A while back I managed to lose the recoil pad while refinishing my stock, so the rifle remained out of action for some time while I pondered what I was going to do. I hadn't shaped rubber before and I would have to do it by hand. I was dubious about the type of finish that I would be able to achieve, which put me off splashing out on the Pachmayr one that I wanted for fear of ruining it.
Months later I spotted an old BSA recoil pad while rummaging through the gun parts that my mate has accumulated over the years. He thinks it came off a Mercury and that it's probably older than me. He knew the score and said "That might fit your Rapid, you can have it if you want it". I gratefully accepted it!
I was still hopeful that the original recoil pad would turn up, so I had to come up with an idea of how to fit it in a temporarily or non destructive manner. I decided to use a piece of plastic rain gutter to form a plate. It would enable me to bond the BSA recoil pad to it using contact adhesive once I had fastened it to the stock using the pre existing holes for the original recoil pad. It was also ideal because it could be easily shaped to compensate for the slight difference in profile between the butt and the BSA pad.
The first step was to measure the distance between the screw holes on the stock, measuring from the centre of one hole to the centre of the other hole. I covered one surface of the plastic guttering/plate with masking tape and transferred the measurements. Then I drilled the holes and screwed it to the stock, ensuring that it sat flush with no belly in between the screws. Mark out the butts profile onto the masking tape with a sharp pencil and cut it with whatever does the job, leaving about 1mm of waste outside the pencil line. Wrap a few layers of masking tape flush around the butt of the stock, just enough to protect it in case you slip with the file while shaping the plate. Obviously the shaping of the plate is the next phase. Choose a file that gets the job done and that is not too aggressive, then carefully shape and blend the plate into the butt of the stock. I did this until the plate was almost flush to the stock, being sure to keep the file at a slight angle away from the surface finish of the stock. Then I used a sharp blade in the same way a cabinet scraper would be used. It offers finer control and a smoother finish for this part of the job. I was able to achieve a good fit while blending the edge of the plate to the profile of the recoil pad. Once happy I polished the edge with some fine wet and dry, or I might have used 0000 wire wool and beeswax, either one will do the trick.
I had obviously already checked how well the recoil pad matched the profile of the butt and found the pad to be slightly narrower. I packed the recoil pad out using dowels (taking advantage of the two pre existing holes), and some cleaning pellets in a slice that I had cut in the pad. I left it settle over night and offered it up against the butt the next day to find that it had made a world of difference, adding about 1mm to the width of the pad. I had already revamped the surface finish of the recoil pad using sandpaper and a sanding block. I had to do that first to see if there was any point in continuing with this idea. I think I used 120 but I can't remember for sure. I'm almost certain I finished off with a finer grade but it wouldn't have been too fine as it's not needed. I didn't need to worry about the rubber getting warm as I just took my time, I didn't have much material to play with in the first place. I was surprised how well it buffed up considering how tatty it looked.
All that was left to do was to clean everything thoroughly prior to bonding using contact adhesive. I roughed up the two surfaces that were being bonded to help the adhesive do it's job. I also cut just enough clearance for the screw heads so that they're recessed into pad, ensuring they created no pressure points prior to bonding. Experiment with contact adhesive first if your not familiar with it.
The bond has held fast for months now and shows no signs of failing. I know I could break the bond easily if I wanted to remove it all and go back to square one. I found that I prefer the look of it to the original recoil pad. It's also quite firm and doesn't feel spongy like the original, which also turned out to be a bit of a bonus for me personally. This little project kept me occupied for a day or so during those first few weeks that we complied with the 'lockdown measures'. It didn't cost me a penny as I had everything I needed, or more like found that I had everything that I needed. Hope this helps someone who finds themselves in a similar scenario.
A few photos of the finished article as well as a before I lost the pad shot
Nice job Rob, Loving the photo`s of your Rapid in the woods,...We must think alike as i`ve also took photos of my Rapid in the woods just like you have m8,
But back on the back pad very nice work indeed, Personally i`ve never lost or done much stock work on my guns but when you show how its done well you make it look so easy.
top man Rob.
8)
Nice pictures 👍
That's a super job ..I'm very impressed the way you've made it easy for us ..albeit try to any how..gives me the courage to have a go! :)
Thanks
I have a few bsa and airarms butt pads here as I used to work on springers over the years.
I will seek them out and offer them for free once found on here.
Cracking job on all the work you have done there.
Regards kev.
Quote from: Kernal on July 12, 2021, 06:49:47 AM
Nice job Rob, Loving the photo`s of your Rapid in the woods,...We must think alike as i`ve also took photos of my Rapid in the woods just like you have m8,
But back on the back pad very nice work indeed, Personally i`ve never lost or done much stock work on my guns but when you show how its done well you make it look so easy.
top man Rob.
8)
Thanks bud I'm glad you approve. I was so angry when I couldn't find it, it's out of character for me to lose something like that. I'm more annoyed because I don't know how it happened tbh.
I've only ever worked on two stocks. I did this one with boiled linseed oil and the .20 MFR with tru-oil. I'm hoping to learn more on here and I've been itching to have a go at making a stock. Glad you like the photo in the woods thanks ;) The conditions were ideal for photographing the rifle, I'll have to take some with the proper camera one day. I took that on my first outing since sorting the stock out (with the phone).
Quote from: maxtich on July 12, 2021, 10:34:32 AM
That's a super job ..I'm very impressed the way you've made it easy for us ..albeit try to any how..gives me the courage to have a go! :)
Thanks
I'm glad it's given you some confidence to have a go. I knew I was more than capable (I'm a cabinetmaker by trade), but I like to know exactly how to do something before I dive in. If I do something it's either 100% or not at all.
Have a go, you'll be surprised how easy it is! Practice before attempting it on your pride and joy if you're not sure. Just take your time and think it through. Thanks bud
Quote from: KCE on July 12, 2021, 11:33:52 AM
I have a few bsa and airarms butt pads here as I used to work on springers over the years.
I will seek them out and offer them for free once found on here.
Cracking job on all the work you have done there.
Regards kev.
Can't fault that Kev, very kind of you. Chuffed that you like the work thanks👍 I have much to learn regarding stock work but sometimes you've just got to jump in and do it I think
That is the only way you will learn.
Regards kev.
Boy, that bring back memories... working at my Friend's Gunshop.
He was a master gunsmith... he loved stock work..
Once a month, it would be Butt-Pad day...
His apprentice get his coveralls on and drag the 8 inch grinder out the backdoor.
With face-shield and mask on he would start on the butt-pads...
You did much the same way he did... putting a good couple of layers of masking tape to protect the wood..
Screw the pad and spacer(if required) to the stock.
The grinder was to remove the Majority of the excess material.
Also the rough contours was set
The final fitting was by hand, off the stock..
But the stock was in the vice, on the bench. So he constantly check the fit and the contours..
My friend was a perfectionist.. he made his apprentice redo many pads because the contours didn't match the stocks!!
BTW.. When the apprentice was doing the rouging on the grinder ... He did all the stocks to be fitted at once.
He would come in covered from head to toe with black and brown rubber dust!! What a job!!!
Stuart
That must have been a fascinating time while working for your mate. I've seen that method and there's a knack to it alright, you can't or shouldn't attempt that approach without being familiar with the machine. It's different if you're doing it all the time I suppose. It's a shame more craftsmen don't take that approach with their apprentices these days. It reminds me of my days as an apprentice. We didn't have a lathe big enough to turn these wooden fireplace corbels so would outsource the turning work. The centres were turned but the top and bottom section were left square and supplied roughed out if you like. Every now and then I'd have to take 5 or 6 of them with me to college in the boot of the car and sand them on their lathe. We used to use Brazilian cedar but the grain wasn't ideally suited for that kind of work, it was a nightmare to sand and impossible to avoid getting the taste in your mouth even when wearing a mask. They must have been about 7" in cross section and just the sight of one spinning on a lathe was a bit scary. The words "It should be alright" didn't instil much confidence. More often than not I had to just sand them by hand on the bench. It was soul destroying and I hated them. The sandpaper would wear through the tips of my fingers, which is a horrible sensation. I could sand anything to a high standard after that though