I've always fancied myself a bit of a handyman. I'm a tinkerer, and I like trying to make things just a bit better than they come standard. While my results aren't necessarily professional grade, often they come close and it's rewarding to learn how to do things on my own.
Tonight I took my first foray into gunsmithing - and it was good. Of course, for those of you who know me, I rarely do anything "just a little". Today I picked up a new-to-me shotgun, cut the stock 3" shorter, sanded a grind-to-fit Limbsaver recoil pad, drilled the stock, and screwed it in. Not quite satisfied, I also completely disassembled my Glock 23 for the first time and replaced the slide lock lever and magazine release with extended controls. Big thanks to the guys at Horseshoe Pike Gun Shop for their advice, measurements, and support here. All 4 elements of these projects turned out quite well -- Mission accomplished.
The stock Glock parts are good, and I'm a little undecided about that mag release. It is certainly easier to operate without having to rotate the gun in your hand, but I'm afraid it'll get hung up on holsters and clothing. I'll report back on that after I've used it for a while.
Some say the Glock is boring to look at, or that it has no soul. I think it looks awesome.
My newest addition to the family -- a Smith and Wesson Model 916A 20ga pump. It'll hold 6 in the tube + 1 in the chamber. It's got a 28" barrel and came with virtually no recoil pad at all. It's the one on top. On the bottom is my Mossberg 500 for comparison. They're both 28" barrels, but the Mossy is 12ga, as can be seen in the significantly larger barrel. Overall, they're almost the exact same length. For now.
All my babies together. Notice the half-finished shelf I'm building for my reloading bench -- I think I've decide to forego those 45deg. supports and put on some standard metal brackets instead.
When I laid her down on my saw table, it reminded me of those horrifying images of guns being cut in half or crushed by bulldozers. One of the more emotionally painful moments I've experienced in my life, cutting into that stock.
I put painters tape all around the stock to help discourage splintering. Worked pretty well, even with my standard rough-framing blade.
If you're ever shopping for a power miter saw, make sure it has a laser. Once you figure out exactly how the laser corresponds to the cut and figuring the blade's thickness into account, it makes razor precise cuts with minimum setup time on each cut.
I always love the look of a nice hardwood unfinished and unmolested.
After spending another hour with the belt sander, I had the Limbsaver pad ground down to the size and shape of the tiny stock. Notice how much shorter it is now -- remember originally it was the same length as the Mossberg. I got Limbsaver's smallest pad, and had to grind it to literally within a few hairs' widths of the minimum size possible.
So why would I take a gun that actually shot quite well for me and cut it impossibly short, to the point that I really can't shoulder it comfortably anymore? Why, my tiny girlfriend of course. She was built with small parts, and this gun was bought for her. I'm just thrilled she's interested in shooting with me, and will do as much as possible to make it fun for her. For a shotgun, this means a lighter load (20ga), a shorter stock to fit her frame, and the softest recoil pad I could find.
We'll find out what she thinks of my creation and report back.
Happy shooting.
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