Best Way to Shorten a Wooden Shotgun Stock

[Kaffir]

Greetings,

Could someone tell me the best method of shortening a wooden stock on an Remington 870? How do I refit a recoil pad?

Is this alteration best left to a gunsmith?

Thank you for your time.

 

[DeBee]

If you have a panel sled on your table saw, it's easy...

Set the stock on the sled, set a deck of cards under the wrist, set a level on top of the stock, remove cards until its level and cut. Or at least square the buttend with the blade before you cut.

It is helpful to put masking tape on the stock to prevent splintering...

If the stock is nice walnut from a Wingmaster, I'd order a cheap stock of Ebay and use that instead of cutting the original.

If you don't have a tablesaw or at least a bandsaw, the results are going to be real rough... Then a sander is needed to fit the buttpad properly...

 

[eddieleon]

Is the reason for cutting the stock is for a child who may outgrow that cut stock? If so, try drilling the stock from under the recoil pad past the cut. Make the cut with as small a kerf as possible. Later when the stock is to be lengthened, insert dowels, glue and dress the cut. Worked for my grandson's first rifle. Using another recoil pad saves refitting another to the original stock.

 

[Kaffir]

Thanks for the help. The stock is for me; it's a little too long.

 

[Jim K]

If you don't want a recoil pad, you can reinstall the butt plate. An advantage in doing this is that you can then use a recoil pad to restore the stock close to the original length.

Either way, the plate or pad will be larger than the end of the wood. What you do is screw the pad/plate down, then wrap masking tape around the wood, and trim the pad/plate down with a belt sander. If you take care you can get down to the stock line without marring anything except maybe the tape. Make sure the angle of the stock extends across the pad/plate, and it will look OK.

When you are ready to screw the pad/plate down, pre-drill the holes so you don't strip the screw heads.

If you do nick the stock, a little polyurethane, like charity, will cover your sins.

Jim

 

[Kaffir]

Thanks for the advice.