BradD

They're kind of a conundrum. Some people will tell you "they ain't worth nuthin" because of the problem they can be and unreliable support from the company, which I understand has changed hands a few times since the originator passed away. I'm not even sure they are still in business. Anyone know? When they are good, they are very good. I would have to say that a real world price, if it is excellent to new condition would be around $100-125. Brad

Take a look at this stock of the same ilk. It will make you want to go hug yours. Ebay #200328553535 Brad

Dale, looks like you're doing good. Gold country (Hwy 49) is the best trip in the world, nothing like it, history or scenery or plain old quaintness. Omigod, you're not really going to take her into your shop, are you??? She'll faint! Is that Stockdale behind her? Way to go, buddy. Brad

So, can a billion Chinese soldiers swim all the way to L.A. to attack us? How did the world get this stupid? Brad

pacrat, I used to use one dowel and one large nail to stabilize the torquing. Then I realized I didn't know which had nails and which had all wood and I didn't know how to remove those which I wished to change or didn't work out. Then I just went to two wooden dowels. Works great and I don't have to worry about how to get off FE tips I don't like. Same with the pg. As to oily wood, especially rosewood, I wash everything down thoroughly with lacquer thinner before I start with the epoxy or even the stock finish. If you can get one stable hard finish down you'll be okay afterwards. Brad

Bob, looked through my stuff and couldn't find any dark walnut. Just French, way to light colored. I do have quite a bit of African wenge which looks a little like a cross between walnut and ebony. If you want to try it send me a PM with a mailing address. I got all my stuff from an outfit called Curly Woods, owner Michael Mastin in McKinney, TX. Real nice guy with great stuff. Went to his website today (www.curlywoods.com) and he has the site to some other outfit and he can't be reached there. If you do need other types of wood, it might be worth calling him at 1(469)742-0097 and see if he's still in business. I tried yesterday to pull up my old posts and I couldn't get anything. I'll try later today, maybe it was just a temporary thing.

I do it the same as Kenny. One dowel can actually allow twisting to loosen the the dowel and the tip comes loose. Two dowels eliminates that. I usually match the epoxy (I use Acraglass because I can stain it when mixing) to the darker colored wood. Same with the pg cap. Brad

Hi Bob, Been gone a few days and just got back to the forum. I do have some walnut pieces in my stuff and I wouldn't use them. I'll go look tomorrow and see if I have any really dark stuff that would look good with your wood. Looked again at that buttstock. It really needs some wood gone, especially around the cheekpiece and pistol grip. Were it mine, I would definitely use that stock, but it would look very different when done. Sometime back I did a posting on building two .325 WSMs. I did post pics of the finished stocks as I recall, but unfortunately not before pics. One of the stocks looked almost like yours except that it had no schnable, just some buttugly beech or white cocobolo tips that I replaced with dark rosewood. I'll try to find that post and show you how it could look after. I thought I would be throwing the stock away, it looked like junk wood finished with creosote. When I cleaned away some of the "finish" I found great looking walnut. Brad

Sort of a sad day for America when we have to take financial advice from our Communist Chinese creditors. Who elected these guys? Brad

You're kidding! Oxygen makes you horny? Why wasn't I told of this sooner? B.

Bob, I agree that the grip needs to go. I don't know how you can trim it without wrecking the fairly nice checkering. If you can lop off all that ugly extension on the bottom, I think a nice slim piece of ebony would save it. I can send you some if you need it, just pm me. I really dislike schnables, they are just too, well, phallic, for me. But I'm just one person in the universe and I'm not Euro, where they adore them, even today. A custom stock shop here where I live still turns them out and sells them like crazy. If you want yours gone, it will be easy to rasp off, reshape and look good. Or lop it off and add a fore end tip to replace. You could match it to the pg. I can help you with that too, I have lots around here. Bye bye butt pad. Needs to go bad. I don't see anything wrong with the swivel. Different, but just fine. It's not going to bother your accuracy. I think your feeling about the whole butt are being too heavy is right. Were it mine, I would be thinning much of the "clunkiness" out around the buttstock. Actually, I think you have a stock with a lot of potential. Be sure and repost when you've got it the way you like. Brad

Don, are those things still available? What do they cost? I'm still not sure how I feel about them, but it is interesting. Brad

I wonder if that was the same geniuses that made it unlawful to clear old brush, just before the place burned to the ground.

I agree, Doc. Rape Seed just doesn't sound nice. My wife uses extra virgin (far nicer than Rape Seed) olive oil for all her cooking. I let her do the thinking and I do the eating. Brad

Another way, I've forgotten where I got it now, but it works, is to dip the mouth and shoulder into molten lead and then drop it into a container of water. Apparently molten lead is the exact perfect temperature for annealing brass. It's also a pain, but more prescise than trying to properly and consistenly heat around the neck/shoulder and push it over at just the right moment. Here's how it works. You need a lead furnace for bullet casting. Buy or borrow one. I don't cast but a buddy found one along with enough lead to do the job at a yard sale. Melt enough lead to be a couple inches deep. Get a bowl and fill it with motor oil or such, nothing too light, light oil doesn't work well. Get some VERY thick gloves. Get a fairly good sized water vessel. Once the lead is melted, take a case and dip it halfway into the oil, then dip it into the molten lead. Five to ten seconds is plenty. Shake the case clean of any hangy-onny lead and drop it into the water. Continue til all are done. If there is any lead stuck to the case just redo it, make sure the oil is adequate and you shake it clean. It is important , I find, that the case be clean. It stinks, sometimes the oil flames up and it doesn't work quite as well in really cold weather. Other than that, it beats mowing the lawn. Did I mention to be sure and wear the gloves on your hands? Brad

Karl, That's a good post and I'm with them all the way. Here's my problem, I don't think anybody they are marching to gives a crap about gun rights, liberty, freedom or the US Constitution. This would include our new president. Keep the faith and get ready for the fight of our lives. B.

What the heck does "equality and diversity" mean in this context? It's just a good thing that the British government was there to defend this poor defenseless, but unobjecting, victim from being ravaged by the horrors of non-secular faith. Whew, that was a close one. Awww crap, we're next! B.

Bob, For me it always worked best to run the finishing up to near complete and then checker. The wood always seemed more stable and I didn't get all those little fibers - an absolute nightmare on, say, maple. But you can't have surface finish on it as you will be gummed up all the time, I rubbed the finish in the areas to be checkered down to the wood with 000 or 0000 steel wool, then checkered. In my gracefully advancing years my eyes can't keep up with it, I'm too shakey, and too damn crabby to do it anymore. That's why we have Sherry Abrams, et al. Brad

That's the first time I've seen a picture of the shooter. I keep looking, isn't the shooter a woman?

pitted. B.

Hmmmm...so those who have been vilifying Bush for the last few years are now going to be cheering for finding those evil-doers who don't think like Oooobaaamma, with the same stuff? I'm not sensing genuiness here.

Doc, I think you are pretty much right in your analysis, probably more often the schizophrenic side than OCD, at least for the level of dysfunctionality that these examples provide. I do think we functional OC's tend to hoard our "Mauser parts" but we're getting along and the trails are still pretty wide in our houses, if not our workshops. I've been to bunches of these places, but every once in a while you meet an "accumulator" who is just fine, clean themselves and dress nicely and talk coherently. I think the crap is just their treasures and they love it, don't need it and don't know what it is, they just love it. Worst always seemed to be the Depression kids. My treasures, however, are priceless. Some day they'll be in a yard sale with my kids rolling their eyes. Watch the want ads for yard sales in Hart Flat, CA. See, you need to have clearly defined goals in your junk accumulating, you can't just be reckless. Brad

Just a reminder, as we get older we tend to "save" stuff, just in case we might need it later. I have relatives who have done this to a lesser degree. And I find myself saying "Hmmm, I just might need this later". Keep an eye on yourselves, lads, if you don't need it now you probably aren't going to need it later either. Toss those old magazines and catalogs. Uncle Postal will bring you new ones. Mauser parts...now those we need to hoard. Never mind I can't find anything I need, I know I put it somewhere. Brad

Jerry, it's all over California, too. My wife and I were sick the entire month of December. It just kept morphing from one thing into another as you seemed to be getting well. Doc can probably explain what that's all about. Anyway, settle down and don't plan on doing much for a while. It is going to be your self-identity and personal companion for three or four weeks and it will be different every few days. Enjoy. Another gift from Asia. Brad

I think going the Bondo route should work out nicely. Is that an original old WWII sniper? It looks like it. What's the story on it? Brad