I was on Gunstox looking for a stock for my model 70 hunting rifle and found a McMillan Varmint that looked like it would fit the bill. The action and bottom metal inlets were right so I took a chance on it.
I was really happy with the shape of it when it arrived so I set about getting it finished up. The stock was raw fiberglass and didn’t have a recoil pad so I began there. I used a hacksaw to cut the stock at the correct angle and length of pull:
I sanded the stock even with 80 grit paper on a block and fine tuned the length of pull. I also flattened the recoil pad and cut some grooves in the butt for some extra grip:
After the epoxy dried, I sanded the pad to the proper contour using a disk sander for the rough work and finishing with a block by hand:
I’m running a proof sendero barrel so had to open up the sporter barrel channel. I used a series of deep sockets wrapped in 80 grit to open it to the right diameter.
With the channel complete, it was time to move on to a TacOps style texture job. I wet sanded the stock with 400 grit and went over it with a red Scotch Brite pad to give the epoxy some tooth. I masked off the areas I wanted textured with 1/8” 3M 471 tape. This tape is really flexible and leaves nice crisp lines.
I mixed up some Devcon 10110 and applied it to the masked areas. I used a gloved finger to raise the texture of the epoxy while wet. I removed the tape about 30 minutes later.
I knocked the texture down with a file, 220 grit paper and a Red Scotch Brite.
With that done, it was time for paint. I decided on a woodland camo duracoat scheme. I used a black base coat followed by tan, brown and green with vinyl stencils in between each coat. I masked off the texturing as I wanted to keep it black.
The edges of the texturing were a little rough so I ended up using the 3M tape to mask a really fine line around the texturing and hit it with another coat of black to clean it up. Finished product:
I’m happy with the way it turned out and it has the vintage style I was after. Im into the stock for about $370 after paint and supplies and I think it’s a pretty good way to save some money if you’re willing to do some work. Will update with finished photos of the rifle after I cerakote the metal.
I was really happy with the shape of it when it arrived so I set about getting it finished up. The stock was raw fiberglass and didn’t have a recoil pad so I began there. I used a hacksaw to cut the stock at the correct angle and length of pull:
I sanded the stock even with 80 grit paper on a block and fine tuned the length of pull. I also flattened the recoil pad and cut some grooves in the butt for some extra grip:
After the epoxy dried, I sanded the pad to the proper contour using a disk sander for the rough work and finishing with a block by hand:
I’m running a proof sendero barrel so had to open up the sporter barrel channel. I used a series of deep sockets wrapped in 80 grit to open it to the right diameter.
With the channel complete, it was time to move on to a TacOps style texture job. I wet sanded the stock with 400 grit and went over it with a red Scotch Brite pad to give the epoxy some tooth. I masked off the areas I wanted textured with 1/8” 3M 471 tape. This tape is really flexible and leaves nice crisp lines.
I mixed up some Devcon 10110 and applied it to the masked areas. I used a gloved finger to raise the texture of the epoxy while wet. I removed the tape about 30 minutes later.
I knocked the texture down with a file, 220 grit paper and a Red Scotch Brite.
With that done, it was time for paint. I decided on a woodland camo duracoat scheme. I used a black base coat followed by tan, brown and green with vinyl stencils in between each coat. I masked off the texturing as I wanted to keep it black.
The edges of the texturing were a little rough so I ended up using the 3M tape to mask a really fine line around the texturing and hit it with another coat of black to clean it up. Finished product:
I’m happy with the way it turned out and it has the vintage style I was after. Im into the stock for about $370 after paint and supplies and I think it’s a pretty good way to save some money if you’re willing to do some work. Will update with finished photos of the rifle after I cerakote the metal.
