New Shotgun

[TomG]

I'm an avid bird hunter, but haven't shot much trap. But now that I have more time on my hands, I've decided to invest in an actual trap gun of my own, i.e. one that actually fits me. In the past, I've always borrowed one from someone else, or used one of my field guns, with a predictable lack of success. Of course finding such a gun in the Upper Peninsula was pretty much impossible, so I ended up driving a couple hours down state to the nearest major sporting goods outlet. I decided on an over/under and after leaving my fingerprints on all the trap guns they had, decided on a Beretta Silver Pigeon. They are quite popular at the range due to their high quality and being mostly machine made are cost effective over the more hand made options. Being designed for the "average" shooter the gun fits me better than the field guns I've been using, but still needs a few tweaks to fit properly. Consequently I'll be looking for a nice piece of figured walnut to craft a new stock for it sized just for me. The one I did for my wife a while back was good practice, so it should be a bit easier this time around.

Tom

[randyc]

Tom, that's a real beauty !

I haven't hunted in decades but I'm an avid skeet shooter and I shoot trap if I can't shoot skeet, ha-ha-ha.  I used to burn up at least four boxes every Saturday afternoon at the skeet range on the bay in Palo Alto.

One time I had the opportunity to see the U.S. Olympic team practicing at that range.  They were so awesome that I felt like selling my shotguns.  Those guys were shooting entire rounds from the HIP and going straight, every single one of them !

In the S.F. bay area now, lead shot is prohibited so skeet and trap have become sports for well-to-do people.  However I moved and in this obscure county you can shoot as much lead as you can load !  BUT there is only one skeet range and it is open only on Sundays so you can infer how often I shoot.

My boy and I occasionally go to the beach to shoot and throw birds with a hand trap but it is FAR from the real deal.  I have progressive reloaders for both 12 and 20 gauge and shotguns in both gauges.  Here are my shotguns:

   
   

My favorite is the old 12 ga Ruger Red Label on the far left in the first photo (wish I could find an old 20 ga model).  It's difficult to see but the stock has almost as much character as burl.

The middle one is a Spanish-made 20 and the Valmet (made in Finland) has both 12 and 20 gauge barrels.  Because those barrels are several inches longer than the other two, for me they are much better for trap.  I prefer, for skeet, a crisp swinging, lighter gun but muzzle heavy for follow through.  The Red Label works best for me.

The Valmet also has an interesting feature.  If you can see the butt, the recoil pad assembly is adjustable for both length of pull (using spacers) and angle (to get one's cheek down on the stock properly)).

Handmade shotguns are over-rated in my opinion, unless one can shoot straight rounds 100 times in a row, LOL.

I used to see the same guys at the range every Saturday and one of the consistently best shooters was a guy wearing a John Deere cap, using re-loads from every brand made, and toting a Winchester pump.  I can't imagine shooting doubles with a pump but he made it look effortless.

Congratulations, you have a work of beauty and precision that can be passed along for several generations !!!

randyc

[TomG]

Thanks Randy. Looks like you have a few good looking guns there yourself. I'm not familiar with the Valmet, or the Spanish model, but I have seen a Red Label. One of the guys at our club shoots one.

The stock on mine is not adjustable and it fits me fairly well, but actually has a little too much drop. I did pick up a nice piece of figured walnut and will be making a new stock fitted just for me quite soon. I did the same for my wife a couple years back and it helped her score immensely. Interestingly enough, the piece of wood I bought for mine came from the same ebay seller and the very same tree as the one I used for her stock. Here's a pic for you to drool over. The second pic is the stock I made for my wife. It has the correct cast, drop, length of pull and recoil pad angle just for her.

Tom

[randyc]

Tom, you're right of course, I'm drooling over that beautiful wood score (is it Belgian Walnut ?) AND your wife's wonderfully crafted stock !  I wonder if the new stock can outdo that one - although, with your other major and continuing projects, we may have to wait awhile to see, a winter job maybe .... ?

You're a remarkably talented, creative guy, with engineering skills, a designer, machinist, fine woodworker and so forth.  In seven decades of life, I know of few people that combine the skills and craftsmanship that I've seen here in only a couple of days.  This forum seems to have it all, not just one-trick-ponies.

I started to post a photo of my hand-crafted stock (for a Savage 99) but it is so beat up that it would be embarrassing and the workmanship wasn't even close to yours when I first made it.  BUT, just to provide more eye candy, LOL, here is a photo of part of my .300 Win Mag purchased from and built by a friend on a 1909 Mauser action - lots of goodies on this beautiful rifle.  Wish I could claim the workmanship -

   

[Mayhem]

That will look very nice once painted matt black or drab olive green Tom

[TomG]

Randy,

I was hoping to do a try stock this fall to work out the various dimensions, either and actual adjustable model, or a sacrificial one out of maple. That is a shoot and adjust scenario before starting to whittle away on an expensive piece of Black Walnut (maybe in the winter). The blank came from your neck of the woods from a fellow by the name of Ray Richter in Redmond, WA. He's been selling stock blanks on ebay for a number of years and really knows how to get some interesting grain patterns out of a tree. The stock on your Savage looks mighty fine to me. I like the rolled over comb. It also has some Tiger stripe patterns similar to the blanks I found.

Oh, and thanks for the compliment, but I made my living at engineering, design and machining, so that's cheating. Not many can do it at woodworking though, unless you have skills like Greg.

Darren: I was actually leaning toward the baby ***** green on my mill.

Tom

[Mayhem]

With the pink highlights?

[randyc]

(08-03-2017, 08:18 AM)TomG Wrote: The stock on your Savage looks mighty fine to me. I like the rolled over comb. It also has some Tiger stripe patterns similar to the blanks I found.

Actually that's not the Savage, Tom, the Savage is the one that I stocked and am too embarrassed to show on the same thread as your work !

The builder of that .300 Mag went to insanely picky lengths.  For example, it was meant to be a target rifle and he wanted match bullets to just touch the lands of the rifling but the Mauser magazine design wouldn't permit the extra length of the cartridge.  After cutting off the front of the magazine well, he attached (silver soldered ?) a short half section of a scrapped shotgun barrel to it, which not only lengthened the magazine but gives a pleasing appearance.

He milled a shallow hole in the end of the bolt and inset a disc cut from the stock blank.  This guy was the Quality Assurance Manager at a company for which we both were employed, so his nit-pickishness didn't surprise me.  I also bought a .22-250 from him, on a large ring Mauser action.  It was a beauty but I could never make it shoot, even with a new Douglas barrel.  A friend swore that he could tame it and I'm told that he still owns it forty years later so presumably he succeeded.

I've heard that many fine competition shooters go through the process you propose, first with the try stock and then having their gun(s) permanently stocked to the final adjusted dimensions.  Sounds like mucho dinero but then they don't have your skill, patience and craftsmanship so $$$ must substitute for those qualities 

Cheers and thanks for sharing your ideas and implentation of them !
randyc

[TomG]

That's what I get for looking at the pics and not reading the words. :)

I have a Browning A bolt 3 in 300 WIN Mag that I am trying to tame. My son and I each bought one a while back with the intent of learning long range shooting (his was in 7mm Mag}. I'm looking into ways to reduce the recoil because it really beats me up if I try to do any extended range time. I'm thinking of adding weight and/or one of the hydraulic recoil reducers. It's a pretty light rifle and as it is now, it's not a whole lot of fun to shoot. Fitting a bull barrel would be another option that would help.

Tom

[randyc]

Love the bull barrel idea.

Mine is not bad because it is one heavy piece of work, probably fifteen+ pounds, AND because I place a thin sandbag between the stock and my shoulder LOL (I've never used it for anything but bench rest).  I have a few rifles and the absolute nastiest, without question, is a Ruger M77V .25-06 even compared to the .300 Win Mag, it is a beast.

I don't know why this is but two other guys who shot it made the same observation.  It came with the varmint barrel but I've often thought that a bull barrel is the right prescription.  Too bad that it's so painful, it's an accurate rifle in a great cartridge.

You didn't mention this option and you probably had good reason - but FWIW I have a Marlin Guide Gun .45-70, about five years old (Remlin version) purchased new.  The older versions had EDM'ed muzzle brakes which were said to be effective but also said to be ear-busting.  Mine is just fine as is.

Also FWIW, when skeet shooting, I use a bird hunting vest with one of those "plasticky" recoil pads.  Made a big difference - first coupla' times, shooting four rounds almost made me give up the sport.  Have you ever tried these, might be helpful with your A-bolt ?

You probably know all of this so please ignore any of my random, useless thoughts  

Cheers, Tom -

randyc