Benelli Legacy stock

[Thomas]

I recently purchased a Browning Cetori O/U with english (straight) grip stock,I really like the way it feels and shoots.Well I have a Benelli Legacy that I would like to modify to a straight grip stock , the problem is Benelli does not make a english stock for this gun , and they want to much for new butt stock that I could modify. So I was wondering if anyone knew of place to get a used stock that I could modify, I have been all over the internet with no stock to be found.

Thanks Thomas

 

[BigJimP]

Shop your local used gun stores / pawn shops / gun shows....but you'll be very lucky to find much of anything between $ 100 - $ 200 that will fit that gun off the shelf.

Even if you wanted to carve / shape your own from a solid blank ....even a block of "ash" which is very inexpensive - would cost you at least $ 75 ...at a good lumber yard ( if you can find a block big enough and dry enough / without a lot of checks and cracks in it ....you'd be very lucky).

I laminate wood for all kinds of things - to make up large blocks ...for boxes, bowls, table tops, etc ....and you can try that - if you can plane or joint the faces clean enough to give you a good glue joint - that might work. Then bandsaw the rough size / and hand shape it from there ...( if you have a lot of time ) ....

Honestly, unless you're just looking for a wood-working project, you're better off staying with what you have on the Legacy model now ....and maybe installing a comb pad or something to adjust the fit to suit you in my opinion.

But one of these winters ---when it rains for 45 days straight ---I'll make a stock ...one of these days ... But if you go the route of making a stock / don't forget it will take some time - and some talent - to get the hole drilled for the stock bolt properly too ( the hole can be drilled on a lathe - between centers / much like you'd drill a hole for a large pepper mill ) with a long auger bit / maybe a forstner bit ....or on a big drill press ...if you could figure out a jig to hold it stationary so you could drill from both ends ( and meet in the center ) .... Making a stock is not inexpensive ...and really time consuming ...and that isn't what you asked ....but all of this relates to why stocks cost so much / even when they're machine made out of "junk wood" ...

 

[Thomas]

Thanks BigJim.There happens to be a gun show this weekend close by,I will give that a try. I did see the guy from Midway modify a pistol grip to a straight stock useing rasp and file and sand paper. It did not look that difficult ,as you said the trick is the bolt hole in the stock.I wonder if any of the Franchi stocks would mate up to the Legacy.I found a Franchi Mod500 on Gunbroker I need to get the guy to send me more pictures of it,what do you think.
Thanks Thomas

 

[BigJimP]

I think its possible -- that stocks from Benelli, Stoeger, Franchi --and maybe Beretta .... ( on some models ) ...might all be close enough that they wouldn't need a lot of modification.

The other issue on the Legacy ...is it is not a cheap gun / but it isn't like its a "high dollar collectors gun" either - so if you have some woodworking skills - no reason not to modify the stock you have / and then re-finish it as well.

You have to temper all this with a long term approach - in my view. Have you fired enough shotguns to really know what stock dimensions you really need to "Fit" you. Its smart to go into this thinking that you may have to face the reality of spending $ 100 or more on a stock / countless hours re-shaping it and refinishing it .... and then you take it to the pattern board .... and the point of impact is high or low / or left or right about 6" at 21 yards .....now what ?? Comb pads / changing recoil pads --- going to a Jones adjustable butt plate ...can solve a lot of things ...but if this doesn't work ....after you've spent countless hours fussing with it ....you might kick yourself ...

Just go into this project with your eyes open / and honestly ask yourself if you have the skill to pull it off. Nothing looks too hard - in the hands of a guy that's done 100 stock modifications ....

 

[Thomas]

Thanks Again BigJim. All of the things you said make sence,that was the main reason I did not want to touch the original stock for the Legacy, If I screw up a used stock I am just out a small amount of money and some elbow greese.Thanks for the imput,you gave me a lot of good things to consider.

Thanks Thomas

 

[oneounceload]

Looking at Benelli's site for a picture - it looks like someone with good skills could eliminate the pistol grip for an English one - now as to then refinishing it to match, etc.....

 

[BigJimP]

As far as re-finishing ....

you'll be hours ahead --- if you just plan on stripping the forend and the stock / after you have the stock modified the way you like it - and refinishing both the stock and the forend.

Getting the color right is one thing ....and most any decent paint shop can mix stains to get what you want. Getting a good varnish ( polyurethane, verathane, or whatever you want ) is more difficult. Ideally, you will want about 6 coats of finish on top of the stain ....and each coat has to dry clean and hard. If you get a spec of dust on coat 3 ---- it'll show up on coat 4 ....and you have no choice but to go back to the sandpaper and take it back down to coat 3 and do it again. Plan on 2 - 3 days between coats / and unless you have some fancy spray painting equip ....applying a "wiping" varnish is about the only way to go.

You can always go with an "oil" finish ....but true oil finishes just aren't hard enough to give you any protection from moisture / let alone heavy rain or snow.

The "finish" industry -- uses "marketing speak" on all of their products. Products like Watco's Danish Oil ...which is a very good product / has some oil in it / but its really a "varnish" because it builds over each coat / although it builds thinner and slower than a lot of other varnishes.

Its only because I've screwed up a lot of wood working projects ...that I've learned this stuff. I just finished a "cheese, bread cutting board / and a "bread knife" project" for a buddy that got married .... the board was easy because I used mineral oil ( one coat and done ) / but the knife, I sprayed " Deft Lacquer" to make the grain pop .... and I've got about 12 coats on it (finally !!) ....and 5 or 6 hours easy into sanding / then wet sanding ... then spray ...and again ...and again ...and again ....(and then a finger print showed up on one edge ....so more wet sanding ...and again ..and again ... Milling the lumber / gluing up the blank / routing the edges on the board / bandsawing the bread knife ....took me maybe an hour total !! ...then its the sanding and finishing ...