April 16 - The Recoil Pad

April 16 – The Recoil Pad

Every job, no matter how enjoyable has at least one component that is a major pain in the ass.

This brings us to the recoil pad.

Back in my posting about stocks I mentioned the pros and cons of synthetic vs. wood stocks.  One point that I left off (intentionally), is the fitting of the recoil pad. 

See…Synthetic stocks which I don’t particularly care for, they have established geometry’s which means they can only accept “made to order” recoil pads.  Wood stocks don’t have this luxury.  Simply stated there are no rubber recoil pads that offer an off the shelf “exact” fit to your stock….you have to make it fit.

Why do we need recoil pads in the first place?  

Glad you asked.  

Remember back in physics that law that stated that every action has an exact equal opposite reaction?  Well,  the explosive force of the cartridge in the rifle chamber that propels the projectile out the muzzle at 2200 ft per second has a whole lot of “opposite reaction” attached to it.  Some calibers are small enough that the explosive force necessary is minimal.  For these guns the recoil pad is slim, and sometimes hard,…the only real purpose is to protect the stock from wear and tear.  In the old days, (I mean really old days…think Daniel Boone), there was no recoil pad at all, just a slab of brass fitted over the stock.  Now days though, with larger caliber rifles there is a whole lot of rearward movement every time the rifle is fired.  Without having some serious protection fitted to where the rifle is wedged into the shooters body, you could only fire two or three shots before you threw the rifle in the trash and sat in the corner and cried. (I know…I’ve sat in the corner and cried a couple of times…but that is another story).

So…how do we make a chunk of rubber fit properly to a piece of wood and make it look “natural”.

First we need to make a template using the end of the stock as a guide.  I stand the stock on the recoil pad and scribe a “cut line” into the rubber with an awl.  Then I rub chalk into the pad to make the scribe line stand out.  Next I put on my reading glasses…not because they offer protection…but because I’m getting too damn old to see anything up close without them. 

I need to be close because I’m going to be removing the excess rubber with a belt sander, and the last thing I want to do is remove too much. 

Grinding the recoil pad....who knew that rubber could turn into a gas and get into EVERYTHING!

Here is another little problem that you encounter in the process….the comb of the recoil pad…the top part the matches up to the comb of the stock is easy enough to grind since it sits at a 90 degree angle to the pad.  It’s the toe (the opposite end that is a problem)…see the toe needs to follow the same angle as the toe of the stock and the only way to get this angle correct on the grinder is to have a magical degree of steadiness, or cheat and use a jig….I always cheat when I have the option.

So now I am covered in rubber from the grinder, but I have a recoil pad that looks like it will fit so its time to do a “dry fit” and see if it worked.

 Well...looks like it fits!  Hmmm...mabye I should consider becoming a hand model...

Looks like it fits.  Now all that is needed is to mark the screw holes on the stock, drill pilot holes and screw the pad into the stock, making sure to place grease on the head of the screws so that they don’t mar the rubber as the sink into it. 

The first thing you notice is that the whole assemblage looks pretty damn ugly.  That is to be expected, a grinder only does rough work.  Now I need to switch to sand paper to smooth out the rough grinding lines and reduce the wood on the stock slightly to match any low points where the wood meets the rubber. 

 220 grit sand paper gently smoothing out the scuff marks on the pad.  Notice the high tech jig I have the pad mounted on?  It is a scrap piece of pine.

 And there you have it!  The recoil pad is fitted!  The extra length of the pad also has the benefit of increasing the pull of the stock,...extending the dimensions of the stock from 13 inches from trigger to butt to a little over 14 inches....this "fits" better for most adults.

Now that everything looks right I apply a little Turtle Wax to brighten the pad and begin the long process of sweeping up the shop.  Little bits of rubber are on everything that is within 10 feet of my sander.

If I ever finish cleaning up the next step will be to install the bases, rings and scope!