How would I shorten a composite stock?

[tpcollins]

I'm looking to buy a Knight LK-II muzzleloader for my 6 year old grandson. This model has a short 22" barrel but the traditional 14 1/2" length of pull. I'd like to trim the butt end down 2" - 2 1/2" or so and then be able to add a rubber butt plate.

But I'm sure the butt end of the composite stock is hollow so I was wondering would I fill the end with JB Weld or epoxy some type of insert to fit into it? Thanks.

 

[PetahW]

FWIW, I've shortened the buttstock material to a length desired, allowing for the thickness of whatever BP ot recoil pad was to be installed later, with an ordinary saw, after ensuring that straight marks, etc, were scribed onto the proposed cutting line.

I then fit a 1-1/2" thick piece of wood (pine, usually), carved to fit closely inside the open/hollow end & flush with the new, cutt-off end of the buttstock.

Although I epoxy the wood piece in, before I do, I fill the hollow stock space with some construction spray insulating foam (for around house windows, etc) - then also secure the wood with a sling swivel woodscrew-type QD stud up through the outside of the stock's bottom line into the wood.

The BP or pad can then be fitted & screwed/glued to the end of the wooden plug.

BTW - Some synthetic stocks have molded-in bosses, inside the top & bottom edges, so that the issue BP or pad can be screwed on, and if they're not entirely removed via the shortening process, either they will need to be ground out from the inside (dremel tool) or the wood plug carved to slip by them.


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[Jim Watson]

The gunsmith here showed me one he had cut off. The recoil pad snaps into place at the top and is retained by the sling swivel screw at the bottom. So he cut a new notch for the latch, drilled a new sling swivel screw hole, and sanded the pad to fit. He grumbled about the extra work versus a wood stock.

 

[hoghunting]

The easiest way to install the pad is to cut the stock and epoxy the pad to the stock. Unless you have a need to take the pad on and off, you don't need a filler plate. HS Precision has epoxied recoil pads on their synthetic stocks for quite a while without any problems.

 

[tpcollins]

Thanks PetahW, that's about what I was thinking, the foam spray sounds like a good idea. I might try to make two fillers - the other one to fit inside the piece I cut off. When my grandson gets bigger, I could screw the 2nd one onto the one already installed and epoxy the cut off piece back onto it to return the stock to original length.

 

[wyop]

Most composite stocks are a fiberglass, kevlar or carbon fiber shell, filled with expanding foam.

Inside some composite stocks will be hardware for mounting sling swivels, pillar bedding for some types of rifles, mounting points for hardware for adjustable combs, etc.

You can cut the fiberglass (or other) shell very easily; just use a fine-toothed saw. If you need to re-fill an area of the stock, you can use expanding foam to do so. If you need to patch a composite stock, you can buy fiberglass cloth and use runny Acra-glas as your epoxy/glue.

For what you want to do, you should make sure you have the mounting points for the recoil pad in place and glued or foamed in before you mount the pad, then grind the pad as you would on any other stock.

 

[tpcollins]

The LK-II came the other day and I'm a bit surprise - it looks like Knight just made it last week! The stock appears to be solid so trimming it down 2" should be easy, but it looks so nice I'll either try to find another one to shorten or make one out of some walnut I have. I can't bring myself to cut this one down.

 

[Clark]

I cut off the butt with a power miter saw.
Then I make a wooden plug and epoxy and screw it into place.
Then I plane off the butt, and attache a recoil pad with screws.

You may want to leave the stock long for shooting prone.
You may want to leave the grind to fit Limbsaver unground for shooting light weight magnum rifles... to get more area against the shoulder.