BAM B26-2 Stock Modifications -- Part 1

Reconfiguring the stock on the BAM B26-2 has been on my list for a few years now. 

I've been wanting to lower the cheekpiece--mostly because I'd like to lose the dovetail to weaver adapter and drop the scope closer to bore line. The reason was the lateral offset introduced into the scope caused by the stacking of adapter and rings.  The rifle could only be sighted in at one distance.  

Started by removing the stock.  That cheek piece is so tall that high scope rings alone are not enough to see through the scope. 























The belt sander took off about half an inch in a few minutes. 

Dropping the action back into the stock revealed that just removing height wasn't enough.   Needed to change the angle and remove some mass to get my face closer to centerline.

Like so.

Started to remove the rest of the finish, then hit a wall.  The factory stuff is damn near impermeable.  "Regular" paint stripper was barely making a dent. 

Ran down to an auto parts store and bought an "aircraft" stripper.  Oddly, the back of the can states that it's "not for use on aircraft".  Do wear a mask and gloves.  Wear a long sleeved shirt.  Seriously, this is nasty stuff.

Took a couple hours of scraping and brushing to make it all go away.  There's quite a bit more grain under that heavy original finish.

Sanded the bottom of the grip flat on a granite plate.

Wanna add a grip cap.




























Found a cut of African(?) padauk purchased several years ago from WoodCraft.  

Traced the bottom of the grip and started cutting on the scroll saw.

F marks the front.

Left it oversize for fitting.

Mixed up some epoxy, clamped, and set it aside to dry.

While the glue dried, thought I'd fit a Bisley adjustable recoil pad I've been saving. 

Naturally, the bottom hole in the base plate doesn't match up with the one in my stock.  The stock also has a sling swivel stud that would prevent simply using this hole location.

Spotted and drilled the base plate

Countersunk.





























Next this is screwed to the stock, marked, and ground to fit.  Nick and I have previously covered fitting base plates here.

Here, the plate has been ground to the stock contours.

Next time around, well, I've always wanted a palm rest on a rifle...

Thanks for checking in.  More in a couple days.