How close is close enough?

[Doc Arroyo]

I am installing a steel buttplate on a pre-carve stock. The buttplate is heavy enough that I don't think that I can peen the edges to fit. So I took a break, and figure on starting in on it again tomorrow night.

But it got me to thinking...When do you think you are close enough?

 

[Roy]

When I am done. :grin: Look at Fatdutchman's work up in the smoothbore section. Great inletting job. On some kits you can not get a good tight fit though, so you just have to use your best judgement.

 

[MikeChapin]

I usually go until I have at least a staggered line all the way around on the smooth surface from the inletting black. When I get to that point, the screws will snug it up to where the seam will look continous.

I just finished fitting the butt plate on my latest rifle yesterday and have about five or six hours in it. Just take your time and keep at it and you'll get there. Fitting the butt plate is one of my least favorite jobs on a rifle. The entry thimble is the one I like the least.

One tip: If you get to feeling frustrated and irritated, back off and let it set until the feeling passes.

BTW Doc: Is the stock just pre-carved or is is pre-inlet also?

 

:v To soften brass to pean it into shape . Heat it red hot then Quench in cold water . this softens brass , really . then put it back on and pean it. Bob

 

[CrackStock]

I am installing a steel buttplate on a pre-carve stock.

He's gonna have to heat that steel butt plate up a lot to get it soft enough to reshape it any. :haha:

Seriously, I have heard of some people heating a steel buttplate until it singed the wood for the final fit. Never wanted to test that theory myself. I just kept working it down and setting it aside for a few days and trying it again until it made me happy to see the result. I had more trouble setting the screws correctly that working the wood down.

CS

 

[Doc Arroyo]

Mike2005-
Precarved only. I really find this part easier on a blank cuz I can cut closer to my final lines on a squared stock blank with the bandsaw. And the buttplate chosen does not quite fit the cross-section at the lenght of pull requested...so part of that will be grind to fit!

CrackStock-
Burn it on. :hmm: I may have to think on that one.

 

I am by no means a "gunbuilder" but on my Jaeger kit I ended up using a smidgen of bedding epoxy mixed with a bit of brown dye to fill a slight gap between the plate and the wood. Now you see why I am no gunbuilder.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Just make sure it is "BRASS" some bronzes get quite contrary when heated and quenched.

 

[Black Hand]

I am installing a steel buttplate on a pre-carve stock. The buttplate is heavy enough that I don't think that I can peen the edges to fit.

How thick is thick?? You should be able to peen the edge on most of the plates. You could also anneal the plate by heating to a red color and allowing to cool without any assistance. This should soften it enough to work it. You could also take it off the gun, give it a few good whacks and try it back on the gun. You'd be surprised how much you might move it.
Black Hand

 

[Zonie]

When do I think it's close enough?

As I said in an old post about installing butt plates, if I have worked it down so the metal to wood fit transfers the inletting black in at least 80% of the area, and I cannot insert a .002 thick piece of paper in the remaining gap, I'm done.

IMO, the human eye can't distinguish a .002 gap between the metal and the wood, so I feel that further work to get 100% of the inletting compound to transfer is a waste of my time.

 

[MikeChapin]

Mike2005-
Precarved only. I really find this part easier on a blank cuz I can cut closer to my final lines on a squared stock blank with the bandsaw. And the buttplate chosen does not quite fit the cross-section at the lenght of pull requested...so part of that will be grind to fit!

I prefer not to have a pre-inlet also. I like at least a 15" pull. The one pre-inlet I did stuck me with a shorter pull. The rifle is great but the pull is a little shorter than I like and makes me tire faster if I'm shooting all day.

I ground down my latest buttplate. I am using a blank so I had plenty of wood but I am building a slim rifle and the plate was wider and longer than I wanted. Love those hand grinders.

 

[CrackStock]

Actually, you are not too far off. Bee's wax with some darkening or coloring agent in it was used to fill such gaps.

Sort of the PC answer to Bondo!

CS

 

[oldarmy]

I am finishing up a rifle. I had the butt plate fitted to what I THOUGHT WAS A NICE FIT. i had to take it off to install the push buttom release devise and when I put it back together I noticed a pretty large gap :cursing:
I have been wondering how to fill this gap all day.
Beeswax and a little coloring works perfect.
My only question would be. how long will it last?

 

[CrackStock]

I am finishing up a rifle. I had the butt plate fitted to what I THOUGHT WAS A NICE FIT. i had to take it off to install the push buttom release devise and when I put it back together I noticed a pretty large gap
I have been wondering how to fill this gap all day.
Beeswax and a little coloring works perfect.
My only question would be. how long will it last?

Until you burn the stock! :haha:

Seriously, I have seen wax used a\several times and it does work. Even if it gets pushed out somehow, you can simply replace it. I have a friend who used brown shoe polish. Does not dry all that well, but it did fill the gap.

Also, if the fit of that buttplate was good until you removed and replaced it, try removing and then retightening the screws again to see if the screw tension is causing this problem. Might fix it for you. You might even set it in place and hold it there somehow while you snug up the screws as it stays in place.

Hope some of this is helpful...

CS

 

[Nightwind]

I'd never use shoe polish for the following reason. Awhile back, a friend had trouble sighting in a long rifle he had just finished rebuilding. (after a couple of hours of shooting, it turns out he just needed to find a load his gun liked). Anyways, I also accumulated a horrendous smear of gyucky brown on the shoulder of my new tan sueded fringe jacket. Turns out he had installed a new butt plate and used brown shoe polish to fill in the tiny gaps. Jacket was ruined!