Buttstock Cover without Bullet Loops

[RidgebackCustoms]

Made these mostly to practice the tooling, but wanted to start fleshing out a stock cover design as well.

Genuine question:  Does anyone think there's a market for purely decorative covers?  Maybe in the SASS?  I like the real estate provided by the project for decorative tooling, but not much function to it.

[AlZilla]

No idea of the market but why not bullet loops on one side and artwork on the other? You've covered it all.

[DieselTech]

I bet some padded cheek pieces would be a seller too. For these guys that shoot the BIG magnum calibers. 

[jrdunn]

Just my opinion but when I saw the title I wondered "why?"  Again, JM2C.  Jim

[RidgebackCustoms]

5 hours ago, AlZilla said:

No idea of the market but why not bullet loops on one side and artwork on the other? You've covered it all

I want the art facing out when shooting.  So right side for a right handed shooter, etc.

 

5 hours ago, DieselTech said:

I bet some padded cheek pieces would be a seller too. For these guys that shoot the BIG magnum calibers. 

Probably my only option for adding function to form with these designs.

2 hours ago, jrdunn said:

Just my opinion but when I saw the title I wondered "why?"  Again, JM2C.  Jim

Fair

[Mablung]

I use stuff like that as a cover for a cheek riser (though most of the time I’m the only one at the range maintaining a cheek weld). Advertise that function with it and you may get some additional buyers. 

[1961Mike]

Hi, your leather carving skills are great.  On the other hand, I think you'd find more sales providing another venue for your artwork.  I'm not in leatherwork sales, but even a leather butt pad would have to go $30 US.  I'm not sure how many shooters would bother paying that for a 1/8 inch rise is stock height and art.  Another addition to the butt pad could be to fill in the crescent shaped metal (brass or steel) butt plate.  Americans are larger now than in 1873. 

You might get more sales with something that is more useful to shooters.  NCOWS shooters that are in the working cowboy (1 pistol and 1 rifle) have to carry their equipment including ammo, cleaning equipment, etc without a cart like SASS uses.  The saddle bags would have two flaps that could be decorated as well as the connection between the two bags.

Just thinking out loud. 

[MarlinDave]

I made several a while back both ways. People thought they were cool, gave a few away, nobody bought any. I still enjoy making them, especially for lever guns.

[DoogMeister]

Have made several for my own rifles.  All have cartridge loops.  I mainly use a decorative border and some stamps like deer heads, etc.  Did one with basket weave on a large magnum, that one tends to be a bit tough on the cheek. 

With cartridge loops, decorative carving would be on the inside - the shooter can see it and appreciate it that way. 

Just a thought.

[Dwight]

I have relatively high cheek bones . . . when I want a cheek weld . . . I want it hooked on that riser.

My M14 . . . with my 50 mm scope . . . and my cheek riser.

Decoration is the logo for Destroyer Squadron 7 out of San Diego . . . I rode two ships in that group.

I have sold a number of these . . . mostly one guy sees it . . . wants one.  I make em in basically any height . . . this one is one of my higher ones.

May God bless,

Dwight

[Mablung]

11 hours ago, Dwight said:

I have relatively high cheek bones . . . when I want a cheek weld . . . I want it hooked on that riser.

My M14 . . . with my 50 mm scope . . . and my cheek riser.

Decoration is the logo for Destroyer Squadron 7 out of San Diego . . . I rode two ships in that group.

I have sold a number of these . . . mostly one guy sees it . . . wants one.  I make em in basically any height . . . this one is one of my higher ones.

May God bless,

Dwight

Does yours shift under recoil? Made a crude one for my bolt action and laced it down tight, but it still shifted under recoil. Trying to figure out if I need to just anchor the laces around the sling stud or if I need to change my construction method. 

[Littlef]

33 minutes ago, Mablung said:

Does yours shift under recoil? Made a crude one for my bolt action and laced it down tight, but it still shifted under recoil. Trying to figure out if I need to just anchor the laces around the sling stud or if I need to change my construction method. 

I know on the cheek pad on a M1D Garand (the sniper variant) they put a brass wood screw into the bottom of the leather to keep it from shifting.  A rifle stock is just an oddly shaped taper than makes it tough to secure a piece of leather to it.  You could place a thin piece of rubber between the wood and leather.  I keep an old bicycle innertube in the workbench that I occasionally cut pieces off of for various similar type applications.  - also comes in handy to make spacers, vibration dampening, or for a non-skip type application.  

[chuck123wapati]

53 minutes ago, Mablung said:

Does yours shift under recoil? Made a crude one for my bolt action and laced it down tight, but it still shifted under recoil. Trying to figure out if I need to just anchor the laces around the sling stud or if I need to change my construction method. 

Here is mine i used the technique on the original M1 scope risers, a slot is cut into the leather plus the string is wrapped, mine doesn't add rise because it is open-sighted but adds padding for a good weld. I  had one stock-mounted bullet loop thing and lost to many shells with it so I tossed it out, they don't work well for rimless cartridges if your hunting requires more than sitting in a blind or tree stand.

[chuck123wapati]

20 minutes ago, chuck123wapati said:

Here is mine i used the technique on the original M1 scope risers, a slot is cut into the leather plus the string is wrapped, mine doesn't add rise because it is open-sighted but adds padding for a good weld. I  had one stock-mounted bullet loop thing and lost to many shells with it so I tossed it out, they don't work well for rimless cartridges if your hunting requires more than sitting in a blind or tree stand.

actually, i misspoke i lengthened it so i didn't have to use a screw in my stock. Sorry I'm getting old lol.

[RidgebackCustoms]

On 11/1/2024 at 9:31 PM, 1961Mike said:

The saddle bags would have two flaps that could be decorated as well as the connection between the two bags.

That's an idea.  I like projects with a lot of "canvas" to work from.

18 hours ago, DoogMeister said:

With cartridge loops, decorative carving would be on the inside - the shooter can see it and appreciate it that way.

Fair,  I just worry about skin oil, sweat, etc. prematurely aging the work.

[Dwight]

12 hours ago, Mablung said:

Does yours shift under recoil? Made a crude one for my bolt action and laced it down tight, but it still shifted under recoil. Trying to figure out if I need to just anchor the laces around the sling stud or if I need to change my construction method. 

In a one word answer . . . no . . . 

It doesn't.  But then again . . . this is laced on there TIGHT . . .  TIGHT

Plus . . . if it moved it would have to move forward . . . and mine is designed to end at that skinny part of the stock . . . so it would have to jump over the hand grip . . .  ain't gonna happen.

May God bless,

Dwight

[Mablung]

8 hours ago, Dwight said:

In a one word answer . . . no . . . 

It doesn't.  But then again . . . this is laced on there TIGHT . . .  TIGHT

Plus . . . if it moved it would have to move forward . . . and mine is designed to end at that skinny part of the stock . . . so it would have to jump over the hand grip . . .  ain't gonna happen.

May God bless,

Dwight

Thanks.  I may need to adjust my design and then make sure I can really crank the lacing down.  Just gotta be careful that I don't damage the stock (lightweight polymer bolt gun I bought for humping all over the hills).

[DoogMeister]

22 hours ago, chuck123wapati said:

Here is mine i used the technique on the original M1 scope risers, a slot is cut into the leather plus the string is wrapped, mine doesn't add rise because it is open-sighted but adds padding for a good weld. I  had one stock-mounted bullet loop thing and lost to many shells with it so I tossed it out, they don't work well for rimless cartridges if your hunting requires more than sitting in a blind or tree stand.

Here in Colorado, we have to have our guns in a case or scabbard while on an ATV/UTV.  I use the cartridge loops so I don't have to dig around in a pocket for them when I stop and remove the gun from the scabbard.  Otherwise, I agree - cartridge loops are a quick way to lose (expensive) ammo.

[chuck123wapati]

24 minutes ago, DoogMeister said:

Here in Colorado, we have to have our guns in a case or scabbard while on an ATV/UTV.  I use the cartridge loops so I don't have to dig around in a pocket for them when I stop and remove the gun from the scabbard.  Otherwise, I agree - cartridge loops are a quick way to lose (expensive) ammo.

You can have ammo in the magazine can't you? 

I'm not too fond of that pocket problem as well, here is my fix for that.

[Dwight]

2 hours ago, chuck123wapati said:

You can have ammo in the magazine can't you? 

I'm not too fond of that pocket problem as well, here is my fix for that.

Yeah . . . I don't like pocket ammo either . . . 

My fix is a bit different . . . quicker too . . . lol

May God bless,

Dwight

Edited November 6, 2024 by Dwight

[chuck123wapati]

lol I wish my Rem 700 took one of those. 

[DoogMeister]

On 11/6/2024 at 10:09 AM, chuck123wapati said:

You can have ammo in the magazine can't you? 

I'm not too fond of that pocket problem as well, here is my fix for that.

We can have ammo in the magazine, but the loaded magazine must be removed from the gun if on an ATV or UTV.  I was checked for that again this year.  It has become a lucrative item for Game wardens and US Forest service from out-of-state hunters.  Showing the rationale for laws, if you are in a vehicle that has a highway license plate, only the chamber must be empty.

[chuck123wapati]

interestingly stupid lol, so plate your atv, here you cant drive on the major forest roads without plates.

[DoogMeister]

We have to have a sticker on the ATV, but they don't qualify for a plate - would have to be highway legal.  ATVs don't qualify in Colorado.