In the spring I bought a new Marlin 336SDG in 30-30. It is my first pistol grip Marlin. I like the laminated wood OK but I am not crazy about the "fatness" of the stock and forend. I thought about thinning it but I would probably get concave in some places, to be able to remove all of the checkering. Soooooo, I bought a "semi finished" stock set from Macon gunstocks. I am in the process of fitting it to the metal now. Both buttstock and forend have tons of figure in them. I read someplace that if wood is too fancy, it looks out of place on a lever action. I say, "What ever". I think it will look just right. I'll post some photo's when I finish the job.
Got wood!
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I think the new stocks will be great! I can't wait to see them. Also like to know how hard the final fitting is and what tools are needed. thanks Scott
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rj308 said...
That's right rj...the purttier the better. Can't wait for the pics!
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Only a complete knucklehead would say that beautiful wood on a levergun looks out of place. I really love the Marlins I have with really fancy stocks and forends. I'm sure yours will turn out beautiful and can't hardly wait to see it when it's finished.
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rj308, welcome to MO!! The boys and girls at Macon do know how to get walnut to make great gunstocks don't they. That outfit is about 35 to 40 miles south of me here in west central Mo. That small area has been the gunstock capital of the world for years. Walnut is the BEST wood for gunstocks. Pictures of the work in progress and of course when it's complete. Take care, John.
Thanks for the kind comments. About all you need to fit the BS and FE are Exacto type knives, perhaps a very sharp, small quarter inch wide wood chisel and marking paste. The wood is, I would say 10 to 30 thousandths oversize in the inletted areas. You just have to go slow and take your time. The goal, ofcourse is to get 100% contact with the metal, which is impossible, so you try to get it as close as possible. You probably insert the tangs into the buttstock fifty to eighty times during the inletting process. You can't rush it. Work for about 30 minutes and take a break. I read the write-up on stock fitting on the Treebone Carving sight, which I think is exellent. He recommends bedding the wood to the metal, reguardless of how good of a fit you obtain, to get 100% contact, which also water and oil proofs the parts of the wood that you cannot see. I will use Tru-oil to finish the stock to a satin finish.
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rj308...can't go wrong with truoil...several years ago, while shooting the vintage matches at Camp Perry, I asked one of the Marine Corps armorers about how they finished their stocks back when the M-14 was their over the course choice. He said that they used poly or truoil inside and out, and were especially picky about the end grain. Heavy coats, where the bedding compound didn't reach, minimized stock movement when they shot in humid or rainy conditions. I've taken that advice to heart and have done my Springfields and M1's with Poly or truoil ever since. Best regards, Rodfac
Rodfac, I agree. One of the first things I do with a new rifle is take it apart and seal the naked wood with tru-oil. I like walnut stocks on stainless rifles and I use them for all weather hunting. I don't worry at all about pouring rain on my rifle when I hunt because I know the wood is well sealed inside and out. When I come in from the field, I just wipe it down and I am ready to go for the next morning or evening.
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