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Thread: Cutting down a 870 synthetic stock

  1. #1
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    Default Cutting down a 870 synthetic stock

    Over the past year I've successfully cut down the wood stocks on my two older shotguns to fit my length of pull, but was struggling to decide on what to do on my 12ga 870 with a synthetic stock. My length of pull is about 12.5" and most shotguns I've seen come from the factory at 14+" and my trusty 870 was no exception.

    I initially bought Remington's 20ga compact stock set that's in the trading post, hoping it would fit and it did...kinda. It bolted up fine but you could tell the 20ga receiver it was made for is slimmer than the 12 ga, so there was a lip where the stock met the receiver. I didn't like it. So I said screw it, I'll cut that bitch down like the others and do a custom job. It'd be cheaper anyway cause the only material cost I had is the recoil pad. I started by measuring twice, then taking the chop saw to it and went from there.

    Having the right tools is key to this job here. And since I didn't, I went to my brother in law's house. He's got all the cool stuff, primarily a vertical belt sander. Four of em to be specific.

    I purchased a Limbsaver grind-to-fit pad and custom made an aluminum plate to mount it to. I had to trim away some plastic inside the stock so that the aluminum plate was flush with the end of the stock.We countersunk the heads of the screws that held the aluminum plate to the stock, then marked the holes for the mounting screws on the butt pad. I didn't use the provided wood screws but instead drilled and tapped the holes and used 8-32 machine screws. Gun fits a like a champ now.

    Any of my fellow short people should look into measuring your length of pull and changing your guns to fit. I've noticed my wing-shooting and skeet scores have improved since shooting guns that truly fit me.
    Last edited by willyworm; 11-11-2017 at 07:07 PM.
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
    Delta in a nutshell: Breeding grounds + small wetlands + big blocks of grass cover + predator removal + nesting structures + enough money to do the job= plenty of ducks to keep everyone smiling!

    "For those that will fight for it...FREEDOM...has a flavor the protected shall never know."
    -L/Cpl Edwin L. "Tim" Craft

  2. #2
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    Default

    Pics added

    Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
    Delta in a nutshell: Breeding grounds + small wetlands + big blocks of grass cover + predator removal + nesting structures + enough money to do the job= plenty of ducks to keep everyone smiling!

    "For those that will fight for it...FREEDOM...has a flavor the protected shall never know."
    -L/Cpl Edwin L. "Tim" Craft

  3. #3
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    That's my brother in law grinding on the pad. He insisted his machine, his grind. And it turned out great.

    Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
    Delta in a nutshell: Breeding grounds + small wetlands + big blocks of grass cover + predator removal + nesting structures + enough money to do the job= plenty of ducks to keep everyone smiling!

    "For those that will fight for it...FREEDOM...has a flavor the protected shall never know."
    -L/Cpl Edwin L. "Tim" Craft

  4. #4
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    Nice work.
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    Foothills Golden Retriever Rescue
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    "Keep your powder dry, Boys!"
    ~ George Washington

    "If I understood everything I said I'd be a genius." ~ 'Unknown'

  5. #5
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    Thanks. I came up with the concept but my BIL did the hardest part which is grinding the pad down. Grinding down the aluminum bracket didn't have to be very precise since it would not be seen, so as long as it fit in the hole snugly, it was fine. BIL makes knives as a hobby and has some great equipment. His skill coupled with his tools, and the result was better than when I chopped down the wood stock myself on my old 16ga Remington. It's easy to over grind and screw the whole pad up. And the pad is about $40 alone.

    I got to thinking afterwards that this would probably work on just about synthetic stock so long as there is some plastic material on the inside to attach the bracket to. I was lucky that the way 870 is made there are solid ribs along the top and bottom portions of the stock for strength. I used specialty aluminum screws to attach the aluminum plate to the stock so I never have to worry about rust. I used similar screws to secure non weight bearing equipment like small speakers, electrical switch panel and stern light bracket on my boat and have been pleased. I simply use a steel screw of the same size and thread pattern to thread the hole then apply some synthetic lube to make screwing the aluminum screws in easier without snapping the head off.



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    Last edited by willyworm; 11-12-2017 at 09:35 AM.
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
    Delta in a nutshell: Breeding grounds + small wetlands + big blocks of grass cover + predator removal + nesting structures + enough money to do the job= plenty of ducks to keep everyone smiling!

    "For those that will fight for it...FREEDOM...has a flavor the protected shall never know."
    -L/Cpl Edwin L. "Tim" Craft

  6. #6
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    Two tips I was told by a gunsmith years ago and have used myself are:

    - Wrap at least one layer of masking tape (more if it's thin tape) around the edge of the stock before grinding. That way you have a thin safe zone where you can catch a light nick that would have hit the stock.

    - Freeze the recoil pad before installing and grinding. It keeps the softer pads from spalling or twisting, giving you a nice, clean edge. Then chamfer the edges to reduce any possible catching on material.

    I also like to round the top corner like a sporting clay pad to reduce any catching on material when mounting the shotgun.

    Again, nice job.
    .
    Foothills Golden Retriever Rescue
    .
    "Keep your powder dry, Boys!"
    ~ George Washington

    "If I understood everything I said I'd be a genius." ~ 'Unknown'

  7. #7
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    Thanks for those tips. Never considered freezing the pad but it makes sense, cause that material is pretty soft. I used the masking tape when chopping the stock down but didn't think to reapply when doing the final grind on the pad. After I cut the stock I placed the end of it against the pad and scored a line to get a general idea of how much to grind off, then mounted the pad for the finishing touches. I used the trap/skeet style pad cause it seemed to help me with muscle memory of mounting the gun at the same place every time. With that pad if you mount it incorrectly you can feel it. With the proper length of pull I don't foresee mounting issues cause I never had problems with that when the stock was over an inch and half too long. I hope I'm right.

    Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
    Last edited by willyworm; 11-12-2017 at 07:29 PM.
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
    Delta in a nutshell: Breeding grounds + small wetlands + big blocks of grass cover + predator removal + nesting structures + enough money to do the job= plenty of ducks to keep everyone smiling!

    "For those that will fight for it...FREEDOM...has a flavor the protected shall never know."
    -L/Cpl Edwin L. "Tim" Craft

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