The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Do-It-Yourself Rifle Stock?

jleppo · January 24, 2010, 10:12 PM

Been looking for an aftermarket stock for my Swiss K-31, but what I want (roughly similar to a McMillan A-3, or a KS Precision) doesn't exist, so I'm looking at doing a laminated wood stock. There have been some one-off custom ones done in Europe, but either unavailable or WAY expensive. There was even a bullpup sniper version to accommodate a long suppressor.
Anyway, to stay on topic:
From a woodworker's point of view - I'm thinking of using Baltic birch plywood. Readily available from woodworking tool suppliers (Rockler, for one), reasonable cost, strong, thin plys with no voids, and not extremely heavy. Also, the plys run the grain in the same direction, which I think would be better for a stock - after all, a natural wood stock has the fibers running the same direction. I'd basically dimension it from the existing military stock and then modify the exterior. Probably an epoxy paint coating, or perhaps even something like bedliner.
The inletting could be partially handled in the glue-up by making cutouts in the inside plys. Finishing the inletting would be hard on hand tools, but do-able. The exterior shape could be bandsawn very close to shape before glue-up, and the plys could even be doweled or biscuit-joined together to keep them aligned.
It will take me a while, but if it comes out worth looking at I'll post some pics.

January 24, 2010, 10:12 PM	#14
jleppo Junior Member Join Date: January 24, 2010 Posts: 1	Been looking for an aftermarket stock for my Swiss K-31, but what I want (roughly similar to a McMillan A-3, or a KS Precision) doesn't exist, so I'm looking at doing a laminated wood stock. There have been some one-off custom ones done in Europe, but either unavailable or WAY expensive. There was even a bullpup sniper version to accommodate a long suppressor. Anyway, to stay on topic: From a woodworker's point of view - I'm thinking of using Baltic birch plywood. Readily available from woodworking tool suppliers (Rockler, for one), reasonable cost, strong, thin plys with no voids, and not extremely heavy. Also, the plys run the grain in the same direction, which I think would be better for a stock - after all, a natural wood stock has the fibers running the same direction. I'd basically dimension it from the existing military stock and then modify the exterior. Probably an epoxy paint coating, or perhaps even something like bedliner. The inletting could be partially handled in the glue-up by making cutouts in the inside plys. Finishing the inletting would be hard on hand tools, but do-able. The exterior shape could be bandsawn very close to shape before glue-up, and the plys could even be doweled or biscuit-joined together to keep them aligned. It will take me a while, but if it comes out worth looking at I'll post some pics.