Stock cutting

[blackstaff 488]

I recently treated myself to my first new rifle, A.A.S400. I was going to buy the S200 so my son who is 8 can also shoot with me but the guy in the shop had a spare s/h stock for the S400 so i bought it with the idea of cutting it down both ends and maybe drilling some holes in it to make it lighter so my son can shoot it more easily. Now i have got it home i'm thinking it may not be as easy as i first thought Before i start to butcher it i wondered if anyone has any ideas / advice on the best way to go ?

[spud gun 16]

it would be hard im thinking, but it depends on how neat you want it to be. i would not try it but its up to you, as long as you keep your other stock lol.

[blackstaff 488]

As i said i've got a spare to do this on so the original stock is not getting touched !

No one else then ?

[half n' half 8]

to be honest i think cutting the front would be a waste of time as it would save very little weight.

cutting it at the butt end is the way to go not that it will again lose a lot of weight but it will bring the gun closer to the shoulder making it feel lighter,tighter into the boddy.

if you make a nice clean cut you could always rejoin the disgarded peice at a later date,sanding down the join making it look half decent and certainly useable.

[jamiethehunter 0]

If your cutting it for your son to shoot i would suggest fitting the stock and getting your son to hold it in a standing off hand shooting position. work out where it needs to be cut to fit the stock to him. As mentioned above i would cut it at the butt then get a couple of allen bolts drill through the butt pad and the piece of wood you have cut off and put a couple of tapped holes into the butt then you can add and remove the butt section with a few turns of an allen key. This way you will have a gun you can both use comfortably.

Also get yourself a pair of shooting sticks to help your lad steady the rifle they are very cheap and make a lot of difference.

Edited January 13, 2009 by jamiethehunter

[blackstaff 488]

Cheers guy's, was also thinking of maybe cutting out some of the middle of the stock to make it a little lighter also. Really like the idea of drilling the cut off so it can be re-used , will also look into some sticks for the little fella. What about a telescopic bank stick from my fishing bag ? i'll let you know how it goes

Edited January 13, 2009 by blackstaff

[jamiethehunter 0]

A bankstick would work with a soft rubber rod rest head on or a pole roller head but it could still move i'm sure most anglers have had bancksticks move and wobble whilst fishing. A pair of crossed sticks joined together is more stable in my experience and once you get used to them they can really improve your shooting both you and your son would benefit from using them.

Edited January 13, 2009 by jamiethehunter

[blackstaff 488]

Cheers for the info, will have a look and see what i can find