February, 1918 
FOREST AND STREAM 
103 
hard and heavy. It will cost according to 
amount of figure or wave showing black 
on lighter field. Walnut of'a hard grade 
must be used at any rate. Fancy Ameri¬ 
can will cost as much as imported and will 
not “stay put” at the joints with metal. 
You should pay two to six dollars. Get 
it thicker than a shotgun stock as you want 
a nice cheek piece. It will, of course, be 
made with a short full pistol grip, other¬ 
wise you could not improve much on the 
dollar-six bits stock, factory machine made 
to place on the corn 
sheller variety of 
guns. Why they do 
not put on stocks 
to support the face 
in aiming, giving a 
real controlling grip 
for hands, no one 
seems to know. 
Now be sure you 
know what shape 
you want. Ascer¬ 
tain the method of 
fastening, whether 
a through bolt like ^ 
a Ballard or tang 
straps like Win¬ 
chester and Stevens. 
The long bolts 
through stock from 
butt are best with 
cheap soft wood, as 
you can tighten it 
up if loose. Always 
bore this long bolt 
hole first or get a 
gunsmith who sold you the block to bore 
it for you. That would be sure and cheaper 
in the long run, as it takes two augers. 
Buy, borrow or purloin a very narrow 
chisel and one of about J4", then sharpen 
as keen as razors to gouge out for tang 
and trigger plates, if of Stevens or Win¬ 
chester make. Mark around tang very close 
with a scratch awl or sharp pencil. Drop in 
the straps, carefully keeping a very tight fit. 
Blacken the metal with lamp black to see 
where it fits too tight; then cut off the high 
black spots, and remember you cannot put 
back what you cut away by mistake. Grad¬ 
ually drop down into wood and fit tight 
against rear of action at same time. The 
stock must not be shaped in any way till 
action is on and tight. Join the two up tight 
and drill screw holes a little undersize. 
Drive in screws; if they hold the wood 
and metal close and tight, all is well, 
otherwise start over if you have room. 
If not, scrap the block and get a new one, 
for it will shoot loose and be worthless. 
I believe a shaky stock makes a rifle an 
inaccurate shooter. 
When you have tightened up screws not 
a crack should be seen, then the oil or 
varnish will make your lock nearly dust 
and rain-tight. The' old model .44 Ste¬ 
vens was hard to fit tight, and it had upper 
and lower straps, cast integral and very 
long. I had to cut and shove in length¬ 
wise. which was harder than it appears 
on paper. 
Next start shaping for butt plate as at 
action; saw off at 13" from trigger, plate 
will add another Y"- Screw this plate on 
after drilling holes. Now cut all wood 
down to metals. Remember this is a rifle 
stock with considerable drop. A shotgun 
stock is straight to catch up quickly and 
shoot high at rising birds. Four-inch drop 
gives a very natural standing position off¬ 
hand. This drop is not stylish, but is used 
by most of the best shots and private gun- 
makers for off-hand shooting. Make a 
line on drop of stock to line up with sight, 
then leave this in center of work till fin¬ 
ishing as it acts as a guide. 
Try fitting on, or rather leaving on, a big 
fat cheek piece 1" thick, not one of those 
so-called ornaments that factories charge 
$5.00 to put on and be useless. It helps to 
Necessary tools, including checking tool, can be obtained at small cost 
steady the eye by giving the face a found¬ 
ation to rest close against while aiming. 
Anything is beautiful which is the best 
form to do a certain alloted work. Cut 
away after marking out cheek piece, using 
a chisel and round edge file. Make every 
corner sharp, every curve a true one. Top 
of stock should be plained straight; round 
off with file all over. 
The beginner must remember to leave 
the cheek piece to one side of center line 
of stock before shaping up on any place. 
After the stock is roughly modeled, as it 
progresses toward perfection, all the little 
personal adjustments must be made to 
make the gun fit you exactly. In making 
these adjustments sometimes a quarter of 
an inch is a matter of great moment. A 
professional gun fitter would go about it 
with a try-gun. The amateur gun-stocker 
can get some good points from his method 
of procedure. A shooter is measured with a 
try-gun as follows: The adjustability of the 
try-gun as to length of stock, cast off and 
drop of comb and heel is explained. 
After advising that the breadth, height 
and usual shooting position of the shooter 
governs his measurements, the expert takes 
up separately the different parts of a gun 
that should fit the shooter. First, he 
measures the length of stock required by 
resting the butt of the gun in the bend of 
the arm, finding at what length the fore¬ 
finger comfortably reaches the trigger. 
Then the expert has the shooter take the 
gun in his natural- shooting position; 
studies carefully the position of the butt 
and the comb; makes the necessary ad¬ 
justments until the butt finally fits the 
shooter’s shoulder and the heel has the 
correct drop. 
The comb is a harder proposition. The 
shooter’s eye has to be sighted, and atten¬ 
tion paid to the way he “cheeks the gun.” 
The expert then adjusts the comb several 
times until it fits snugly to the shooter’s 
cheek, making sure that it is impossible 
tor the shooter to hide his sighting eye 
behind the breech of the gun. To note 
these points, he stands in front of the 
shooter, making proper adjustments. He 
also observes whether or not the stock 
must be cast-off, if so he turns the stock 
to one side, and makes a slight alteration 
in the setting of 
the comb. 
After satisfying 
himself that the gun 
is a correct fit for 
the shooter, the 
stock is locked. 
This completes the 
task and the shooter 
has the measure¬ 
ments for a gun that 
fits properly and en¬ 
ables him to shoot 
better of the traps 
or afield. 
Finishing a stock 
takes time and pa¬ 
tience. Leave no 
sunken holes in fil¬ 
ing down; wet, heat 
and sandpaper sev¬ 
eral times till fuzzy 
grain quits raising. 
An oven is fine to 
heat wood in for 
about two minutes. 
Finish with number one steel wool. Do- 
not spare the arm, so the wood is smooth 
as glass. Give one heavy coat of orange 
shellac, dry till next day, smooth with steel 
wool, apply thin coat of rubbing varnish, 
and set it in dry warm room for five days; 
then rub until smooth with powdered 
pumice-stone on wet rag. If holes appear 
you will put on another coat of varnish 
and rub with pumice again till all dust 
marks and brush streaks disappear. 
Accompanying this is a cut of checking 
tool and other useful tools. Lay off check¬ 
ing with a piece of cardboard first; bend it 
around grip and mark with pencil on var¬ 
nish. Start at left letting one tooth or 
rather all teeth follow last cut. Practice 
on a board first till proficient. Gil cuts 
with stained oil, using rosewood stain, and 
checking will show fine and clear. 
It is well to remember that a true stock 
of a try-gun can be made smaller or 
larger at will, but that whatever you shave 
from your gun stock cannot be replaced, 
his means caution and careful work at all 
times. It means patient, loving work. I 
might almost add, and if your only idea 
in restocking a gun is to “get it done 
cheaper at home” you might better save 
your pennies and have a professional build 
one for you, for there are few jobs on 
which genuine interest plays a keener and 
more important part. 
Every man loves a gun. The possession of 
a truly fine weapon is a source of satisfac¬ 
tion that is very dear to the man with the 
instincts of true sportsmanship; and a 
worthy rifle barrel, which has been re¬ 
stocked with care and discriminating taste 
is one of the most cherished bequests a 
father may leave his son as an expression 
of his own individuality. 
