Minelli stock review and fitting

[JT5150]

This is a great writeup and I wish it was around when I was refitting the Minelli that came on a 2013 Rock Ridge 03A4 clone (“new”, unused in the box) in January of this year. Would have saved me alot of time just having to go through and figure this stuff out by trial and error. I’ve fit a dozen Garand stocks and there is quite a bit of information on those (in fact there are no aftermarket Garand stocks that I find “good”, even Minellis fit too loose and there is no CMP legal way to fix it)…but there is surprisingly not much detailed info out there for 1903 fitting, at least not that I’ve been able to find.

One thing that caused an issue is that I found that the end of the barrel channel in mine was warped a little to one side, and the whole action was originally installed crooked as well; and then the stamped type trigger housing was VERY tightly installed so that the bedding surfaces were cracked and deeply cut-in so that even a milled trigger housing wasn’t going to do much good. None of the fitting shown here was done. The tang bed was crushed and fore end pressure was made minimal. The magazine and receiver have no gap. I would heavily assume more than 65 in/lbs was applied.

Do you think these Minellis are kind of on the soft side? Especially compared to USGI? I may just start over with another that I can properly fit from
the start with a more gentle milled trigger housing but I don’t know if it’s worth it if it will just crush again. I could just file down the front bed, magazine box, and chase out any other contact to get a good gap. Sometimes I relate tuning these old rifles with components that are no longer really made correctly to the old art of tuning a carburetor to run right. Can just be a pain and a money pit but I love it.

And Semper Fi, I left the USMC this Memorial Day.

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[ssgross]

at least not that I’ve been able to find.

The first one I did, I went off the very minimal instructions given in the mdshooters forum...basically just said contact around the tang, the recoil lug+flat, and muzzle bed and nowhere else. It got frustrating, and I learned much by careful experience (I've never made a mistake wink wink). Digging around I found details in Campbell's book, and later Howe's "The Modern Gunsmith", which is in the public domain and a full text pdf is available here in this forum in the Knowledge Library.

barrel channel in mine was warped a little to one side

very common in the boyds stocks I've seen. haven't seen this in a minelli.

even Minellis fit too loose

all of mine have been loose in the magazine, but enough wood to make tight in the 3 areas that matter.

Do you think these Minellis are kind of on the soft side?

This is my big beef with them. They use a spray-tan stain to cover the fact that they are made out of soft sapwood walnut, or have seriously ugly grain, or both. They are very fat on the outside, and have to be slimmed to get the lower band on right, which means the whole thing gets sanded.

Especially compared to USGI?

I'm currently in the middle of stocking 4 1903's. One was an a3 sporter already drilled and tapped for the old style redfield base. It got a minelli stock and is almost done (I have a thread on it). Another is an old sporter that had an original A4 receiver. It's getting a NOS USGI scant (I have a thread on it too). Paid big money at Northridge, first one they sent me was a factory second with very ugly milling errors (like band spring groove cut past the shoulder where the band sits). The sent me another no charge, just came in today and looks good. Came in it's original box. Was going to post pics shortly
The other two rifles are a 1903a3 that was in a shrunken unmarked straight stock, and a Remington M1903 that was in a warped CMP/boyds C-stock. These rifles are getting NOS USGI scants from Numrich. These were very cheap ($200), no handgaurds, but are original Keystone manufactured. They are tight everywhere...trigger gaurd, magazine. They were stained when they were made.

These USGI scant stocks were made as field replacements, and I like to think that using them puts the rifle back in line to what authentic "service history" would have looked like. While they are still available, I would recommend these over the Minelli's as replacements. The outsides need minimal work, just a light sand or scuff to clean them up before raw linseed oil.

I have never fitted a Garand stock before. I only have CMP service and field grades. The original stocked ones have been great and tight, and so have the ones that came in new wood.

And Semper Fi, I left the USMC this Memorial Day.

Congrats. We never really leave. The more I've tried to move on (left in 2003 after surviving a very long MEU cruise that started in Kosovo and ended in Iraq), the more I realize my service defines me more than anything else.