Making a really LIGHT stock replacement...?

[JungleShooter]

We always talk about how we want our shooting rig to be LIGHT....!



️So we bicker about hating illumination in a scope — because of wanting to save weight.

(Really? The illumination weighs on average 1 ounce (28g)....)



️We complain about heavy guns — yet add all kinds of accessories to them....



️ So, why don't we do some real weight saving — and replace the stock with one made from a much lighter material...?

Say, a very light wood. Or some synthetic.


Has anyone ever done this?

I'm thinking of Balsa wood or Paulownia (¼ and ½ of the weight of Walnut, respectively).


What are the pro's and con's?

Matthias

 

[ProfSteelToe]

We always talk about how we want our shooting rig to be LIGHT....!



️So we bicker about hating illumination in a scope — because of wanting to save weight.

(Really? The illumination weighs on average 1 ounce (28g)....)



️We complain about heavy guns — yet add all kinds of accessories to them....



️ So, why don't we do some real weight saving — and replace the stock with one made from a much lighter material...?

Say, a very light wood. Or some synthetic.


Has anyone ever done this?

I'm thinking of Balsa wood or Paulownia (¼ and ½ of the weight of Walnut, respectively).


What are the pro's and con's?

Matthias

I wouldn't recommend such soft wood. Way too soft. Won't hold shape, screws will pull through, dent and scratch like crazy.
What are you trying to lighten, or is this purely academic?

I have built lightweight aluminum tube sticks for my PROD, 2240 and 1377. They are easy mods. A full stock on a full-sized rifle is a lot of work for diminishing returns.

I have a Hatsan Flashpup that is a great shooter in .177- laser beam accurate- but is really heavy. I considered hogging out some of the plastic stock to lighten it, but the weight is all in the barrel, receiver, and tube.

 

[Solo1]

I had to lighten an anschutz style laminated stock to make weight with a 10/22 for silhouette shooting and it was very difficult. Had to remove a big piece of fore stock and hog out a big hole in the butt to get to 9.5 lbs. i was very surprised how much wood i had to remove.

 

[JungleShooter]

What are you trying to lighten, or is this purely academic?

I have a Diana Skyhawk, a rebranded Snowpeak P15.

The stock is nice, but Minelli made the stock much longer than necessary....
Bullpups are made to be shortened, not lengthened....!

Secondly, for night pesting I would like to lug around as little as possible.

Hence, the idea of a super light (and shortened) stock.

I'm not too concerned about dents and dinks.
But your point about screws stripping out is excellent! Thank you!
I will have to glue inserts with better wood into the 2 places where there is a screw.

Matthias

 

[Adrian Q]

what kind of weight reduction are you looking for? When I used to hunt rabbits years ago, in a previous life, my rig must have weighed about 7 1/2 pounds max and I didn’t notice it.

 

[Danman]

I have a Diana Skyhawk, a rebranded Snowpeak P15.

The stock is nice, but Minelli made the stock much longer than necessary....
Bullpups are made to be shortened, not lengthened....!

Secondly, for night pesting I would like to lug around as little as possible.

Hence, the idea of a super light (and shortened) stock.

I'm not too concerned about dents and dinks.
But your point about screws stripping out is excellent! Thank you!
I will have to glue inserts with better wood into the 2 places where there is a screw.

Matthias

The SL in my AirArms "SL S510 XS" stands for 'Super Light' and the only difference vs the regular walnut or laminated version is the stocks material. It is made of poplar wood i believe and definitely very light, and easy/cheap to obtain but as mentioned if you looked at it the wrong way, it will dent!
For night pesting on the move, a light and/or short rig is key! My first experience night pesting years ago was with a Diana 350 magnum....quickly got HEAVVYY holding that and a large Dewalt flashlight. Those weren't the days! Polymer would be my go to if I didnt care about looks.

 

[ProfSteelToe]

The SL in my AirArms "SL S510 XS" stands for 'Super Light' and the only difference vs the regular walnut or laminated version is the stocks material. It is made of poplar wood i believe and definitely very light, and easy/cheap to obtain but as mentioned if you looked at it the wrong way, it will dent!
For night pesting on the move, a light and/or short rig is key! My first experience night pesting years ago was with a Diana 350 magnum....quickly got HEAVVYY holding that and a large Dewalt flashlight. Those weren't the days! Polymer would be my go to if I didnt care about looks.

I have a Diana Skyhawk, a rebranded Snowpeak P15.

The stock is nice, but Minelli made the stock much longer than necessary....
Bullpups are made to be shortened, not lengthened....!

Secondly, for night pesting I would like to lug around as little as possible.

Hence, the idea of a super light (and shortened) stock.

I'm not too concerned about dents and dinks.
But your point about screws stripping out is excellent! Thank you!
I will have to glue inserts with better wood into the 2 places where there is a screw.

Matthias

It is easiest to remove material from a wooden stock. Figure out what can be drilled out or hacked off, thinned, shortened, etc.

Bullpups are a bit tricky because they tend to be front heavy, or just barely weight centered. You may be able to achieve significant lightening of the stock, but hate the ergonomics more than you hated the weight.

Also, consider some of the easy fixes. If you are hunting close, shave 1-2 lbs easy by pulling that fat scope off and drop something like the Umarex RDS8 red dot pistol sight on it. Weighs nothing. A heavy scope on a bullpup really affects the center of gravity and can make the gun feel awkward and tippy.

 

[Billm]

I had no problems reducing significant weight from the Benjamin Marauder Gen 3 stock. I reduced it by almost two pounds, 29ozs and made it a folder and increased the number of M-Lok slots. If weight was a real issue, I’m sure I could reduce it another 3-4ozs.