Lyman GPR Stock

[kingsax26]

HI all...I ahve a question,

I just purchased a LYman GPR kit .....the stock is Amnazing! I want to make my GPR as true to history as i can. The problem im having is that there is a ton of wood left over on this thing.....and i like it! from what i ahve seen hawkens and plains rifles were skinny stocks....but i really like this big thick stock i ahve going ...would i be historically wrong if i left if thick? ( aside from fitting metal to wood of course)

 

[stinkyfeet]

I own a T/C Hawkens in 54 cal and the stock is anything but thin its hard to make a thin stock with a 15/16 of 1 inch barrel. I am not an expert by any means though. Just havent seen to many thin stocked Hawkens.

 

[necchi]

Ya know, Personal opinion here, but when I see one with alot of wood left on it I think "what a shame" the guy could have spent a little time making it look better.

It's an indication that the owner got excited about his new kit and wanted to finish it quickly so he could shoot it.

They really do look better with at least a half-pound of wood removed from it's factory kit condition.

Start with a 4-in-1 wood rasp and use the toothy side.

 

[Little Wattsy]

Here in Oregon we have a term "Skookum" uased after a bunch of tuff, bad-a55 indians down on the Rouge River. So if something is hell-for-stout it would be Skookum. And I like that. You never know when you might need to use your smoke-pole as a prybar to get your 4x4 out of the mud. :wink:

That being said I have fallen victom to the emotions you describe and although fully functional I have a rifle that I have come to think of as klunky due to the extra wood on the stock... Yah its skookum but to excess... Just a thought.

 

[kingsax26]

i am certainly taking my time, im not going to wSTE MY HARD EARNED DOLLARS ...right now i am mainly working on just the butt of the rifle and fitting the metal/wood together...i ahvnt touched anything else and I started yesterday lol..The one thing i refuse to do is make something im not proud of. I guess in the end however its still personal preference .....and im pretty shure ive removed at least Half a pound of wood already! ..or at least it feels like it :hmm:

 

[kingsax26]

you make a good point kind sir ....i was thinking i would thin the wrist and forend a bit.....But my kentucky rifle kicks your cheek like a mule...so im thinking that if i leave the but thick....i wont ahve to eat pureed food after shooting!!

 

[Little Wattsy]

Hey Byron.. Just to drag out your project a tad. FYI if you want to you can draw-file all the stamping off the barrel giving it a more custom VS production feel too. I only left the .54 stamped on the barrel, everything else is gone. :wink:

 

[Flash Pan Dan]

Byron, I am working on a GPR kit now. I took all the fittings and filed them even thinner and now I am rasping and sanding the stock to fit flush with new thinner fittings. I am not done yet, after 3 months, but when I pick the rifle up now and hold it I know it was worth going the extra mile. I also had to do some extra work like fitting the buttplate. I found that there was a bit gap between the buttplate extension and comb. So I had to inlet the buttplate deeper, drill out the top buttlplate hole, fill it and redrill the hole in a new location to get rid of the gap. I also draw filed all the verbiage off the barrel. I agree with the rest, take your time, walk away when you feel like rushing, stick to the plan to do the very best you can.

 

[rafterob]

you can draw-file all the stamping off the barrel

If you do that you void any warranty, so If you bought it new think twice about that.

 

[Flash Pan Dan]

Since I already draw filed my barrel clean, out of curiosity where is it written that draw filing the verbiage off the barrel voids the warranty?

 

[jdkerstetter]

Bryon, A couple of things you can do right out of the gate to make that gun look more "authentic" are to slim the forend down and take the "fish belly" out of the butt stock.

Google up original Hawken rifles and hit the "image" tab. There are a ton of pictures out there to help guide you.

The first thing I would do is make sure the barrel, breech and lock are fit to the gun.

The "fish belly"? Using a pencil and rule I would draw a straight line from where the wrist starts to the toe of the buttplate on work the wood down. Again, look at pictures.

Next, I would put the barrel in the gun and put a drill bit on the "shelf" of forend wood along side it. A 3/16" bit should be a good start. Using a sharp pencil I would draw a line using the drill bit's width as a guide.

Remove the wood up to this line keeping the side of the stock nice and square to the top flat of the barrel. That will get it thin.

Now, the thickest part of the forend should be right arond the level of the barrel wedges or just under. Using a straight edge, make a line along the forend at this point. Also draw a line down the center of the "belly" or underside of the forend.

With your tool of choice, shape the forend in sections from line to line. Nothing should be left "flat". Nice curve from the line on the side to the barrel and the same down to the center line on the belly.

Shape your the forend to kind of an egg or accorn shape....get rid of that "shelf" or leave just the narrowest radius there....the wood should look like it's growing out of the barrel and around to the other side.

Those are two of the biggest improvements you can make on that stock.

A third would be to get rid of that "hump" at the breech and taper it down more abruptly into the wrist...but that must be done with more care.

Good Luck and Enjoy, J.D.

 

[LaBonte]

Bryon, A couple of things you can do right out of the gate to make that gun look more "authentic" are to slim the forend down and take the "fish belly" out of the butt stock.

Google up original Hawken rifles and hit the "image" tab. There are a ton of pictures out there to help guide you.

The first thing I would do is make sure the barrel, breech and lock are fit to the gun.

The "fish belly"? Using a pencil and rule I would draw a straight line from where the wrist starts to the toe of the buttplate on work the wood down. Again, look at pictures.

Next, I would put the barrel in the gun and put a drill bit on the "shelf" of forend wood along side it. A 3/16" bit should be a good start. Using a sharp pencil I would draw a line using the drill bit's width as a guide.

Remove the wood up to this line keeping the side of the stock nice and square to the top flat of the barrel. That will get it thin.

Now, the thickest part of the forend should be right arond the level of the barrel wedges or just under. Using a straight edge, make a line along the forend at this point. Also draw a line down the center of the "belly" or underside of the forend.

With your tool of choice, shape the forend in sections from line to line. Nothing should be left "flat". Nice curve from the line on the side to the barrel and the same down to the center line on the belly.

Shape your the forend to kind of an egg or accorn shape....get rid of that "shelf" or leave just the narrowest radius there....the wood should look like it's growing out of the barrel and around to the other side.

Those are two of the biggest improvements you can make on that stock.

A third would be to get rid of that "hump" at the breech and taper it down more abruptly into the wrist...but that must be done with more care.

Good Luck and Enjoy, J.D.

With all due respect JD but having handled a dozen original Hawkens and talked with Don Stith and Jerry Gnemi (who has one of the largest collections of original Hawkens) that slight fish belly on the buttstock (as well as on the forearm)and the hump (Don calls it something like a thumb print) at the breech are in fact correct for (most) original S. Hawkens although perhaps a bit over done on the GPR - unfortunately pictures don't show these types of details well

 

[jdkerstetter]

I don't disagree a bit Chuck. But, as you incicated, these features are overly exagerated on the GPR and I feel the changes I've recommended do make an nice improvement to the over all lines....make it less production looking.

I won't be offended if somebody has other ideas as there are many ways to skin these cats.

I have no illusions that anything you do to a GPR will make it a "Hawken", I only recommended the pictures as a guide so that Bryon could pick up on some of the nuances of "planes rifle" architecture. :hatsoff:

Enjoy, J.D.

 

[kingsax26]

JD i think i understand what your saying about the shelf" however the end cap of the stock is pinned on as is the ramrod entry..(annoyed look at LYMAN) :youcrazy: so i am unsure of how i would remove the shelf and keep the lines if the cap fluid with the stock....or i dont completely understand what your telling me ....

 

[kingsax26]

i would to draw file the blade but i dont know that my hands are steady enough to do that .....id really hate to screw it up

 

[kingsax26]

http://imageshack.us/a/img441/7459/rifle3.jpg

ok so heres what i got after i re-enletted the butt plate...it was way funky ...whats a good way to fill the gaps for best wood/mets fit?

 

[jdkerstetter]

...whats a good way to fill the gaps for best wood/mets fit?

Best way? Inlet it a little more until the gaps are gone. The length of pull on the GPR is long anyway.

If they are very small they will close a little with finish and then colored wax can be used to fill.

As for the nose cap, I have a GRP but it is buried fairly deep in the safe so not easy to access. I.I.R.C. the cap is cast and has some room for filing. Maybe someone who has one handy can let us know.

Enjoy, J.D.

 

[ebiggs1]

All these “experts” can tell you how you need to finish your gun :yakyak: but you need to do it as you want it. :thumbsup:

Besides you can “finish” your gun several times! If you don't like it, just redo it until you do.
And most of all remember, it's just a piece of wood, after all, and it can be replaced if a disaster happens. :shocked2:

 

[jdkerstetter]

Well, I guess Bryon's on his own now. Unless you're going to answer all of his questions Ernie. But if your best advice is, "Go ahead just keep screwing it up 'til you get it right....it's just wood!"....I can't wait to read what follows. :haha:

Bryon is asking questions, which is one of the purposes of this forum, right? I don't recall anybode "telling" him what to do. Suggestions have been made and he's a big boy....he can figure out what road to follow.

Perhaps you should PT him a list of these "experts" so that he knows who he shouldn't listen to. Or perhaps he's figuring that out on his own too. :wink:

Enjoy, J.D.

 

[kingsax26]

NOw children dont make me turn this wagon around....I told you to do that before we left the cabin.....your just gonna have to hold it ... :blah:

So i think im gonna leave it thick as i dont know for sure what i want.....i can always take more off but its pretty damn hard to add wood...but its coming along nicely .. I am really leery of inletting the butstock anymore....as im leaving it thick...but i wanna fill the really small gaps between wood n metal... I saw somewhere about mixing the wood dust from your stock with some glue and using it as a fill. Has anyone done this...if so how does it look?