolt at both the recoil lug area, and ahead of the trigger assembly. The one thing that I do differently from yours is that I make the wood plugs that cover the bolt out of the same wood that I use for the forearm tip and grip cap. Instead of trying to hide the cross bolts I make them stand out as part of the stock.

That cross bolt jig makes it look easier than it really is. Kind of wish I had bought one back in the day.

I have always done the internal glassed in recoil bolts for fear of making a non-fixable visible oops. So far they have worked.

Robert

I usually do the cross bolt caps using the forend tip and cap material as well, plus turning the grain at 90 degrees. I have some I have done without a cap, the old fashioned look of a steel bolt head showing.
In this instance I decided to use English walnut on an English walnut stock, running with the gain. Just to make a difference. No hiding the caps as they are a couple shades lighter in color, just a different look on this stock.

On the heavy recoil stocks, I also put two cross bolts through the stock. The DG rifles like the 458 Lott get a 7" long 3/8" SS all thread rod glassed into the wrist in addition.
The bolts are fitted, then Acraglass gel bedded into the stock, using a long thin screwdriver blade/shank, so they do not ever come out once tightened.

This is a 458 Lott MRC, in a Bastogne walnut with Madagascar Ebony tip, cap, and bolt caps.

Ground off the excess wood sticking up past the sock surface on the cross bolt caps, then Acraglass bedded the action and the bottom metal today. Finished at 3:00 PM, at 6:00 PM I will check it. Make sure the two part mix is setting up correctly. Use a knife edge sharpened pop-cycle stick to cut off the semi-hard excess without scratching the metal. Then pop out the metal tomorrow afternoon.

Well dad gum, the glass bedding did not set up correctly and after 5-6 days got just hard enough to cut with a very course spiral cutter, only hard enough to remove was all. Done hundreds, first one to fail, guess it is just a matter of time. Hardener was multi shades of brown, so lesson learned
Tossed the old hardener, and will go at it again tomorrow.

Got the metal re-bedded with new hardener, worked like a champ.
Now waiting the 24 hours for full setup. Then start the metal final internal fitting, stock sanding down to the sanded paste and oil pore fill stage and then the sanded in final finish. Long ways to go, yet.

Love your project, although I’m not a fan of thumb hole stocks, I think you’ve got a nice looking rifle there.

Interesting project, how are the maple spacers growing on you?

The white spacers and line were not to be on that stock. Was ordered without. I will just fix that myself. Not major surgery with a power miter box. I have Packmeyer grind to fit, black pads and a recoil pad jig in any case.

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Originally Posted by Rapier

The white spacers and line were not to be on that stock. Was ordered without. I will just fix that myself. Not major surgery with a power miter box. I have Packmeyer grind to fit, black pads and a recoil pad jig in any case.

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FWIW, I'd first stain the spacers to match the stock wood and see how that looks.

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Yep, did the first 120 grit rough sanding, so now would be a good place to try the stain and/or ink, if no joy, it can be cut off with the 120 pretty quick. When doing such, a shade darker than you want is usually better.