Stock white line spacers

[Pieter C. Voss]

These used to be real common. They were/are thin plastic spacers under the butt plate, pistol grip cap, and between the (usually) black forend tip and the front end of rifle stocks. I hate them--always have. They were almost always part of replacement stocks for military rifles sold by stock makers like Reinhart Fajen and Bishop (the big two) back in the 50's and 60's when converting fine old milsurps to sporters was (maybe) a cheaper way to get a decent deer killer. I did it myself--makes me sick now to think about the pristine '03 Springfield and a nice Swedish Mauser carbine I bought for $45 each and took to a gunsmith for polishing, bluing, and bolt handle alteration--barreled actions, that is--the fine stocks were practically given away at gun shows. We all know better now, of course, and I have a couple of good rifles--recent acquisitions that received the sporterization treatment probably years ago but remain desirable, at least to me. One is a U.S. 1917 Enfield, which was given the full treatment--receiver "ears" removed, polishing & bluing, floor plate alteration, etc. It has a Williams target-type receiver sight and I have had a globe front aperture installed and have shot it with cast bullets in reduced course NRA high power matches with some modest success. The other is an '03A3 Springfield that thankfully has NOT had any drastic alterations other than being drilled and tapped for a one piece Buehler scope mount and the bolt handle altered. Both these guns are in sporter stocks with white line spacers. Easy enough to get rid of the butt plate and pistol grip spacers, but the forend tip spacer is another matter. I thought of cutting off the forend tip right at the spacer--I have a compound miter saw that makes a clean cut and the saw kerf would take out the spacer and very little wood, but the possibility--maybe probability of some kind of metal connector buried in the joint is worrisome. Maybe just hacksaw off the forend tip--cutting through the spacer, and then clean up the cut surfaces with a bench type disc or belt sander so the tip can be replaced. If anyone has done this or is a pretty good woodworker and has any other ideas I'd like to hear from you.

[David2011]

No suggestions but you struck a nerve. A buddy (RIP) just hated white line spacers beyond description. It kind of rubbed off on me, too.

David

[Blackwater]

I think sawing it off the forend is probably your only option if you hate it that much. I'm no enthusiast of them either, but have an old gun made back when they were "in style." I've left it alone. Buttstocks can usually be "cured" by taking the pad off and simply leaving it off, or if it's part of the pad, either replacing it and fitting a new one or grinding it off.

The forend usually has a wood dowel in it, though some use steel rods if that's what's handy, or if they want a little more wt. out front. You can't know until you cut into it, at least that I know of anyway. Once you've cut it off, you're then likely going to have to refit it, and that will likely involve slimming down the forend because chances of getting it back in perfect alignment are slim and none. This means that if it's checkered, it'll need to be recheckered. Not sure how that works into your plans, but it's a pretty big job to simply eliminate the white spacer between forend and tip. Or at least I don't know a good way to do it.

Is this making that white line start to look better?

[Von Gruff]

You could try a good magnet on the forend to see if it is a steel or woden dowel. I have done them and with carefull marking for new dowels they can be re-done with very little to almost no reshaping or thinning of the two pieces. I use three 1/8 in brass dowel to hold the tip to the forend and by using this pattern and carefull guage and square work the refitting can be very close to perfect, dependig on the taper of the forend which may require some blending of the parts to keep straight lines

[Pieter C. Voss]

Thanks, Von Gruff--best advice so far. I do have a "stud finder" magnet--should have thought of that myself.

[Von Gruff]

If you put a piece of paper tape in the barrel channel and draw a center line before you cut the tip off, you have the basis for marking out the two pieces again once they have been sanded to remove any saw marks. Square down from the center line then guage a line accross the face to make the T shape shown in the pic. Then starting from the center top of the T and using a caliper the other points can be plotted in. I use a pair of end nippers and bruise the brass pins a number of times to increase the epoxy holding points.

[oldracer]

When I rebuilt "Big Ollie", my 50 caliber muzzle loader I wanted a custom setup for the butt plate. I went to San Diego plastics and what did I find but some 1/2 inch thick plastic that was stippled on one side. I also found a piece of dark red plastic, smooth on both sides and they pieces were about a foot by 2 feet and cost me $3.00. They made a pretty darn good butt plate on the fancy walnut stock I had made and I plan to use the dark red again when I do another stock. I don't much like white either.

[izzyjoe]

Im fond of them on 336's from the 70's, but that's it!

[waksupi]

You could cut down an eighth inch or so, honeycomb it, and pour a nose cap.