Synthetic Stock Improvement

S

Sweet Shooter

New member
Recipe:
1. One-and-a-half cups of the extra heavy plastic Airsoft® BB's (these are lighter than steel but heavy enough to add some solid heft).
2. Half a cup of Liquid Nails™ (Heavy Duty).

Directions:
1. Stir together until all the BBs are coated and sticky but not smothered.
2. Remove recoil pad from stock and fill with the BB+Liquid Nails goup you just mixed.
3. Compress/compact mixture and add more as needed.

Notes:
If you mix it with too much Liquid Nails it will take forever to harden right down inside the stock, so just a coating with some air spaces in there is what you need. As you fill up the cavity use a piece of dowel to compact the mixture. Depending on the design/style of recoil pad you might want to finish slightly proud of full or slightly shy—be careful that the fit of the recoil pad is not impeded, and it's probably best to replace that while the mixture still has some give to it (10 minutes or so).

This makes a significant difference:
I did this to my Howa Hogue stock and also a plastic Remington® stock. The Hogue stock needed it less, but it still is an improvement on that hollow-too-light feel that some of these stocks have. It can be tricky and a bit messy, so organize your work area. Liquid Nails will stick to just about anything. I have not tried using it to stiffen the forend yet... I don't feel the need, as both those rifles shoot .5MOA floated/bedded or not. Clean up with GoJo soap if needed.

-SS-
 
And why in the world would anyone want to do this. The whole point of owning a synthetic is to make it lighter. At 3 lbs or more a Hogue is already a pig and about a pound heavier than even a wood stock. The Remington stocks are also about the same as weight as wood and adding weight to the butt messes up the balance.

I understand the guys who have done similar things to the forend to make it stiffer, but this does nothing to help.
 
JMR 40, How rude your reply was... I am sharing a TIP that has made a positive change in the way my rifles feel and handle. Please excuse me.
-SS-
 
yes, what exactly is the point of this? I can't see what improvements are made.

EDIT: to make clear I don't wan't to be rude
 
To prevent any change in zero from the most extreme conditions in the world and from, OH YEAH, That pesky moisture stuff, that you apperently fair weather hunter and couch shooters probably don't understand! Also I would like you to find me a non slip, real non-slip, grip like a Hogue Overmold with your coated wood which, by the way, completely removes the actual feel of the wood. I am tired of you small minded INDIVIDUALS hammering people with your one-way views. Get out from under your Rocks and join us out here, the sun is great!
 
All I know is that it feels way more stable and balances better (it also feels less cheep to my mind). My Rem barrel is 24 inches and my Howa is 20 inches both balance better now. The BB's don't add much weight but enough. Also if you tap on it, it doesn't sound like a drum anymore.

Not meant to be a fight, I had seen other threads that discuss filling them with sand and other stuff, but didn't like the idea of doing that. So given that the stocks are relatively cheep I decided to experiment and share the results, which for me were worth it.

I've seen the pillar Hogue stock for 75 dollars so it's no big deal.

Of course if the fact that I'm shooting .5 with stocks that are worth all of 20 dollars to the manufacturer, bothers anyone then yes I can understand the negativity. It's a PITA but I will prove it via the use of video if you'd like me to.

-SS-
 
One thing about sand filling for me is that the sand carries less inertia, or whatever the correct physics term is(help college dudes)!! the BB's do add weight and I was thinking of some way to add some heft to my girls stevens 200, not that a .223 needs it but a good chance for me to play on a 1.75-1.25 MOA gun and see what it does with sand or BB's
 
To prevent any change in zero from the most extreme conditions in the world and from, OH YEAH, That pesky moisture stuff, that you apperently fair weather hunter and couch shooters probably don't understand! Also I would like you to find me a non slip, real non-slip, grip like a Hogue Overmold with your coated wood which, by the way, completely removes the actual feel of the wood. I am tired of you small minded INDIVIDUALS hammering people with your one-way views. Get out from under your Rocks and join us out here, the sun is great!
Click to expand...

Well I don't see the advantages you spoke of, other than weight I don't know how what the OP did added stability to the stock. I really doubt there was much improvement in the flex of the forearm. I'm not saying adding weight for balance and feel isn't an improvement, but this could have been done other ways.

The best way I know to stiffen up injection molded stocks is to full length bed them. This probably adds more weight than what the OP did but it is the best way I know to fix flexing. An easier way to fix the hollow sound is to get some expanding spray foam and fill the voids. It again works faste than the OP's methods.

I've tried Houge's and hated the feel plus the rash they left me from the texture of the stock on my cheek. I'll take my good old wood stocked rifles and hunt in inclimate weather with them. They were doing it for hundreds of years before the first synthetics came out and people still killed game, it the most extreme conditions.

Plus how stable is liquid nails and airsoft pellets? For all we know those materials may expand and contract more with temp changes and be affected in a wet enviroment more than wood. I'll stick to bedding compounds designed for fireams use rather than make my own out of supplies on hand.

If the OP got his desired results then good for him, all is well. That said a thick skin goes a long way here. It is the internet so don't take peoples difference in opinions to heart.
 
Never said it stiffened the forearm and actually expressed not feeling the need to do so. The Hogue floats and is pillar bedded—better than nothing and shoots .5MOA and down. The Remington has is the SPS has no bedding and is not floated—again shoots .5MOA and down.

The side walls of the butt of the stock could originally be made to flex with both stocks in question. The Great Stuff™ expanding foam will rot, soften and crumble, and is known to absorb water. Steel BBs could rust. Plastic ones last annoyingly for the environmentalists forever, and Liquid Nails is cheep, sticks to pretty much everything, has massive tensile strength and goes off rock hard. I did several tests on a plate before I did it.

I'm sorry if the whole idea is a problem.
-SS-
 
No, you're idea is not a problem Sweet Shooter,

I just asked to which problems it was actually a solution, so I could judge if it was worth to try. If the point is to change balance I can see what you mean, thanks for the tip.

kaylorinhi,

You seem very keen on bashing people using complete utter BS.

To prevent any change in zero from the most extreme conditions in the world and from, OH YEAH, That pesky moisture stuff,
Click to expand...

You get zero change with a wooden stock in extreme weather, I have never ever experienced that problem with a synthetic stock, not on a firearm nor on air rifles. Besides, how would modifying the recoil pad help cure wandering zero issues?

You are right about the mass of the rifle, adding mass will slow its acceleration caused by the recoil, thus giving less "kick". Apart from changing the balance of the gun, I can't really see why you would want to add mass, recoil comes after the shot, so unless you're shooting full auto it shouldn't affect you.
 
Hey Sweetshooter. I did the same thing to my 308 and my 223. I used lead shot.My 308 is comming in at 15.6 lbs now. To all else . The improvments for me (bench shooter). Rifle sits is rest more solid,less recoil,all around less movement at trigger squeeze. Groups did tighten up. Nor a rifle you want to carry more than from vehicle to bench,but thats all i do. Bull barrels in a stock have a tendency to be front end heavy. By adding weight to back of rifle it is much more balanced now. The butt pad is against my shoulder and my finger so lightly on trigger and thats it. Lots of people won't understand why we do this but,each to their own.
 
I totally understand. My Ruger Mini 30 Tactical is very front-heavy so I added a small survival kit to the hollow stock. Made the gun handle much better. Even though it added half a pound it makes it feel lighter due to the better balance. I might do something more permanent like what Sweetshooter did. The plastic BBs are brilliant.
 
Not at original poster.

I am really tired of people bashing other people for good ideas or at least different ideas and if you check my other posts I never start it. Complete and utter BS, ha ha, you mean to tell me that moisture has never caused a zero change or that the coating of your choice for wooden stocked guns is a zero defect cure? Also, the additional weight and rigidity has many virtues.

I believe that many people who hunt/shoot only in certain environments will only believe what they themselves have seen, I have personally fired weapons that have a serious zero change, 2 moa, due to no other identifiable factors except moisture.

Further more, if a person does not like the extra weight of a beefy syn. than great but I personally don't mind it and I did not choose my synthetic stock for the lessoned heft but FOR the added mass, tactility, and lack of environmental influence.

Many shooters prefer the look of a wood stock, good to each his own, but the only reason for synthetic is not just weight.

I am not trying to start one of those he said v she said, wood v plastic, Glock v 1911, 308 v 30-06, and so on but people need to think a bit, including me sometimes, about what they post on here or how they type it.

PS, thank you for advising me reread my post. If you misread, my post was not directed at the original poster but the others, jmr40, who bashed his idea, stating that the only reason to get a synthetic stock was lessened weight or not seeing any benefit to added weight.
 
You:
To prevent any change in zero from the most extreme conditions in the world and from, OH YEAH, That pesky moisture stuff,
Click to expand...

Myself:
You get zero change with a wooden stock in extreme weather, I have never ever experienced that problem with a synthetic stock
Click to expand...

You:
you mean to tell me that moisture has never caused a zero change or that the coating of your choice for wooden stocked guns is a zero defect cure? [...I choose my synthetic stock for the...] lack of environmental influence.
Click to expand...

Title of this thread: Synthetic Stock Improvement
 
Good Thinking

:) How much did the weight increase from your Modification ? I have tried different ways of quieting Syn. stocks , none of them have been satisfactory though ! I think I might give your process a try , Thanks SS ! Isn't it amazing how some people will have negative opinions on things that they haven't tried ? I think some people are just jealous of those of us with fertile minds ! After all it's alot easier to bash someone elses ideas than to come up with your own !
 
oneoldsap, the weight increase is noticeable but less than a pound in my estimation. You can also buy the lighter plastic BBs which I'm sure will work just as well for making it more solid. I did want to add some weight so I went with the heavier ones. If you're concerned but want to try it, try attaching/hang the mixture in a plastic bag to the outside of the butt of the stock as a rehearsal to see how it feels weight-wise, you could use two bags so you don't have to mix the ingredients for the test.

And yes, some people shut down ideas by default. It may be that something that they care about is called into question (like wood?). I don't know. I do know that rudeness is not acceptable in real life or on the internet. It's a bit like how people get when they drive a car.

It's not about how thick your skin is. It's just Rude (3:48). And gets no one very far. That right there is the best scrap on the internet.

-SS-
 
Just curious - wouln't filling a hollow stock with an expanding foam sealant (think Great Stuff) solve the "hollow-feeling" and "flex" problems while adding almost no weight at all to the stock? Would also be more consistent than ball bearings/Airsoft BBs, etc.

Just a thought - never tried it myself.
 
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Fishbed77, It was suggested further back in the thread. It might work, but I have seen that Great Stuff pull in/hold water. I've also seen it rot around my house (a very hot and dry climate where I live). I think it's a good idea, but I wasn't confident enough to try it on my guns. Maybe if the rifle never got in the water it might be fine.
-SS-
 
Fishbed77 Just curious - wouln't filling a hollow stock with an expanding foam sealant (think Great Stuff) solve the "hollow-feeling" and "flex" problems while adding almost no weight at all to the stock? Would also be more consistent than ball bearings/Airsoft BBs, etc.

Just a thought - never tried it myself.
Click to expand...

Yes you can, but it needs to be sealed. I do this by full length bedding the forearm. You can do the same to the void in the buttstock.
 
Attention "sweet shooter"

Your original question regarding your stock improvements, should have been posted in the "smithy" section of this forum. Lots of folks hang out in that section, who have the knowledge & years of experience to help their fellow shooters solve any problem that arises with firearms of all types. Thanks !!!!

Guru1911
 
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