Stock Bending – A twist in the tale!

I like to use the analogy that buying a gun, whether new or second hand, is a little like buying a suit off the peg. Wherever you’re buying it from, and no matter the quality of the make, if the gun hasn’t been made bespoke for you and your measurements, it’s highly unlikely that it will fit perfectly. In which case, in order to get the best experience from your gun, it’s a good idea to have it properly altered and fitted – this is something I do for many clients. If a gun is like a suit, I suppose that would make me the tailor!

These alterations can take many forms, but here is one example of a job that involved stock bending – or in this specific case – stock twisting. You can see the full gallery of images below which show the process in detail.

Recoil issues

The client of this project came to me seeking out a stock fitting. It was a rather serious problem – unfortunately he was complaining of the stock recoiling badly. In one case it had even hit his cheek so violently it had cut him. Not an experience he cared to repeat again!

Finding solutions

The first thing I noticed was that the stock was too short and was not firmly sitting in the cup of his shoulder. The solution? A thicker recoil pad, which added 1/2 to the length of pull.

There was another issue to solve… I noted that when he mounted the gun the barrels were twisted. This is caused by the butt sitting between the muscles on the shoulder. In the pictures below you will see that I rectified this by actually twisting the stock quite a bit, using a clamp to hold and move it into place while the heat lamps were on it.

Gun stocks and gender

Most stocks are built with the toe kicking out, but humans are not all made in the same shape! Some people need more kick than others. This can happen especially with women, as on the whole their build is different from that of men. Much in the same way that some women’s trainers are designed to suit their different walking/running gait, I’ve noticed that some gun makers are now making dedicated stocks to better fit female customers.

The owner of this particular gun went shooting pigeons recently and phoned me after his first ten shots to say 8 pigeons… and no recoil.

If you’d like to chat more about stock bending, or stock fitting in general, please fill out the form below!

You can also give me a call on 07979 606175 or email me directly to greg@gunstockrestoration.co.uk