Help with shotgun stock

Clayton Hufford · April 19, 2001, 12:36 AM

I have a Mossberg 500MILS with synthetic stock, which is the same stock found on the 590A1 series. I would like to either shorten it by 1-2" or install a new one. Any suggestions?

George Stringer · April 19, 2001, 08:12 AM

Clayton, I do quite a bit of work with synthetic stocks. You can shorten them like any other. Most will have bosses inside for the butt/pad screws. Shortening will sometimes totally remove these. If that happens you will need to either make a wood block to fit the inside snugly and glue it in place then drill new holes or Pachmyr makes a pad adapter for synthetic stocks. You would need to shorten the stock accordingly to get the required LOP. George

Clayton Hufford · April 19, 2001, 12:07 PM

Thanks George. What can I use to actually cut the stock? I only have access to regular hand tools.

George Stringer · April 20, 2001, 05:14 AM

Clayton, I use a table saw and a special jig to hold the stock level but you can do a perfectly good job with a hand saw. You just have to come back and make sure the end is square. Determine how much you need to remove. Drive a nail through a block of wood so that the point of the nail is exactly that distance from the bottom. Use this for your scribe. Hold the stock with the end flat on a table or other smooth level surface and go around it with your scribe. This will scratch a line all the way around at exactly the distance you wish to remove. Cut the stock as square as possible at that line and then check to make sure it is truly square. George

Clayton Hufford · April 20, 2001, 06:49 AM

Thanks again George. Your advice is greatly appreciated.

April 20, 2001, 11:29 AM

You could also install one of Mossberg's "bantam" buttstocks. Length of pull = 13". It also has a tighter curve at the wrist to put your hand closer to the trigger. It's black-painted wood, though, so it won't do if you really want synthetic.

BTW, before I went the bantam route, I shortened my synthetic stock as George describes. The bosses for the screws are long enough to accomodate a 1" cutoff. I drilled the holes 1" deeper before making the cut, using the existing holes as a guide. I used a hacksaw and a palm sander, and it worked pretty well.

One problem you might have, depending on how much you cut off - the butt gets smaller, so you will also have to cut down the recoil pad, and with a 1" cutoff, you have to cut down the factory pad so much at the toe that you may get all the way down to the steel plate inside the rubber.

Clayton Hufford · April 21, 2001, 12:48 AM

Thanks Jeff, I was wondering about the pad. I think i'll buy a Decelerator pad for it anyways. I was going to order a Bantam stock, but the only one available through the two places I looked were for a 20ga.
Thanks for the help!

April 21, 2001, 01:22 PM

20 gauge & 12 gauge are the same, as far as buttstocks go. I got my bantam from Vang Comp. He puts them on the 590s he sells.

April 19, 2001, 12:36 AM	#1
Clayton Hufford Member Join Date: December 10, 2000 Location: Arkansas Posts: 92	I have a Mossberg 500MILS with synthetic stock, which is the same stock found on the 590A1 series. I would like to either shorten it by 1-2" or install a new one. Any suggestions?

April 19, 2001, 08:12 AM	#2
George Stringer Staff Alumnus Join Date: October 12, 1998 Location: Earlington KY Posts: 2,299	Clayton, I do quite a bit of work with synthetic stocks. You can shorten them like any other. Most will have bosses inside for the butt/pad screws. Shortening will sometimes totally remove these. If that happens you will need to either make a wood block to fit the inside snugly and glue it in place then drill new holes or Pachmyr makes a pad adapter for synthetic stocks. You would need to shorten the stock accordingly to get the required LOP. George

April 19, 2001, 12:07 PM	#3
Clayton Hufford Member Join Date: December 10, 2000 Location: Arkansas Posts: 92	Thanks George. What can I use to actually cut the stock? I only have access to regular hand tools.

April 20, 2001, 05:14 AM	#4
George Stringer Staff Alumnus Join Date: October 12, 1998 Location: Earlington KY Posts: 2,299	Clayton, I use a table saw and a special jig to hold the stock level but you can do a perfectly good job with a hand saw. You just have to come back and make sure the end is square. Determine how much you need to remove. Drive a nail through a block of wood so that the point of the nail is exactly that distance from the bottom. Use this for your scribe. Hold the stock with the end flat on a table or other smooth level surface and go around it with your scribe. This will scratch a line all the way around at exactly the distance you wish to remove. Cut the stock as square as possible at that line and then check to make sure it is truly square. George

April 20, 2001, 06:49 AM	#5
Clayton Hufford Member Join Date: December 10, 2000 Location: Arkansas Posts: 92	Thanks again George. Your advice is greatly appreciated.

April 20, 2001, 11:29 AM	#6
Jeff, CA Guest Posts: n/a	You could also install one of Mossberg's "bantam" buttstocks. Length of pull = 13". It also has a tighter curve at the wrist to put your hand closer to the trigger. It's black-painted wood, though, so it won't do if you really want synthetic. BTW, before I went the bantam route, I shortened my synthetic stock as George describes. The bosses for the screws are long enough to accomodate a 1" cutoff. I drilled the holes 1" deeper before making the cut, using the existing holes as a guide. I used a hacksaw and a palm sander, and it worked pretty well. One problem you might have, depending on how much you cut off - the butt gets smaller, so you will also have to cut down the recoil pad, and with a 1" cutoff, you have to cut down the factory pad so much at the toe that you may get all the way down to the steel plate inside the rubber.

April 21, 2001, 12:48 AM	#7
Clayton Hufford Member Join Date: December 10, 2000 Location: Arkansas Posts: 92	Thanks Jeff, I was wondering about the pad. I think i'll buy a Decelerator pad for it anyways. I was going to order a Bantam stock, but the only one available through the two places I looked were for a 20ga. Thanks for the help!

April 21, 2001, 01:22 PM	#8
Jeff, CA Guest Posts: n/a	20 gauge & 12 gauge are the same, as far as buttstocks go. I got my bantam from Vang Comp. He puts them on the 590s he sells.