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.

Muzzle Brake for the IZH 61

This blog post isn't quite what I'd hoped.  Was gonna walk through the various steps that led to the completion of this muzzle brake. However, after having the job go south several times during the machining, I gave up trying to take the pictures and focused solely on saving the part.  It started as a solid piece of 12L14 steel.  It was drilled, threaded, turned, milled, bead blasted and finally blackened into what you see below.  It's mounted to my IZH 61 Short Barreled Rifle project.  I think the little rifle is finally finished.  Here are some pics of the results.




















The brake is threaded 1/2-28 to fit the muzzle and counterbored to fit over the carbon barrel sleeve.

Believe it measures 28-1/2" from butt to muzzle--with the stock fully extended. 

I've got a pretty big pile of projects, but I'm not sure whats up next.    Check back soon.

Mrod Air CP1-M Grip Modifications -- Part 2

Thought the grip on the CP1-M needed a little more work.

Padded, gently and nervously clamped down on the mill table. 

Used a 7/8" end mill to create a short pocket at the base of the grip

Took it to depth.

So I can fit this stub of leftover Anschutz target rifle accessory rail. 

Milled to length.

The finished pocket after a coat of shellac.

Screwed and glued in place.    

So. I guess I sanded off the original palm shelf--and now I'm making a palm shelf. 

Traced the grip outline onto a piece of beech.  Hopefully, it'll match.

Test fit.

Got lucky.

Penciled in the mounting hole.  Through drilled for a M5 screw then counterbored with a 29/64" for a screw cup I found mixed in with my washers.  Pressed in the cup below flush.




























Needs some shaping.

A few minutes on the belt sander got it to here.  Looks good, but it's too angular to look right with the curves of the grip.

A few more minutes on the sander to soften and break all the edges.   This is after a coat of shellac.

The backing nut is a thin threaded plate to fit into the rail.

The palm shelf now has both vertical and angular adjustment--or it can be removed entirely and the grip used without.  The shallowness of the Anschutz track doesn't interfere with the grip.

The rosewood (cocobolo?) turned out to be a nice addition. 

Dunno what's up next.  That wood grip for the Hammerli Master is calling along with several other smaller projects.