GaryN wrote:I would be afraid of making the pistol grip too small, and reducing its strength.
Full size rifle have enough problem with cracking at the pistol grip.
Maybe drill a hole through the grip and cement in a 1/4 inch diameter steel rod.
That is my main concern also. There is already a hole drilled through the pistol grip from the bottom up to the back of the action. This is where a steel nut/stud attach the action to the stock. A small machine screw on the right side also fastens the stock to the action. The two piece stock seems to be much less sturdy than the single piece version. As long as it's not dropped I don't think it will be a problem though.
I'm done chopping on it for now. I installed an Anchutz adjustable butt plate and lowered the palm rest. I'm trying to make it something like a precision rifle, something it obviously is not. But it will be a good stepping stone for small kids who want to move up to an 8001 eventually.
Well, I screwed up. I was showing a new shooter how to use one of my CZ200's. She was shooting with a scope from the bench while I watched. She was doing okay until she finished ten pellets into a 10 meter bullseye; I took a look through the scope and at the same time she got up from the bench and let go of the rifle which promptly fell to the ground.
The only thing holding the two halves of the stock together was the screw that goes through the pistol grip. The lower part of the stock is also split part way through. It's in a clamp right now waiting for the glue to set so I can attach the rest of the stock later. I think I can save the stock.
I wasn't upset when the rifle fell. The girl was done shooting and I told her the stock was just chipped and needed repair when I put it away. If she returns to practice with the other junior shooters, I'll show her the repairs required and have a friendly talk with her about taking care of the equipment. This was one of the very few times I've taken my eyes off of a brand new shooter and the first time I've had a wood stock rifle hit the ground falling off of a bench.
The rifle hit hard enough to knock the scope off; it's possible that the stock would have stayed intact if I hadn't trimmed it down around the pistol grip area.
I glued the two stock halves together using epoxy. I had to hold the two halves together until the glue set as the curved surfaces would not stay still in clamps. The two pieces are nearly perfectly aligned. After removing the excess glue with a rasp and hitting it a bit with some sandpaper it looks okay but it' a bit scarred.
A coat of stain will improve it a bit. I'm going to mark the glue line with black Sharpe to remind me of how delicate the stock is. :)
Thst was my worry originally.
I guess a fiberglass mat and resin exoskeleton wouldnt look so good even if sanded back but it might increase strength as a last resort.
TMP
That is just what I had in mind for a cracked TAU-200 stock.
The trigger guard has a crack that allows the stock to flex. So there is stress/tension that has to be handled by that trigger guard.
TenMetrePeter wrote:Thst was my worry originally.
I guess a fiberglass mat and resin exoskeleton wouldnt look so good even if sanded back but it might increase strength as a last resort.
Can you recommend a thin fiberglass mat I could use? Only well placed holes look good; can't really care less (for the most part) about the rifle.
Lots of overlaid layers of 6 thou mat would be better than fewer thicker ones. Its been 50 years since I made a kayak that way - did my lungs no good at all!
