2 New Projects

[tbonesmith]

I've had an idea in my head to build myself a full bore target rifle stock for a while now. About a year ago, before my last employer wound up the joinery business I worked in, I machined up some stock to build a target rifle stock for a Mauser '98. Quite nicely, there was some beautiful brushbox left over from the last job we did, and some white ash as well. Anyway, I have since changed the model of rifle to an omark. This has a brand new furlac screwed into it, and I need to get onto the range. So tonight, about a year after machining the timber I roughed out and laminated the blank. I don't have too long until time pressure will consume me again, so I'm going to smash this one out ASAP.


Running in parallel with this job, will be the building of a No1Mk1 in .22lr, in SMLE front wood. I had in mind a copy, in .22 with aperture target sights and all, of the full bore rifles built on cut down Long Toms. I'm only doing this because I have the parts, and I think it will be a very usable and interesting little piece. The other option was to put it together on an No1k111 body, but I think this will have more appeal. This rifle will be completely rebuilt from parts and the thread will include the rust bluing process of the all the steel components, and the staining and refinishing of all the timber components. Full pics to come.

Information

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[tbonesmith]

Some sizes have been established, and others are left large at this stage, but there is the first semblance of shape in the grip and the parallel straight forend. There is a lot of wood to remove to find the stock within, but I have a fairly clear idea of where it's going, and the remaining parameters will be established very soon.

[tbonesmith]

Shaping the grip, this will continue a bit further, then I'll inlet for the action and barrel, and cut and fit the adjustable cheekpiece.

[tbonesmith]

Have done some more grip shaping, and inletted for the barrel channel, and a lot of the action. From here I'll fit the action with bearing blue and my favorite gouge. I only want to get a neat tight wood to metal fit around the tang, because I'm going to pillar bed it, and bed the action in aluminum epoxy (shop mix). I hope to finish the inletting tomorrow, and get the trigger clearance milled out so I can sit the barrelled action in the stock with the trigger on and then finish the grip, and also get onto the adjustable cheekpiece.
I routed out the barrel channel with my table mounted router, with dust extraction there wasn't any mess much at all. This bulked out the action inletting too. The mill was very helpful in drilling and some other cuts.
At this stage I'm very happy how it's moving and clear where it's headed, which is nice when you're making something...

And by the way, the little .22 is coming shortly, I just wanted to get this in hand having kicked it off.

[tbonesmith]

The action and barrel inletting is finished, and the grip is pretty right, I'll leave it in the rough for testing. I have cut out the cheekpiece which will be adjustable on the aluminium rods that can be seen. I have yet to make the locking hardware, but that is easy enough.

So I would like to shape the cheekpiece this week, and get the locking hardware made and installed too. That leaves shaping the forend, which will probably be simply routing a large radius. Additionally I need to decide if I'm putting on a 3 way adjustable butt, or a simple plastic plate, plus pillar bed the action, fit a hand stop rail to the underside of the forend, and shape the butt into the decided but plate...then test, then finish. I'm very pleased with the feel and the progress of this stock and I think that it will be superior to one that i could buy (read, afford!).

[louthepou]

The quality of your work is outstanding, tbone!!! Can't wait to see the finished product (of course)

[tbonesmith]

Tonight was a very productive few hours. I put a couple of radius's on the forend, but I will enlarge the one on the left hand side so my hand wraps around better. Also you will see that I have offset the hand stop rail to the left, as I find it very awkward with a hand stop on a wide forend in the middle, as the "V" formed between my thumb and index finger sits to the left when holding a forend naturally. Oh well it will work, or I'll curse quietly, patch it and recut it in the middle, I think it will be fine.

Then I made up the adjustable cheekpiece clamp, and bored the butt to fit it, and installed it with a metal thread. This I'll replace with a cap screw housed in an aluminium knurled thumb screw. Anyway it fits really nicely and works well. So I'll glue in the ally dowels into the adjustable cheekpiece and get shaping.

[Maple_Leaf_Eh]

I was wondering why the foreend rail was offset, and now I understand. Yes, most handstops are off centre.

My first smallbore coach was a finish carpenter and cabinetmaker. His favourite stock making tool was a combination flat and half-round wood rasp. One Bisley shooter wisely observed my handiwork was inspired by Hans.